The Campbell Reporter

Education

Dean, Peterson, CUHSD candidates are familiar with being in limelight

By Alicia Upano

This is the second of three parts that will feature profiles on candidates running for a trustee seat in the Campbell Union High School District.

--Editor

Six candidates are vying for three seats on the Campbell Union High School District board in the November election. These individuals include incumbents Pam Parker and George St. Clair, and newcomers Joe Pandit of Saratoga, Campbell resident Philip Reynolds Jr., retired Prospect High School teacher Royce Lorraine Peterson and Matthew Dean, a former Campbell City councilman.

Matthew Dean

Voters will see a familiar name on the ballot this year, as Matthew Dean is making another run at a seat on the Campbell Union High School District board.

Dean ran unsuccessfully in 2004 after eight years on the Campbell City Council. Dean's motivation is the same as during his last bid--his four children. He has three children at Del Mar High School, and his youngest is at Monroe Middle School. Dean sees providing a good education as a parent's duty, on par with loving and sheltering his children.

"I see there's a lot of opportunities to do things better than they are being done today," said 47-year-old Dean, the director of engineering at Macrovision.

Dean said he doesn't have just his children at heart, but all the families in the district and their diverse needs. If elected, he favors less bureaucracy, more communication and collaboration and using technology to make schools more effective.

The district could use technology to better communicate with parents who don't speak English, he said. For example, he said, high school students who study a foreign language with the aid of computer- translation programs can translate school documents. Not only would the district be able to reach more parents, but students would be able to build their language skills.

In addition, Dean proposes that juniors and seniors who want to take high-level math classes not available at the high school level enroll in online college courses.

"In K-12, we don't leverage technology that much in the classroom. There's room to let children grow at their own speed in a less traditional format," he said.

Dean also sees room to improve the district's vocational offerings. Currently, the district offers hands-on vocational training through Metropolitan Education District's Central County Occupational Program. Dean would like to see the district partner with unions and find opportunities for students to do vocational work over the summers.

This philosophy could be extended, Dean said. He envisions partnering with the city, county and local service agencies to identify at-risk teens and provide ample after-school opportunities and support for these students.

Dean's collaborative spirit is apparent in his stance on charter schools. Unlike the incumbents, who expressed concern over the strength of charter school academic programs, Dean wants to be inclusive. The district has turned down two charter schools, Leadership Public Schools and South Bay Preparatory. The Santa Clara County Board of Education approved Leadership's charter on appeal, and South Bay Preparatory organizers will be appealing to the county.

"I think this back and forth is ridiculous," he said. "Why don't we work together? The people who are creating the charter are not trying to tear down the public schools."

Not only should the district work with charters, Dean said charter and home school students should be able to participate on traditional high schools sport teams.

Dean said the district needs to improve its communication with the community and that bureaucracy and micromanagement hurt the district.

"It's important we create a culture where we don't mislead, and we need to be open," he said.

Royce Lorraine Peterson

When it comes to experience in the Campbell Union High School District, Royce Lorraine Peterson comes out on top.

Peterson taught for 38 years at Prospect High School before retiring in June. She is the mother of two Campbell Union High School District graduates, former president of the teachers union and has served on the district's finance and technology committees, as well as the superintendent's advisory committee.

After dedicating her life to education, Peterson said her retirement has given her time to serve the Campbell community in a new way. Running for school board is an extension of her dedication to education, she said.

"I think I have expertise that's necessary on the board," Peterson said. "I also have a good working relationship with the various components--administrators and teachers."

Peterson brings with her an educational perspective fostered over decades as a teacher, she said. She wanted to be a teacher since third grade and received a bachelor's degree from Stanford University and her teaching credential from UC-Berkeley.

She began teaching English and Latin at Prospect High School in 1968, the year it opened. The school had no landscaping and the teachers taught without blackboards for the first month. When she retired at the end of the 2005-06 school year, Peterson said she was the last of the original Prospect teachers.

Peterson said her foremost interest is the achievement of students. The district is trying new teaching methods to boost the skills of underachieving students; however, Peterson would like to see more teacher involvement in academic planning and better evaluation of their effectiveness.

More funds should be spent to lower class sizes, Peterson said, which would enable teachers to provide more individualized attention. She said existing classroom structure is unbalanced, with some classes as large as 38 students, while others have 28.

Like Dean, Peterson supports more vocational opportunities.

"I think we need to stay focused on all the students, and make sure that we still have a strong program for students going into a career rather than college," she said.

One of Peterson's top items is to provide competitive teacher salaries to retain teachers.

"The teachers don't always feel that the district wants to give them as competitive salary as they could," Peterson said. "The reality is, it is very difficult to live in this area."

Young teachers often cannot purchase homes in the area on a teacher's salary, she said, and the frustration is compounded by the higher wages paid by surrounding districts.

The parcel tax passed in 2004 has helped alleviate some of these problems, such as class-size reduction and teacher bonuses, she said, but there is room for improvement, which should start with better communication in the community by the district.

Peterson supports the facilities bond on the November ballot, which would finish renovating the schools. Not only do the schools need to be renovated, but school needs to be upgraded to incorporate new technology, she said.