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The Mountain View Whisman School District is at a critical juncture heading into the November election. Ambitious plans to build a new school, fix attendance boundaries and ease overcrowding all hang in the balance, and myriad plans are in place to bridge the achievement gap in the city’s most under-performing and high-needs schools.
The district has been in a state of flux over the last two years, with changes in top leadership — a new superintendent, a new chief business officer and a new director of English-language learner programs — and a constant search for new faculty as the district hemorrhages teaching staff each year. Crushing cost-of-living increases in Mountain View and the Bay Area are partly to blame for the loss of about 20 percent of the district’s teaching staff annually.
District parents, teachers and school officials often describe the last four years as rocky and tumultuous, caused in part by a divisive school board. A recent district-commissioned audit called the lengthy quarrels between board members at meetings ineffective and counterproductive. The dysfunction reached a tipping point last year, when board president Chris Chiang resigned and said he would pursue a recall election against trustee Steve Nelson.
This election could bring about some much-needed stability to a board that has been mired in one controversy after another. With two board members calling it quits this November — Bill Lambert and Nelson chose to step down at the end of their terms — one appointed incumbent and three other candidates are now vying for the three seats up for election. Regardless of who wins, the election will bring a big change of leadership for the district.
Laura Blakely, Peter Darrah and Tamara Wilson are seeking a seat on the board, each with the goal of turning over a new leaf for the district. The incumbent in the race, Jose Gutierrez, was appointed to the board in August to replace Chiang.
Each candidate has called for rebuilding trust between the district and the school community, and vows to find ways for families across the district to feel represented and respected. The school board voted late last year to open a new school at Slater Elementary, and while the candidates’ positions vary on whether it was a good idea at the time, they all agree that going forward, it’s important to get the timing, the boundaries and the school design of Slater right the first time.
All four candidates agree that the new top staff has put the district on a better trajectory for improving student test scores, closing the achievement gap and wrapping up construction funded by the district’s $198 million Measure G bond. But each candidate brings his or her own perspective on how to raise performance among the district’s low-income and minority students.
Tamara Wilson
Age: 43
Occupation: Research geographer at the U.S. Geological Survey
Education: M.A. in geography from the University of Arizona;
B.A. in environmental studies from California State University East Bay
Website: www.wilson4schools.org
Huff parent Tamara Wilson has been involved in Mountain View Whisman on a districtwide level for years; she is best known as an outspoken proponent for reopening a school in the northeast area of Mountain View. She joined a group of parents to form the “Reopen Slater” movement, which ultimately won the day when board members agreed last year to open a new elementary school on the existing campus.
While the Reopen Slater movement scored a big victory, Wilson said she would bring much more to the table if elected. A research geographer working with the U.S. Geological Survey, Wilson said she has a strong background in both science and education that would help her lead the district as a trustee. She has taught university-level classes, and tutored students with learning disabilities through a program called Strategic Alternative Learning Techniques. She earned a certificate in alternative and learner-centered teaching styles, and has volunteered at Castro through the Reading Partners program.
Wilson has a first-grader attending Huff. She said being a current district parent gives her a critically important perspective for helping to govern Mountain View schools.
Fighting and hostility have been a problem for the board, but Wilson believes she can reverse that trend if elected. As a board member, she said, she would put the “unity” back in community, and she vows to avoid sinking the ship on one particular issue. Having the right temperament and listening to the community is key in representing district families, she said.
“It’s hard to find the core reason for the dysfunction, but I think personalities matter,” she said.
While teacher retention has posed a major problem for the district over the last four years, Wilson said the recent teacher contract — which includes an 8 percent raise and smaller class sizes at lower grade levels — is a big step in the right direction. She said property tax revenue continues to increase quickly in Mountain View, so the least the district can do is keep up with the salaries in comparable school districts. She said she plans to keep an open mind about the possibility of the district building teacher housing.
