The Grand Jury Review of the Board and the Superintendent

By Gay Plair Cobb

The Alameda County Grand Jury recently issued its observations and recommendations for improving the operation of the County Office of Education and the functioning of the County Superintendent.

1. improving the process by which the Board provides salary increases to the Superintendent, to avoid the appearance of impropriety and conflict of interest. I voted against the 66% salary hike recently awarded to the superintendent by the board majority, some of whom were financially and politically supported by the Superintendent during their campaigns for office.

2. permitting all Board members to place items on the Board's agenda for consideration. The Board majority has thwarted this by requiring majority concurrence before items can be considered. This affects the ability of "minority" members to effectively represent their constituents.

3. televising board meetings so the public is informed of our deliberations.This straightforward recommendation has been advanced by the Grand Jury for two successive years. I have been a consistent advocate for its implementation,and will continue to place it on the board's agenda for action, thus bringing us into the mainstream as it relates to the right of the public to know what we're doing as public officials!

4. compliance with the Brown Act --- the Superintendent and Board majority have taken a overly narrow view of the requirements of the Brown Act governing open meetings ---as was demonstrated in the recent salary increase given to the Superintendent where neither the Board nor the public was aware of the specifics of the increase until well into the meeting itself. I support full and open disclosure of the Board's business which is consistent with the spirit, and not just the letter, of the Brown Act.

5. improving fiscal oversight of local school districts --- Alameda County has a disproportionate number of local districts which have experienced serious financial trouble, compared to other counties throughout the state. The Grand Jury found that our County Superintendent does not exercize adequate oversight and has a much more minimal approach than other county superintendents who were interviewed.I support oversight which is timely, collaborative and proactive. This type of assistance to local districts has historically characterized the Alameda County Office of Education --- under previous leadership.