The main question I have received since declaring my candidacy for the WPUSD Board of Trustees is, “Why are you running for this seat? Your focus has always been City Government.” I do not have one single answer to these questions, rather I have several different, yet intercooonected answers to this question.
The First Answer
During my time with the City as Treasurere, Councilmember and Mayor (from 1996 to 2016), one of the greatest impediments to Lincoln recruiting job centers and businesses of most types was that WPUSD was raised as an issue. Being a proud Lincoln Alumni, I disputed that fact, but found that the district was not doing enough to make the right impression.
There were a number of issues: the delay of the 12 Bridges High School; delay of various joint elementary school/park projects; the elimination of certain schools in planned developments; creation and dismantling of joint use agreements for City/School facilities; lawsuits against certain developers and the City. And the final issues were a number of financial miscues which damaged the reputation of the district and its standing with the City and the greater Placer County community, leading to serious questions about the quality of the district.
These very public and ugly episodes demonstrated a lack of knowledge and skill at improving this district from a legal and business standpoint. It also left potential residents and businesses with the belief that neighboring districts were better or more stable. These statements bothered me and should bother our citizens.
Just this year, the district had only an $11 million fund balance (think of this as your critical event savings). The district in its initial budget for this year approved deficit spending to the tune of almost $5 million. Fortunately, the State and Federal funds available due to the Corona Pandemic bailed the district out. Had these Pandemic relief funds not come about, the district would enter the 21-22 fiscal year with only $6 million in reserves and would have been faced with some very hard choices.
I am running because I have exhibited the kind of leadership that this district needs now. I have been through difficult financial times when restraint is required to make sure that the future is protected. We need strong financial stewardship of the public dollars for educational services.
I have worked with very diverse boards with diverse points of view and found ways to develop meaningful solutions. The Board as it is presently comprised has a very strong focus toward former educators. I bring a public business and legal background to infuse a new perspective to the board which will help strengthen the decisions of the board and provide new analysis on complex issues.
I bring knowledge of city government, government finance and general legal principles to the table to help solve the problems of our district. I have put forward my platform and I can bring a different perspective to the board that has been missing, a focus on public related business principles and a legal grounding that will help inform future decisions.
Finally, I bring an understanding of our greater community. This community has been my home for nearly my entire life. I grew up in this district, I have served this community through my professional life. Now I want to make sure that our children, the future of our community, have even greater opportunities than previous generations have had while attending WPUSD. I want to make sure every child has greater opportunities regardless of actual or perceived obstacles of socio-economic position, disability status, or other types of challenges which can be overcome.
It is my belief that this district can perform well with improved oversight and a long term outlook on the product of this district: students that are ready for the workforce, students that are ready for college, and students that are prepared to become productive members of our society. We need to set more aggressive goals and challenge ourselves and our students.