School construction and concerns about budget cuts and cost overruns remain a problem for the district, in part because planning has been sluggish since the passage of Measure G in 2012, Wilson said. Construction costs escalated year-to-year at a rapid rate, forcing up the cost of construction on projects beyond the original budget allocation. She pointed to the original budget allocation and cost changes at Mistral and Castro, which fluctuated between $43 million and $51 million. Other school community members felt they had a vested interest in cost overruns, out of fear that bond money would run out before their schools got their fair share.
“We needed to outline more clearly what was going to happen,” she said.
Wilson said she agreed with the decision to open a new school at Slater Elementary, arguing that families in the area need a neighborhood school. In the near future, she said, demographic data shows there will be 720 students in the Whisman area who will need a nearby school. Residents in the northeast end of the city have had both of their local campuses — Slater and Whisman — leased out to private organizations for millions of dollars in annual revenue, and students in the area have been sent to Theuerkauf, Landels and Huff instead. She called for more collaborative planning between the city of Mountain View and the school district to make sure school facilities can meet the needs of new housing development in the city.
On the achievement gap, Wilson said she believes early intervention before students enter kindergarten is a must, and that boosting student achievement among low-income and minority students means working with trusted community leaders and institutions such as churches to promote education among the city’s most needy kids.
Wilson’s top priorities on the board would be to implement the district’s new five-year strategic plan, including closing the achievement gap, and fixing attendance boundaries. She said the district also needs to take steps to restore neighborhood schools, making sure children can attend their local school instead of traveling across town every day.
Peter Darrah
Age: 48
Occupation: Computer engineering manager at AMD
Education: B.S. in engineering from University of the Pacific, B.A. Latin American studies from Hampshire College
Website: www.darrah.org
District resident and board candidate Peter Darrah has been steeped in some of the district’s most challenging issues over the last 10 years, including recommending new boundaries, new schools and new construction projects. He is usually the first in line to join task forces and advisory boards, bringing his perspective as both a parent and as a husband of a first-grade teacher at Landels Elementary. He ran unsuccessfully for a board seat in 2012.
Darrah said there needs to be unity among school communities in Mountain View in order to take on big problems facing the district, and the first step is restoring faith in the school board. Dysfunction among the board members over the last four years has driven a wedge between the district’s leadership and the rest of the community, which he said makes every important decision that much more difficult to make. The whole community needed to rally behind the renewal of the Measure C parcel tax earlier this year, he said, but plans to put the measure on the ballot in May fell through because two board members — trustees Greg Coladonato and Steve Nelson — voted against the measure.
“It should have been on the ballot this year,” Darrah said. “Last fall it just went away with a whimper.”
Darrah said he believes teachers must be paid enough to live in the area. Recruitment will remain a tough problem every summer and fall, he said, if teachers are forced to live in Campbell or even farther away in order to pay for housing.
Darrah said he would do what it takes to avoid a top-down approach to teaching, and give plenty of latitude to individual teachers to come up with their own strategies in the classroom. But he was skeptical about district plans to explore a teacher-housing project, which he believes would only help a small subset of teachers instead of new staff coming in.
Regarding new school construction, Darrah said that it’s easy, in hindsight, to criticize how the Measure G budget was handled over the last four years. Many of the problems related to over-budget construction were related to an “insurmountable” increase in construction costs in the area, he said.
“I think the district did as well as it could have,” Darrah said.
One thing he would like to revisit is the idea that a new school will be opened at Slater Elementary alongside Google’s preschool, which is now leasing the site. He said Slater may not be the best location for Google’s preschool 30 or 40 years in the future, and that the district needs to take a long view regarding facilities.
Darrah was one of the Boundary Advisory Task Force members who voted last year against opening a new school at Slater, and said he still has some reservations about the board’s decision to open a new school. He said he hasn’t seen an end-to-end plan to open Slater without another school collapsing from declining enrollment, but he will nevertheless support the board’s decision and acknowledge the growth in student population in the northeast end of the city.
“We should find a way to make it work,” he said. “I think we owe it to the Whisman neighborhood.”
