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Publication Date: Friday, October 29, 2004 Endorsement letters
Endorsement letters
(October 29, 2004) Higgins, Walter for school board
Editor:
I encourage Mountain View voters to cast their votes for Gloria Higgins and Fiona Walter for the Mountain View-Whisman School Board.
These candidates are two hard-working and intelligent people who care deeply about the quality of education in our schools. I have worked with both of them during the parcel tax campaigns and on projects related to fundraising for the Mountain View Educational Foundation.
Gloria Higgins has served our community well as a trustee. She gives countless hours, visiting school sites and talking to parents and staff in order to understand the many issues a school board must address.
As a parent of a Castro student, I had many conversations with Higgins about the programs there. She proved to be an excellent listener and an articulate spokesperson for the range of educational issues the school board faces. Her tireless work to secure additional funding for the schools via a parcel tax are testament to her devotion to excellence in education for all our students.
Because Fiona Walter has been actively involved in our local schools as a PTA president, has served on task forces in the district and attends every school board meeting, she will be able to hit the ground running as a new school board member. Walter is an engineer by training, a problem-solver who will help ensure that our schools are innovative and top notch. She has a positive spirit and knows how to work well with others.
We are fortunate that two such talented and capable leaders have stepped forward, willing to serve our community. Please support Gloria Higgins and Fiona Walter for school board.
Amy Beare
Ehrhorn Avenue
Aranda, Kelly for school board
Editor:
We want to urge Mountain View voters to vote for Juan Aranda and Mike Kelly for the school board.
We've been active proponents for improvement in this district for years. Here are just some of the ongoing issues that have been written about and talked about, but never resolved:
* There has been little or no improvement in student's academic performance over recent years. On average, more than 50 percent of students in our district perform below proficiency at their grade level (www.star.cde.ca.gov).
* There has been no standardized curriculum across the district schools for too many years.
* Castro School has been an issue for years. Incumbent Gloria Higgins stated in the last Voice, "We have talked and talked and talked about Castro and now we need to do something." Why has nothing been done?
* The same thing can be said for declining student enrollment in Mountain View, while its population is increasing. It's been talked about for years yet nothing has been done to prevent the decline. Instead the district reacts by discussing school closure.
If you want proactive representatives on the board who will finally address these issues, demand accountability and will challenge how tax dollars are spent, vote for Aranda and Kelly.
They both served on the Whisman district board. They're experienced. At board meetings, they're unafraid to explore new ideas, and challenge what doesn't work.
The current board's strategic plan says, "We will implement programs and strategies that ensure the success of every student." Words are easy, action is the true indicator. The outgoing trustees (who have served for many years) are endorsing like-thinking candidates. This translates to more of the same. If you like the status quo, then vote for those candidates. If you want to see changes and improvements, if you want to see your tax dollars spent to really benefit children of Mountain View, vote for Juan Aranda and Mike Kelly.
Irv and Doreen Kalb
Glenborough Drive
Higgins for school board
Editor:
Like so many other voters, we feel this election year is perhaps the most maddening, frustrating and confusing we have ever encountered. So many candidates, so many issues and so many claims are being bandied about. It's almost too much to handle.
Who do you trust? Who do you believe? What do you believe in? These are important questions for us all to ponder. We certainly cannot say we know the right answers to these questions or claim to speak for others. That's what voting is all about.
We can say, however, that there is one candidate we know a great deal about, and we can certainly say that we believe in her personally. Her name is Gloria Higgins, and she is running for re-election as an incumbent for the Mountain View-Whisman School District Board.
We have known Higgins ever since her children and ours were in preschool together. Over the years, we have come to know her well enough to trust her integrity, commitment, desire and drive to help our public schools develop our most valuable long term asset: our children.
