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The questions were prepared by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.
See below for questions on
Role of Board,
Experience,
Board Operation
Click on a name for candidate information. See also more information about this contest.
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1. What do you see as the role of the County Board of Education?
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Answer from Grace H. Mah:
The Santa Clara County Board of Education is elected by its constituents to represent the community in serving the children of this county. That service includes providing business, administration, and professional development services to school districts; running the state preschools and federal Head Start programs; teaching high-risk youth in the alternative education schools and those in juvenile hall; migrant education and the foster care children, and special education students.
The Santa Clara County Board of Education oversees and approves a $260M budget overseeing 31 school districts; 260,000 students; and 31,000 teachers.
Answer from Dave Cortright:
To provide services and support to ensure that all school districts in the county can each perform optimally. And to provide services to students who cannot be well-served by local schools.
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2. What experience and training would you bring to this office?
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Answer from Dave Cortright:
Growing up in a family of public educators has given me a deep appreciation and passion for public education. My two degrees in engineering gave me the analytical skills necessary to seek out relevant information and make rational decisions based on that data. In the last year I have spent a lot of time understanding charter school law and the impact of charter schools on the broader community.
Answer from Grace H. Mah:
I have five years of experience serving as the governing trustee for the Santa Clara County Board of Education for Trustee Area 1. My interests and knowledge of the Santa Clara County Office of Education are very broad including membership of the Head Start Policy Council, to being Chair of the Policy Committee, and completing the CSBA (California School Board Association) Masters in Governance Certification.
Masters in Governance is a governance leadership program that recognizes the necessity for the board and superintendent to work closely toward a common goal. Participants attend each of the nine modules, which define the roles and responsibilities of school governance teams and provide tools that keep efforts focused on student learning. Some of the modules include
During my tenure, I have interviewed and hired two superintendents, co-lead the Charter School Summit to bring traditional school district leaders with charter school leaders to find common ground, learn best practices, and collaborate to strengthen our educational offerings in the community; and attended all of the alternative education focus groups when the Board commissioned a West Ed study to evaluate and improve the learning environment for our at-risk youth.
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3. Do you see a need for any changes in the way that the County Board of Education is operating?
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Answer from Dave Cortright:
Yes, and that is the primary reason I am running for office. I am very concerned that the current county board of education is far too willing to approve any charter school petition that comes before them, without fully considering the impact this would have on the local community. I am also concerned that the county office of education does not have enough staff or resources to adequately oversee all of the charter schools already approved.
Answer from Grace H. Mah:
As we have newly hired the County Superintendent, Dr. Xavier De La Torre, the County Board of Education has made an excellent appointment. Our interactions among board members have had ups and downs and I believe we are on a road to a high-performing team of eight. We will be appointing a replacement board member for Trustee Area 6 from a strong set of candidates on October 17. With our continued commitment to serving the students in Santa Clara County, our focus has remained steadfast despite some interpersonal conflicts.
Responses to questions asked of each candidate
are reproduced as submitted to the League.
Candidates' statements are presented as
submitted. Please answer each question in no more than 400 words.
Direct references to opponents are not permitted.
The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.
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League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