Darrah said future policies on closing the achievement gap should focus on promoting early childhood reading and literacy, and that all students in the district should have strong literacy skills by the third grade. He said attendance boundaries and intra-district transfers have created segregated schools, with high concentrations of low-income and minority students on some campuses, which he believes is an obstacle to closing the achievement gap.
As a board member, Darrah’s top three priorities would include restoring decorum to the board, strengthening the district office’s bond with the school community to support major endeavors such as the parcel tax renewal, and finding ways to make sure all parents in the district are proud of their neighborhood school.
Jose Gutierrez
Age: 46
Occupation: Patent litigation paralegal at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP
Education: B.A. in religious studies, minor in ethnic studies at Santa Clara University
Website: www.joseforschoolboard2016.com
Mistral parent Jose Gutierrez is the only incumbent in the race, but is still a newcomer to the board. He was appointed in August of last year to replace Chris Chiang. Eleven candidates vied for the seat, and the remaining four trustees chose Gutierrez out of the crowded field. At the time, board members said Gutierrez brought an important perspective from the Castro neighborhood, which has been underrepresented on the board.
As a board member, Gutierrez said he draws on his experience as a student trustee at West Valley Community College, where his role was less about specific policy proposals and more about representing the will of his constitutents. It was all about listening to the community about what programs and services needed to be preserved as the college district struggled its way through a recession, he said.
Gutierrez said he plays much the same role in the Mountain View Whisman School District, cutting through drama and emotional baggage in order to get to the heart of each issue and focus on curriculum improvements. Camaraderie and teamwork are key to getting things done in the district, he said, and each discussion needs to come back around to what’s best for the students.
Over the last year, Gutierrez has observed the hostility between board members up close, and he describes it as tough to sit through. His strategy over the last year has been to try to bring the discussion back to the topic at hand, and do what it takes to facilitate what he called a “desperately needed” dialogue between board members.
“When you’re there and you know what has happened in the past, and it starts up again, it’s shocking,” he said. “The level of frustration is understandable, but we need to work together as a board.”
At a time when Mountain View’s middle- and working-class families are moving out because of the high cost of living, Gutierrez said, he would support a teacher salary increase if the district can afford to pay for it. He said the district loses the time and energy each teacher invests in the community when that teacher leaves, which has a big effect on the schools. When there’s no money in the district’s coffers for pay increases, Gutierrez said, he would offer teachers strong instructional support and professional development opportunities. The idea of teacher housing is appealing, he said, but it remains very early in the discussion.
Gutierrez said he is encouraged by the district’s construction planning, which portions out a facilities budget for each school instead of determining costs in a piecemeal fashion. He said the district has made mistakes in the past by trying to alter plans at the last minute, including one instance where Mistral and Castro construction plans had been approved by the board, only for them to come back with new cost-saving cuts on the eve of the winter break. The move caused a lot of mistrust, Gutierrez said, and prompted parents to come out in full force against the proposal. District officials ultimately went back to the original plan.
“Once you make a board decision, you stick with that decision,” he said. “I don’t want anyone to go through what they did at Castro and Mistral.”
Gutierrez was one of two trustees who voted late last year against opening Slater. He said he understood why the Boundary Advisory Task Force recommended against opening a new school, and said there was no plan for how to pay $30-plus million on a new school. But the board majority ruled in favor of the school, he said, and he is willing to follow through on that decision. Gutierrez said that now there’s a clear plan to finance the new school, which has changed his mind on opening Slater.
Gutierrez said closing the achievement gap requires a multi-faceted approach including early childhood education, and intervention programs that will help students learning English so they don’t lag behind in middle school. His goal is to make sure all students heading into either Mountain View or Los Altos High School are ready to succeed.
If elected, his top priorities include rebuilding trust with the community, closing the achievement gap and supporting teachers. He said he won’t shy away from tough discussions related to race, class and gender when it comes to improving student achievement, and that he will keep an open mind in finding ways to improve teacher retention.
