Thanks OUTA & CSEA!
When approached and asked if I would be a write in candidate for the Oakley Unified School District I accepted. It probably should have never come to this point, as I struggled to write a candidate statement over the summer and submit he necessary paperwork before the impending deadline. Little did I knew that Kim Beede, was called upon that last moment and made her way to Martinez and the county offices to file. The difference, she made the ballot, I was a write in.
Through out the last 2 months I have learned more about the role of school board and problems that continue to plague the Oakley Unified School District. I continue to show my support, not only for my son but all kids by attending the school board meetings, which usually don’t have many attending. I do it now, more passionately for the teachers because without their dedication, effort and enthusiasm in the classrooms are kids won’t be prepared for the future.
Kim Ambrosino, third grade teacher at Vintage Parkway was the driving force behind my effort to “get my name out there.” At the September board meeting I had my moment of glory, so to speak as I stood up and announced to the board and all those in attendance that I was going to run in November as a write in candidate. The response was amazing and I felt the decision to represent the teachers was a step in the right direction.
Throughout September and October I spoke with teachers and interviewed with both OUTA (Oakley Unified Teachers Association) and CSEA (California School Employee Association) who made the decision to endorse my run for the school board. It was great to meet educators and hear them speak so passionately about their profession but at times it could have brought a tear to my eye. Teachers with 15-20+ years of experience, school and in some cases a Master’s degree be struggling to make ends meet. That should NEVER happen! These are the dedicated folks who spend countless hours teaching and watching over your kids every day, yet in Oakley they are one of the lowest paid in all the East Bay. The word unacceptable doesn’t do their position justice.
As a union member at BART, I know how hated the Board of Directors are, especially in 2013 during contract negotiations, in which many did not want to reward employees with pay increases, even through revenue and ridership were at all time highs! Without a second thought, I made the decision to back the teachers and their position on a new, fair contract and improvement in benefits.
At the board meetings, Kim took me around and introduced me to many teachers in the district, which was wonderful. I knew I had the Vintage contingency, who already knew my name and the volunteering I did at school but many new faces were excited to hear about candidate their union was endorsing. Backed by OUTA I felt very good about gaining a seat on the board and looked forward to this potential challenge.
As November dawned and the 4th drew closer more political signs popped up around town promoting candidates for different positions. Never did I see a sign in my local area for Mark Jordan, Art Fernandez (also endorsed by OUTA) and Kim Beede (newcomer challenging for seat). I saw 2 signs for Gloria Lott. That was it, not much in terms of promoting for a school board seat.
I met Kim Beede for the first time at the October school board meeting. I heard her the first time the month prior when she announced she too was running for the school board. We discussed are commonalities and backgrounds and seemed to hold the same concerns about gaining a seat on the board. Like me, she too was excited by nervous about the position and “learning on the job” but together we felt like we could get something accomplished for the teachers, for the kids.
I didn’t let the election worry me as it was out of my hands. My name was out there thanks to OUTA and CSEA but would it be enough to get a majority vote as a write in candidate? The support from the teachers was unwavering, which was awesome. There are not enough good things I can say about those teachers at Vintage and throughout the district. As the sun dropped, results started rolling in. I checked cocovote.us and was a bit dejected when I saw “write in” at the bottom of the list with 79 votes. It increased to 179 (2.54% of 7054 votes) in the final tally, which wasn’t good enough. Kim on the other hand garnered 23.21% of the votes and secured the third seat on the school board. Unfortunately Art Fernandez (OUTA endorsed) was ousted.
So my run has ended but my support for teachers hasn’t. I want to see the Oakley teachers be paid what their are worth. Unfortunately, even 8% raise will still have them near the bottom of the pay scale. I will remain involved on the PTA board, doing what I can to support Vintage Parkway. I also plan on continuing to attend the school board meetings as I feel I have a vested interest in the outcome of the negotiations. I haven’t even talked about the 16% reserve the board is sitting on, which could be used salaries, technology, materials and resources in order to support a foundation for CCSS (common core). Congrats also go out to Kim Beede, I wish her all the best and hope she is successful on the school board.
