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Election results Thursday morning show Laura Ramirez Berman, a former school administrator, ahead of the pack with a huge lead over the rest of the field competing for a seat on the Mountain View Whisman School District’s board of trustees.
Berman, a Mistral Elementary parent who taught and led schools in East Palo Alto, received the most support with 12,087 votes as of 9 a.m., followed by school board member Laura Blakely with 9,559 votes and former school board member Chris Chiang with 9,428 votes. Trailing far behind the trio are Crittenden parent Patrick Neschleba with 5,395 votes and former long-time district employee Manny Velasco with 2,974 votes.
The top three vote-getters will be elected to the school board. Board member Tamara Wilson did not run for reelection this year.
Berman, though not a frequent face at school board meetings, has years of experience with the charter school network Aspire, and has taught and led schools where the vast majority of the students are low-income and minority, and many of whom lacked stable housing. She focused her campaign on closing the achievement gap, and the need to set higher standards for students who have traditionally underperformed on academic tests.
Berman said Wednesday that she is both excited and humbled by the election results, and that she is confident that the school board will be able to bring people together and address the needs of the community during “complicated and challenging times.” Her goal, she said, is to ensure Mountain View has terrific schools.
Blakely campaigned largely on the successes of the school district, including boosts in teacher pay, the construction of workforce housing, improvements in state test results and improved teacher retention rates. Chiang, on the other hand, has been a vocal critic of the school district on a number of issues, and instead touts his ambitious plan to support 21st century learning skills and project-based learning over drill-and-kill tactics as a means to raise test scores.
In a statement Tuesday night, Chiang commended both Neschleba and Velasco for their years of service to the district, and said he will be committed to showing that the district can respect and include diverse opinions in its decision-making process.
“I do look forward to best practices happening outside of MVWSD being included as part of future policy discussions, especially with regard to the pandemic,” Chiang said.
The eventual winners of the school board race bear a huge responsibility in safely reopening schools during a global pandemic, and will decide whether to support the district’s slower approach to return to in-person instruction compared to neighboring districts. Candidates each took nuanced views to reopening schools, but generally agreed that younger students and special needs students should return soon.
The rollout of the district’s virtual learning program, which has replaced in-person instruction, received varied appraisals from school board candidates. On one end, Blakely described the program as “effective” and a solid response given the ever-shifting circumstances, while Chiang said the district failed to solicit and learn from parent feedback at a critical time earlier this year.
Candidates will also chart a course for the district as it attempts to build a school in the North Bayshore and East Whisman areas of the city, which are poised for rapid housing growth but lack the needed schools to support a growing population. Some candidates, notably Blakely, named the planning for future schools a top issue that must be addressed before residential developments move forward. Estimates by the city of Mountain View suggest that the cost of buying land and building schools for the expected enrollment boom could exceed $1.1 billion.
The eventual winners will have a hand in the school district’s Measure T bond, which passed in March this year. The measure will help deal with short-term enrollment growth and finance teacher housing, as well as campus safety measures that have been a lightning rod of controversy in recent weeks. Residents have deeply criticized the district’s plan to set up perimeter fencing around schools, including district-owned fields largely perceived to be public parks.
Candidates on the campaign trail touted their congenial demeanor and willingness to work well with others, making clear that they do not want to return to the dysfunctional behavior and controversy that plagued school board meetings between 2012 and 2015.
I’m surprised that Chris Chiang got elected again. But Great for Him and the Students! Now there will actually be 3 Board members who have had each more than a decade as professional full-time educators. These three (incumbent Conley, new Berman and recycled Chiang) will make (OK “could make”) a powerful majority who know HOW education is successfully done. It is not easy.
It can’t really be done by sitting back and discussion/voting the WHAT and not having any real experience on the HOW of public education. (IMO). Good governance also needs:
“According to the California State Education Code, the School Board’s responsibilities are to:
(point 3)
• guide the governing of the school district in a manner consistent with the goals and purposes of the community, and in accordance with the State Education Code.”
The three ‘professional educators’ that will be on the Board can do this guidance well. (above quote extracted from Sunnyvale SD Board page)