Laura Blakely
Age: 56
Occupation: Attorney with GCA Law Partners, LLP
Education: BA in Latin American studies from Yale University; JD from the University of California, Berkeley
Website: www.lauraforschoolboard.net
It seems that just about everyone in the Mountain View Whisman School District knows Laura Blakely, a resident of Old Mountain View who has stayed active in the district for 14 years straight. Some might remember her as a volunteer at Landels Elementary, where her kids went to school, but over the last decade she has shifted her focus toward districtwide initiatives and goals.
Those initiatives include securing millions of dollars in extra school funding each year, which bolsters school programs across all of the city’s schools. Blakely chaired the campaign to pass the district’s Measure C parcel tax in 2008, which passed with an overwhelming 79.8 percent of the vote. She was also part of a team of parents who started the “Share Shoreline” movement, which helped to secure millions of dollars in property tax money that had been diverted to the Shoreline Regional Park Community district. Her involvement in these broad district initiatives, she said, has helped give her the perspective she needs for the school board.
If elected to the board, Blakely said, she would make it a priority to ensure that school board meetings run more smoothly, and avoid the chaos that erupts between trustees and staff. She believes some steps have already been taken to improve board meeting decorum, including using a timer to limit board members’ comments to just one or two minutes. She hopes that a buzzer won’t be needed next year to keep members of the new board in line, she said.
Although teacher attrition showed no sign of slowing down this year, Blakely said the district has made strides toward improving conditions for teachers in recent years, including a major pay increase for the 2016-17 school year. At the same time, she said, there are still plenty of ways to support teachers beyond compensation, including training and professional development to make it more appealing to work in the district. The salary bump helps, she said, but it’s important to help teach the teachers with new programs that promote things such as differentiated instruction.
Blakely said school construction projects, which have been a touchy issue for years, could have been planned better to avoid the headaches and heartaches resulting from projects going over budget. Whether it be cost overruns or changes to the scope of the project, the district has regularly grappled with cost cuts at nearly every school campus, forcing parents and teachers to show up at board meetings to pressure board members to follow through with planned improvements at their schools.
“I think there have been multiple junctures where they’ve had to go back on projects with revisions,” Blakely said.
On opening Slater, Blakely said she believes that much of the back and forth centered on whether demographic studies projected an adequate number of students to warrant opening a ninth elementary school — an inexact science that she said is always questionable for elementary school districts. Ultimately, she said, it’s important for families to have a school nearby that they can call their own, and the district ought to avoid forcing families to travel out of the Whisman area.
“If I lived there, I would want to have a school in my area,” she said.
As a trustee, Blakely said, she would focus on differentiated instruction and one-on-one teaching as well as after-school enrichment and extended-day class time in order to narrow the achievement gap. Consistency in teaching quality across all schools, which was cited as a major problem in the district’s audit report, would also be a goal, she said.
Blakely’s top priorities as a trustee would be to focus on kids and teachers, not school facilities, and enrich education for the high number of kids “in the middle,” rather than just high- and low-achieving students. Other priorities would be to re-establish trust between the district office and the community, and focus on listening and keeping an open mind.
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Rod Brogan (as Anthony Reilly) and Jessica Wortham (as Rosemary Muldoon) are neighbors with long-held secrets in “Outside Mullingar.” Photo by Kevin Berne -
Rod Brogan (as Anthony Reilly) and Jessica Wortham (as Rosemary Muldoon) are neighbors with long-held secrets in “Outside Mullingar.” Photo by Kevin Berne -
Ghulan Mohammadi. Image courtesy of the Mountain View Police Department. -
Tomi Ryba. Photo courtesy of El Camino Hospital. -
Fountainetta Coleman, left, an assessment specialist for Foothill College and Dokesha Meacham, right, a counselor for the community college’s new Umoja program, perform West African drumming during the program’s welcome orientation for students and staff on Sept. 30. Photo by Veronica Weber.
