Letters to the Editor 10-13-16

Time for change
Editor: After spending over 32 years in education, including 20 years as an administrator, I’ve worked closely with many school boards. Also, after I retired, I served one four-year term as a trustee (the grandkids started coming after that). It became very clear, after reading the school board candidates’ responses in last week’s Reveille, that the incumbents are out of touch with our staff and that change is needed. Not to mention, this past year the school board practically did nothing to give the students, teachers, parents and stakeholders a vote of confidence that the district is in good hands. Let me elaborate.
First, let me address the incumbents’ responses. I wish I would have heard something like the following: “We need a vision for the district;” “We need to collaborate and work together to develop programs for our students;” “We need to support our teachers, so they can do the best possible job in the classroom;” “We need to work hard at building trust between the teachers and board.” It would have been nice to hear some of these statements.
This past spring there were several incidents that turned the tide for me. The board used extremely poor judgement in the handling of a certificated employee. Some members of the board decided to make it a public issue and used social media to debate the employee’s position on Facebook. This was a breach of confidentiality and severely damaged any trust between the board and employees in the district. Not one board member spoke out or admonished the action of the other member(s). There wasn’t even an apology. This behavior (or lack of) indicated to me that there is a complete lack of respect for our staff.
The other example of poor judgement occurred when the board decided to hire an agency to take a phone survey to see if the community was in favor of passing a parcel tax. This secretive approach was done with no prior information released by the school district through the newspaper, explaining how the extra tax money would be used. Cloverdale citizens already support two school bonds (passed in 2000 and 2010); they don’t need another one at this time. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all in favor of supporting our schools, but there is a time and place, and a correct way of going about it. Speaking of tax bonds, when have you heard any follow up by the school board regarding the work that was done in the last five years? Have they invited the community to an on-site tour? No transparency whatsoever.    
I am endorsing three people (highly qualified) running for the school board. They are Preston Addison, Cecile Peters and Eric Higginbotham. They all have a background in education as well as managing people, something this board does not have.
Gene Lile, retired principal
Cloverdale
Qualified candidates
Editor: Cloverdale is fortunate to have three extremely qualified candidates running for the open seats in the school board election. Each of these candidates bring their own brand of expertise to the table, as well as a thorough knowledge of issues facing the Cloverdale Unified School District (CUSD).
Preston Addison is a parent, former CUSD teacher and local small business owner. His background in education and business will be invaluable in designing and implementing successful new programs such as vocational education. Cecile Peters has a 40-year record of success in management, human resources, information technology and budgeting in both the private and public sectors. Her ability to apply real world metrics to the measurement of programs and systems will be a tremendous asset to the CUSD Board. Eric Higginbotham, a Cloverdale parent, teacher’s spouse and successful businessman will contribute extensive management skills as well as a talent for establishing collaborative workplace culture. Alone, any of these candidates would enhance the quality of the school board. But together, Preston Addison, Cecile Peters and Eric Higgenbotham represent a dynamic trio which will bring greater professionalism and greater breadth of knowledge to the board. CUSD needs a board which will insist on competence, transparency, and collaboration at all levels. The students of CUSD deserve no less. I urge you to vote for Addison, Higginbotham and Peters for CUSD school board.
Theresa Burke, CUSD teacher and CHS principal (former)
Thanks to King
Editor: On behalf of the committee for Courtney’s Pumpkin Patch, we would like to thank the Soil King Garden Center, Patrick, Jammie, Kaylee and PJ King, and Tim and Nikole Karis for their very generous donation of $6,574.65 to Courtney’s Pumpkin Patch. This amount came from the proceeds of their third annual Tomato Fiesta.
We would also like to thank Vinnie Schraner for donating a painting to the Tomato Fiesta, which brought in a $1,000 auction bid paid by the Vallejo Holistic Health Center. Also, a giant thank you to Angie Koski, who donated her top prize winning, 706 pound pumpkin from the Tomato Fiesta to Courtney’s Pumpkin Patch.
This is the second time we have been selected as the honored recipients of the King’s annual donation to a local nonprofit. The first time we received the donation, all the funds went to Courtney’s Scholarship at the Cloverdale High School. This time the donated funds will be solely designated for aid to local cancer patients.
Courtney’s Pumpkin Patch Board of Directors