Candidate for
Board of Education Member; City of Piedmont

My Life in Piedmont

My wife Leesy Taggart and I moved our family to Piedmont in 1998, primarily for the schools and the strong community spirit. Our three children are all in public schools here: Max is a PHS senior, Madeleine is a PHS sophomore, and Rachel is a Havens 5th grader + so I'm in my 13th year of a 20 year stint as a Piedmont school dad.

I spend the majority of my volunteer time with the District in settings where information is being prepared and taught, programs being reviewed and strengthened, and decisions being prepared and made. The District is doing a good job for its students, especially considering the fiscal pressures it's under. But it can continue to do even better + I've tried to help this as a volunteer, and intend to do this if elected.

My Volunteer Experience in and for Piedmont Schools

I started volunteering the same way many parents do, driving carpools for class field trips and sports club team events. Since then I've participated in the following activities:

• Science and math support at Havens (especially 2002-2006) - help with Science Fairs and Family Science Nights (again in 2012!), support introduction of recycling and "green" activities; in-class support to Math Enrichment

• Piedmont Middle School (PMS) Parents Athletic Support (since renamed Boosters) (2005-6) - active board member

• PMS Site Council (2006-9; parent co-chair 2008-9) - parents worked with Principal Donovan and staff to revamp format and prepare annual goal-setting plans ("Single Plan for Student Achievement"), revamp PMS Emergency Plan, and address a range of school community and academic issues.

• District-wide curriculum reviews (Curriculum Council, Curriculum Forum) (2006-present) - I've been an active parent participant in K-12 reviews of Math and English Language Arts, supporting data-driven enhancement to programs and efforts to ensure that program offerings are suitable to students across the broadest spectrum of readiness and learning styles.

• District Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Advisory Council (2007-Present) + I've helped evaluate options and update the District's GATE Plan and program to ensure that efforts to meet high-performing students' needs support efforts to "differentiate" program offerings to ensure that every student (not just the minority who are officially identified for GATE) receives appropriately-tailored educational services. Since adoption of the 2008-10 plan I've worked hard to ensure that implementation lives up to the written goals.

• Shaping Our Future (2009-10) - I participated in this process, through which the District developed its present strategy vision and planning goals.

• Piedmont Gifted Parents Support (GPS) (2009-present) - I'm a founding board member of this parent support group, which advocates for strengthening differentiated education for Piedmont children, including those with particular gifts and talents -- many of whom also have special educational needs ("twice exceptional" in the jargon). As the attorney on the first board I wrote GPS' successful application for federal tax exempt status.

• Citizens' Advisory Committee to the Parcel Tax Program Measures B & E (chair 2009-11) - As chair, I've coordinated CAC's annual review of District finances and budgeting, preparing recommendations for levy of the Parcel Taxes; in the first year we also conducted targeted reviews of several important expense categories at the School Board's request.

• Ongoing: I've helped District staff draft program documents, revisions to School Board policy documents, and public information materials for the District website. I review every Board agenda packet and have offered written and/or spoken comments on a wide range of curriculum, financial, and administrative issues. I also continue to drive carpools, volunteer at fundraisers, and score club sport and high school basketball games. I regularly participate in the Superintendent's Budget Advisory Committee (BAC), and attend Special Education Advisory Committee meetings.

• Short-term projects: During 2009-10 I worked with the Assistant Superintendent to redraft the District's policies on Discrimination and Harassment. During 2011, I worked with the PHS Assistant Principal and two other parents to review and edit the Parent and Student Handbook. I am also participating in the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) re-accreditation process at PHS.

After growing up here in California, I directed my formal education toward learning how to understand and improve the way the world works. My degrees include a Bachelors in Science and Engineering from Princeton, and Master of Public Policy and Law degrees from Cal. I worked in state and local government on environmental issues, and a consumer group pursuing consumer rights in administrative hearings.

I've been an environmental attorney, consultant and educator since 1988; since the mid-1990s I've been self-employed with an office in Oakland. My work includes:

• performing projects for individual clients, which includes design of administrative programs for agencies, and regulatory compliance programs for public and private sector organizations. These range from Big Picture policies, to subject-specific compliance and worker training plans, to individual permits to handle materials or emit pollutants.

• writing handbooks that explain laws and regulations, how they apply to different types of organizations, and how to comply. I've had two dozen over the years; 12 are still in print. Most deal with some combination of environmental, health and safety (EH&S) laws + but I also have written a book on workplace violence prevention (which includes schools) and on responsibilities and liabilities of officers and directors.

• teaching EH&S laws and related topics, including nearly 25 years for UC Extension