4 candidates seek 2 seats on Foothill-De Anza board

Though this is his fourth time running for Foothill-De Anza college board, incumbent Paul Fong says it's not about the politics for him.

"I'm not a politician. I'm an activist," he said.

Fong is the only incumbent in this race. He was first elected to the board in 1993, and if elected again this year, it will be his fourth term as a trustee.

Fong hopes voters will look at his record as a trustee and deem him ready for a fourth round.

"It's not my ambition that dictates me. It's my voters," Fong said. "We haven't laid anyone off, we haven't cut any programs, we kept our reserve."

For his fourth term, Fong has one big plan:

"I'm going to go after the $400 million bond measure," he said.

He claims much of the credit for Measure E passing, the district's last bond issue, for $298 million. Now, he wants the district to be able to add new space and finish the building renovations that began with the Measure E funds.

"I'm the only one who will push it and get it through," Fong said.

Aside from the need for an additional bond sale, Fong has stated that the top two issues facing the district are statewide equalization of funding and the $15 million to $18 million unfunded retirement benefits that will hit the district in the next decade.

When discussing the inequities in state funding for Foothill-De Anza, he said, "I'm the leader of the equalization fight. I'm not afraid to take on issues."

Fong values diversity and believes ethnic minorities serve the public in a unique way.

"We lived outside our boxes. There's never been a box. We have to constantly prove ourselves and serve and be effective. We fought our way here, so we have a different perspective when we're serving."

Fong is one of two candidates who were once students in the district. He attended De Anza college to fulfill his general education requirements before transferring to San Jose State for his bachelor's degree. Currently, Fong teaches political science at Evergreen Community College and takes part in many local and state level committees and organizations.

And he is ready for a fourth term.

"I'm not burned out. I still have the time and energy," he said.

Experience: Education advocate for Foothill-De Anza working toward equalization of community college funding; fundraiser for Foothill-De Anza Foundation Board; community representative for the Foothill-De Anza legislative committee

Age: 50

Years in the district: 4

Home: Los Altos

Education: B.A., Political Science, California State University, Northridge; J.D., University of Santa Clara, School of Law

Candidate Laura Casas Frier may be the newcomer to the Foothill-De Anza district but she certainly isn't ignorant about issues facing the community colleges.

Since moving to Los Altos four years ago from Southern California, Casas Frier has spent time lobbying in Sacramento for more funding for the district. She has also served on a legislative committee for the college district and has been attending board meetings for the past two years.

As a trustee, Casas Frier said, she will be able to lobby more effectively for equalization and additional state funding.

Though she received her J.D. from the University of Santa Clara law school, Casas Frier has never practiced law. For four years after graduation, she worked as a negotiator of wrongful death and serious injury claims for an insurance company. She would like to use her legal skills to contribute to the board of trustees, with whom she believes she would work well.

"I'm a consensus builder," she said.

A priority for Casas Frier is confronting the issue of unfunded retirement benefits for district faculty and staff. According to Casas Frier, 700 faculty members will retire within the next decade and the district lacks the funds to support their retirement packages.

Casas Frier sees three potential solutions, none of which, she said, are crowd-pleasers. One is to allocate the Cost of Living Adjustment toward retirement benefits, another would set aside money in bits each year which is something the board has already begun to do.

A third, and Casas Frier's favored option, would be to offer retirees cash payments to opt out of their retirement policies.

If elected, Casas Frier would like to work toward the creation of public partnerships with local companies, as well as continuing to lobby for more funding from the state.

"I'm going to be a strong advocate in Sacramento and in corporate America," she said.

If required to make cuts in the district's budget, Casas Frier doesn't know where she'd start.

"We're really bare bones right now," she said. "You're not going to save very much by cutting tennis."

However, Casas Frier said, "If there is fat, of course we'll cut it."

Casas Frier advocates for the costly health professional programs such as nursing and dental hygiene.

Casas Frier believes in the power of the community college district to help students who enter at remedial levels to develop their skills and transfer to four-year colleges.

"Community college can turn your life around," she said.

Casas Frier would like to see more funding directed toward updating technology and supporting professional development for the faculty.

"I want to improve quality," she said.

