The Campbell Reporter
News
CUHSD voters return Parker; Peterson and Dean new faces
By Alicia Upano
Voters elected two new faces to the Campbell Union High School District Board--retired Prospect High School teacher Royce Lorraine Peterson and former Campbell Councilman Matthew Dean--and returned incumbent Pam Parker for another term Nov. 7.
Sixteen-year board member George St. Clair lost his bid for re-election, and first-time candidates Saratoga resident Joe Pandit and neighborhood leader Philip Reynolds Jr. finished four and sixth, respectively.
Peterson was the top vote-getter with 23.78 percent or 23,125 votes. Parker received 22.15 percent or 21,544 votes. Dean came in third with 16.97 percent or 16,503 votes. Pandit got 14.14 percent or 13,576 votes and St. Clair almost tied Pandit with 14.07 percent or 13,685. Reynolds finished last, receiving 8.88 percent or 8,637 votes.
Peterson, who retired after 38 years of teaching this June, will now have a new focus and be on the other side of the decision-making process. 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.
"I hope to work on improving communication within the community and within the school district," Peterson said.
During her campaign, she also emphasized student achievement, small class sizes and competitive teacher salaries.
Parker has the advantage of four years as a trustee.
"I really feel our district is going in the right direction, and I want to see us continue," Parker said.
As a board member, Parker said she's attended many parent meetings to hear concerns first-hand. She hopes to continue the district's work of boosting student academics, knowing the district has a tough battle as it works to meet state and federal standards.
Election Day brought other good news for Parker: the renewal of the district's $90 million bond measure to rehabilitate school facilities, Measure G. The measure passed by 57.6 percent.
Dean is familiar with being part of a governing body. He served eight years on the Campbell City Council and ran for school board because of his four children--three attend Del Mar High School, and his youngest attends Monroe Middle School. He is the director of engineering at Macrovision.
"My challenge is to get the rest of the board to look anew at things," said Dean, whose ideas include being inclusive of charter schools and using technology to translate materials into foreign languages and record board meetings.
Dean would like to change the board meeting time from 5:30 p.m. to a more parent-friendly hour. He would also like to see the district become more collaborative with parent groups and engage the students in auditing Associated Student Body accounts.
Dean will be the only man on the five-person board beginning Dec. 7, with Tim Hegstrom's retirement and St. Clair's defeat.
St. Clair was first elected to the district's board in 1990 when it decided to close Blackford and Branham high schools. He is the tutorial center coordinator at Mountain View High School and has an extensive education background.
To Parker, St. Clair brought invaluable expertise to the board as a teacher devoted to student success. He also was knowledgeable about local, state, and national education issues, Parker said.
"It was a good run. It's quite a commitment, and I enjoy a good challenge," said St. Clair, noting he would like to stay involved in district school issues.
But mostly, St. Clair said he's glad to see Measure G succeeded. The measure will allow the continuation of districtwide renovations that started with the passage of the 1999 $95 million bond measure.
"It was more important to vote for Measure G than for me or any other candidate," St. Clair said. "The students will benefit from that for generations to come."
