Candidate for
Board Member; Portola Valley School District

I know I can also be a tremendous resource for the board as well. Over the next four years, if new programs are implemented or old programs need to be cut, modified or merged, this community will want someone on the board specifically trained and who's job is to interpret educational programs for effectiveness, using not only experience, but sound metrics and analysis. Without windfall donations, these kinds of decisions will need to be faced, and separating the wheat from the chaff is not a job many people are qualified to do.

For decades we have watched and listened to all kinds of predictions about public education. I think there may be some grain of truth to the fact that our social structures will need to change to some degree over the next 10-15 years. Shrinking money for education and the need to still provide the same amount of deliverables with fewer resources will force public education to start thinking of new paradigms to improve or even maintain the current system - much as it does in the private sector. And, we cannot count on fundraising to keep making up the difference. We need to be ready to adopt bold and innovative ideas if we wish to stay on top in this new world environment.

To bridge this gap, we'll need to learn from the hard lessons already learned. Pioneering new approaches will also help drive our teachers to share their accomplishments with other communities and districts. Because our schools are leading the way in Silicon Valley, we are in a unique position to gain national and/or worldwide attention to the programs we create, improve or modify. I can't think of a better place to be.