Three Seats, Four Candidates, One School Board

Three of five places on the Las Lomitas Elementary School District Governing Board will be freed from the ties to their previous owners soon, leaving Menlo Park voters to decide who will shape the high-level policy decisions that trickle down to the classroom on Nov 2.

All of the candidates are running for different reasons; and some take a more hands on approach than others.

The only female contender is Ann Jaquith, who is a senior researcher at Stanford University's School of Education.  Jaquith has been a middle school teacher and assistant principal in the past. 

"I believe that having someone on the board who has a background in education would be helpful to the school district in determining how best to make use of scarce resources to improve the overall quality of students' education," Jaquith said when asked to describe the reasons that people should vote for her.

Jaquith is married with two children – a third grader and a fifth grader, one at each school in the district. 

The avid tennis player is a voracious reader who cheriches the time she is able to spend with her family.  She thinks of herself as "hard-working, passionate, innovative, dedicated, and a mom."

Other candidates would bring different viewpoints and skill sets to the board.

Candidate Richard Ginn is a small business owner who has two children enrolled in first and third grade classes at Las Lomitas Elementary School.  "My background, skills, and training are just right to what's facing the district right now," Ginn said.  He plans to apply the experience he gained as Chief Financial Officer for a small finance company in Menlo Park, to resolve the matters that the board would take under consideration.  

"It is really a matter of getting new people with energy to keep the schools great for our kids," Ginn elaborated.

In his down time, Ginn is a tri-athlete who often competes in the Donnor Lake Triathlon in the Sierras and practices near his home in the hills.

His biggest concern with the district is financial in nature. "Per-pupil spending is not a good way to assess the quality of a school," Ginn said, adding that the ability of the students to give back to their society in the long run is a better way to assess schools.  He anticipates having to make some tough decisions, although he expects that the school board will be able to handle the issues.

He does not expect the district to grow very much as it serves a "fixed geographic region."

Ginn is a member operations team of the Las Lomitas Education Foundation, which raised $1.45 million for this school year, and handles database usage.

These contributions are one of the many reasons that Las Lomitas ranks in the top one percent of schools in the state.  Carolyn Chow, the district's chief business officer, said the district will spend approximately $12,443 per student in the 2010-2011 school year. This is significantly greater than the state-funded average of $7,162 per student, said Tina Jung, California Department of Education information officer.

The district is marked as number four in California according to the STAR test results from the 2009-2010 school year, and was number one for the three previous years. The Standardized Testing And Reporting is a yearly examination given to every student in the state from second through eleventh grade on material expected to be learned during that grade year. The schools then get scores based on the school as a whole and compared to hundreds of other schools in the state.

Upon election, The California School Boards Association mandates that each of the five board members "effectively" and "efficiently" support the superintendent's office, as well as lead the community.

The district will have at least two new board members in January if the incumbent is reelected.

The appointed incumbent, Jay Siegel, was unanimously appointed to the board last year after former Board Member David Bailard resigned during tense teacher negotiations.  Karen Hiatt, administrative assistant for the district, said his reasons were personal. It is normal procedure to appoint a new member from several applicants for the remainder of a board member's term. The seat he filled was already nearing the end of its term, which is officially in December of this year.

"I really saw going for the school board as a direct relationship to my volunteering," Siegel said, when asked why he was running for reelection.

The retired economic forcaster for Allstate Research and Planning Center in Menlo Park volunteered in his daughter's classroom for four years at the elementary level, doing everything from grading papers in the classroom to assisting the chorus teacher.

Siegel said that his background in financial research and economic demographics will enable him to bring an educated opinion to the table.  The self-described extraverted, inquisitive, intellectual enjoys bike riding and photography in his spare time. Siegel is married and has a fifth grade daughter at La Entrada Middle School, where a higher than average amount of money is spent on each student.

Although Siegel said per-pupil spending is highly correlated to the quality of education, he said no one factor can be used to measure school's quality of education. He also mentioned that the study group called the Ensuring Educational Excellence committee was formed in 2009 to assess growth and decline in the schools over the years, noting that there are no plans to add new schools.

Siegel and his wife's biggest complaint in the district is "the lack of state funding and the inadequate level of state support for public education." 

The board meets once a month, more often in the case of special meetings.  He describes his school board meeting style as one that is focused on reaching a consensus among the members with open and frank discussions.

Another candidate who has two children at La Entrada is Mark Reinstra.  The corporate laywer has a daughter in fourth grade and a son in seventh grade.

When asked what he brings to the table, Reinstra said: "A lawyer can bring a process of thinking through things, the way to analyze a problem. I can bring a clarity to a decision-making process, unclouded by emotions."

Reinstra describes himself as creative and decisive parent who spends a lot of time with his family outdoors. 

When asked whether per-pupil spending is an accurate way to assess the quality of education at a school, Reinstra said test scores, elective opportunities, and a nurturing environment are better metrics. He went on to say that he doubts that the district will add schools, inspite of increasing enrollment rates, and sugested that existing spaces can and should be efficiently used to accomodate the students' needs.

Reinstra wants the board to continue to openly discuss issues and be "more of a cheerleader for the school than you would see in a for-profit board."

Additionally, Reinstra suggests adding a community service component for the students in the district could give them a more balanced view of the real world.

Residents can vote to fill the open seats on Tuesday, Nov. 2.

To find your local polling place or ballot, check out our list of polling places in Menlo Park.