There is a related article on campaign money. It is in the paper mailed today. It says Wilson has ended up with more money and more supporters than she initially realized. I wonder if the Voice endorsement will help that further? I guess you can refile the campaign forms if you get more than $2,000.
It seems Guiterrez expected more than $2,000. And ‘old school’ politician MA-K (former council) along with former Board member Olson have given him total of $400. The council and board – campaign money articles are both interesting. Particularly if someone can decode the interactions! Too complex for me. Who endorsed who and how did money slush around?
Did Blakely really tell the Voice that she can have an influence on instruction with “one or two minutes” of comment? Maybe she writes persuasive legal stuff real well.
I could be mistaken, but the above post by “Wilson in the money?” bears a strong resemblance to the writing style of an outgoing, outspoken board member who does not live in the Gemello neighborhood. Just a hunch.
All four are excellent candidates and I sincerely hope that the 4th vote-getter will, in the next election cycle, run again and be elected to the MVWSD board.
I endorse everyone. The city council too. They are all civic minded people. I just will not vote for everyone.
@ reader; as some have said Nelson may be permanently “dysfunctional” by December
money race; Gutierrez, Wilson then Blakely & Darrah
endorsement race; from the web pages mentioned in the article
Gutierrez; MVWSD trustee Juan Aranda (former), Steve Olson (former), Fiona Walter (former), William Lambert, Ellen Wheeler
Darrah; MVWSD trustee Juan Aranda (former), Steve Olson (former), Fiona Walter (former)
Blakey; MVWSD trustee Steve Olson (former), Fiona Walter (former), Jose Gutierrez
Wilson; MVWSD trustee Juan Aranda (former), Rodger Noel (former)
I am going to ask a question that could come across as negative but is truly not intended that way because all of these candidates seem qualified.
Is it a conflict of interest for a board member to be married to a teacher, given the board’s role in setting teacher salaries? It seems like Mr. Darrah be voting on his own household income unless he recuses himself from those discussions, and I’m not sure it’s wise to have only two remaining board members to decide those substantive issues.
@BD
There are 5 board members altogether. Two current board members (Nelson, Lambert) are not running for re-election, Mr. Gutierrez is running for re-election, so 3 open slots.
That’s a good question and there are probably others who are wondering the same thing. Mr. Darrah could recuse himself from any votes that constitute a conflict of interest. I’m not sure if or when recusal is mandatory or recommended. School board trustees have typically been parents of current MVWSD students and therefore directly impacted by board decisions that impact the entire district or their child’s school.
Thank you, @reader. Of course many board members have a personal connection to the district, but it seems like being married to a teacher would be a different kind of “stake” than having a student enrolled. Anyway, just something for me to mull over between now and election day.
How about building a High School in that ” empty lot ” near city hall? You could even name the building ” Mountain View High School “. That has a nice ring to it…
Graduate MVHS, Class of 1973
@BD It does not seem that Mr. Darrah has any particularly large conflicts. This comes up at many government boards and councils. If the economic conflict is beyond what is tolerated – the legal counsel will request a recusal. That has happened at the City, for two council member who have El Camino Real economic ties. (it is voluntary – but minor criminal prosecution can result if the DA decides a ‘legal’ conflict seems to exist and was ignored)
Gutierrez has a $650 contributor, by the same last name(?), that is a substitute teacher in the MVWSD. If this is the same type of minor economic conflict, it could easily be solved by the same minor remedies.
FPPC Public Access Portal link
http://nf4.netfile.com/Pub2/AllFilingsByCandidate.aspx?id=160817686&candidate=Gutierrez%2c+Jose
The teachers’ contract is negotiated between the union and the school district administration. The school district administration presents the negotiated deal to the board for approval. Darrah’s conflict of interest is fairly narrow unless he is attaching specific conditions to his vote while the negotiations are going on or otherwise adopting a position that is not fiscally responsible.
20% turnover is excessively disruptive to the quality of instruction and higher salaries are called for. Unless you disagree with that position, I see no reason not to vote for Darrah on this basis.
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