For the past two years, Higgins has worked tirelessly as a trustee on the school board, while the merged school district was still finding its footing. She was co-chair, first on the failed Measure E, and then the successful Yes on Measure J campaign. Having seen Higgins in action on more than one occasion, we can personally attest to her dedication and skill as a trustee. As voters, we feel that a candidate such as her is far and away an obvious choice for re-election. She has our trust and confidence, and she has our vote on Nov. 2.
Francisco and Teri Jara
Rengstorff Avenue
Roquero for school board
Editor:
I applaud your endorsement of Gloria Higgins and Fiona Walter for the Mountain View-Whisman School District Board of Trustees. They have both proven themselves to be effective leaders in the community. I am stunned, however, that you have overlooked RoseMary Sias Roquero.
In my six years of school board service, I have learned what it takes to be an effective board member. I believe that Roquero's personal characteristics and experience will make her an excellent trustee.
First and foremost, she passionately believes that all children should receive an education that prepares them for college. Currently, too many of our students are not prepared for college when they leave high school. Roquero recognizes that the educational foundation is laid in the elementary years.
She looks forward to participating in the difficult analysis, discussion and decisions that will increase student learning in our district's schools. In fact she is already asking the board tough questions about student achievement. Roquero is an excellent listener and thoughtfully considers what she hears. She is articulate and keenly intelligent. She will continue to commit her time, energy, leadership, and passion to raising student achievement. Roquero readily grasps how organizations work and looks forward to being an effective trustee of the district.
Roquero is a Mountain View native who has assumed many leadership roles
in our community over past 30 years. She is bilingual and is a valuable
liaison to the Latino community. In addition to the AA degree listed in
the Voice, Roquero holds elementary and special education teaching
credentials. She is certified to teach English to English language learners.
With this background she will be uniquely able to elevate the level of
board discussion and questioning on the topic of student achievement.
You can find out more about Roquero at her Web site, www.rosemaryforschoolboard.com,
and www.smartvoter.org.
On Nov. 2, votes for RoseMary Roquero, Gloria Higgins and Fiona Walter are votes for Mountain View's children.
Carol Fisher
Marilyn Drive
Abe-Koga, Macias for city council
Editor:
It is with great disappointment that I read the endorsement of Stephanie Schaaf. This newspaper and the San Jose Mercury News both said "she has no experience" yet chose to endorse her because she is "young and energetic."
Schaaf is not the right choice. Council member Greg Perry, who supports candidate Schaaf, attempted to taint the reputation of candidate Margaret Abe-Koga to discourage community support by attacking her judgment.
Abe-Koga is also young and energetic and brings much more community and civic experience and involvement than Schaaf. She also brings the knowledge of working with local and state government, experience that is desperately needed on the council.
Abe-Koga, along with Laura Macias, also will bring much needed ethnic diversity to the council, an element that has been lacking in this city for too long.
I hope the voters will look for experience and community contributions rather than "young, energetic and no experience" on Nov. 2.
Rosiland Bivings
Boranda Avenue
Schaaf for city council
Editor:
With the city council election less than a week away, Mountain View residents should pause to recognize how fortunate we are to have six highly qualified individuals who are willing to give four years of their lives toward the betterment of our community.
While I am confident that we will be well served by any quartet of this candidate pool, I am moved to write in support of Stephanie Schaaf. I have gotten to know Schaaf over the past two years mainly through her monthly participation in the Mountain View Civic Forum, which hosts an open public discussion on a wide range of current civic issues.
When I initially met Schaaf, I was surprised (shocked, actually) by the depth of her knowledge on literally every topic. However, what has impressed me the most is the depth of her character. Though she is capable of speaking in great detail about the issues affecting Mountain View and her ideas for improving the quality of life here, she is foremost a listener.
Schaaf actively seeks out a wide range of viewpoints as she develops her position on particular issues. As a council member, I know she would be a thoughtful contributor and a reasonable voice.
It is heartening to see such a bright, informed and talented person so committed to our community. I look forward to great things from Stephanie Schaaf and expect Mountain View to gain from her contributions.
Steve Olson
Promethean Way
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