AUSD Board of Education Chooses 10 Finalists for Vacant Seat

Information submitted by Alameda Unified School District:

The Board of Education for the Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) voted last night to move ten candidates forward to the next round of the process for selecting an appointee for the board’s vacant seat.

At a special meeting held at Island High School, board members heard personal statements from 19 applicants, as well as public comments. The board then recessed for 15 minutes, during which board members wrote down the names of up to ten of their top choices. After some discussion, the board voted 4-0 to send candidates who received two or more votes from board members on to the second round. Those ten candidates are listed below (in alphabetical order):

Sean Cahill

Anne DeBardeleben

Helen Forrester

Steve Good

Jane Grimaldi

Philip Hu

Blanche Kim

Tom Lynch

David Peterson

Sherice Youngblood

Three of the original 23 candidates withdrew their applications (Nicole Blake, Diane Gardner Lang, and Jannett Jackson). One did not attend the special meeting (Mehdi Ravan).

Video of last night’s meeting will be attached to the meeting’s agenda on the AUSD website by the end of the day today (January 23).

The next (and final) special meeting for this appointment process will take place on February 3, 2015, again at 6 pm at Island High School (500 Pacific Avenue). At that meeting, the 10 candidates will answer direct questions from the board members. The board members will then discuss and vote on the candidates. The exact format for that meeting will be discussed at the Board of Education meeting on January 27, 2015 (6:30 pm, City Hall).

“I am grateful that so many highly qualified community members applied for the vacant seat,” Board President Barbara Kahn said. “And I was impressed by the personal statements and demeanor of each candidate last night. Choosing the best fit from among the 10 we selected last night won’t be easy, but I am confident that we will bring on someone who is committed, experienced, and able to work collaboratively with the rest of us.”

Photo via Shutterstock

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