Experience: Sunnyvale council member; former mayor and vice mayor of Sunnyvale; employee of Lockheed Martin for 34 years

Age: 62

Years in the district: 47

Home: Sunnyvale Education: A.A., liberal arts, De Anza College

Julia Miller proudly refers to herself as "a product of the community college system." The only candidate to receive her degree from De Anza College, she has experienced student life on both campuses firsthand.

If elected, Miller would be the first Sunnyvale trustee and the first De Anza graduate to serve on the board, she said.

But mainly, Miller believes her extensive resume of public service makes her most qualified to serve as a Foothill-De Anza Community College District trustee.

Most recently, Miller has been serving a member of Sunnyvale's city council; her term ends this fall. Previously, she has been elected vice mayor and mayor of Sunnyvale, where she has lived for over 40 years.

"I think I have a lot to offer the district," she said. "I bring the experience of an elected official."

Having been in public office, Miller said, would bring added benefits to her role as a Foothill-De Anza trustee. She has local, regional and state contacts to lobby for more funding for the schools, she said.

Miller's top priorities as a Foothill-De Anza trustee, should she win the election, include multi-year budgeting and increased strategic financial planning, keeping community colleges affordable for the students they serve, and retaining and hiring high quality, diverse faculty. She also thinks the schools should support health profession training programs.

"Nursing is the most expensive program but it is key in this valley," she said.

If budget cuts were necessary, Miller said she would look first to electives.

"Stop offering trips to Rome, basket weaving and calligraphy and get down to the general education requirements," she said.

But when it comes to specifics about the district and the schools' operations, Miller believes she has much to learn and hopes for on-the-job training.

"I don't pretend to know everything about each one of the colleges," she said.

She cites her experience as an elected official as proof that she is capable of serving the community college district well as a trustee.

For Miller, the prospect of serving as Foothill-De Anza trustee is not just another opportunity to win an election. She hopes to continue her long history of public service for at least four more years.

"I have the time, energy and skills to make a difference," Miller said.

Miller is a single mother with one son.

Bruce Swenson

Experience: Professor of mathematics at Foothill College for 18 years; dean of physical science and math division at Foothill for six years, vice president of finance at Foothill for six years

Age: 62

Years in the district: 35

Home: Palo Alto

Bruce Swenson is no stranger to the Foothill-De Anza Community College District. A math professor at Foothill for almost two decades, he served as dean of the physical science and mathematics division there for six years and was vice president of finance for six years. He was also president of the Foothill College Development Commission and involved in fundraising for the college.

One of the issues Swenson hopes to focus on as a Foothill-De Anza trustee is the connection between high schools in the district and the community college. He notes that most of the high school and community college trustees have not met in years, and he doesn't want the Foothill-De Anza board members to lose touch with high schoolers, who should be able to have an idea of what college is like before they enter.

Another priority Swenson highlighted was related to Foothill-De Anza's current layoff procedures in relation to yearly budget management. According to Swenson, the district issues layoffs before the state budget comes out each summer. If it turns out the budget is higher than expected, the district will rescind layoff notices. To Swenson, this process creates unnecessary "turmoil and angst" throughout the district.

His solution? To set aside a one-year reserve of funds for potential layoffs to "keep our focus on education instead of layoffs," Swenson said.

For Swenson, other important priorities include increasing the diversity of the faculty and staff to meet the growing ethnic and cultural diversity of the student body.

While Swenson does not oppose the possibility of an additional bond issue to follow Measure E, the $298 million bond issue approved in 1999, he thinks the proposed $400 million amount for the new bond issue may be too much. Citing a 3 percent decrease in enrollment over the past year, Swenson believes Foothill-De Anza trustees have a responsibility to only ask for needed funds to renovate remaining buildings. In light of an enrollment decline, Swenson does not support adding new space to the campuses.

However, Swenson is an advocate of enhancing certain professional programs that are costly to run but crucial to building a local workforce, particularly in the health field.

"Nursing is a huge community need and we're not meeting it," he said.

If budget cuts had to be made, Swenson said he would look to low-enrollment duplicate courses that could be collapsed into one and offered either at Foothill or at De Anza, such as certain foreign languages.

Swenson's opponents have pointed out that electing a Palo Alto resident to the board would not increase geographic representation. To this criticism, Swenson replied, "A person's other attributes are more important than the town you live in."

Swenson is married and has two children.

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