And more sunshine (Buying a school, part II)

If you haven't done so yet, please read my prior post, Buying a School, which details how outside money from charter school supporters has flooded the SCCBOE election to run an attack campaign against Anna Song.

I finally got the FPPC 460 from the Santa Clara County Schools PAC.  As is my custom, I've attached the entire document.   Here's what you want to know:

There were a couple of really big checks written (including several from the Charter Schools Association, as reported in the well written article on the Patch).  I am not surprised, but am disappointed none the less, to see the names of local residents among the donors:

• Janet Medlin (BCS Board Member)
• Mark Andrade
• Susan Goldman
• Mark Jensen
• Dorothy Price
• RJ Daley Construction Company
  (401 First St, Los Altos)
• Donna Young

I am particularly troubled to see BCS Board Member Janet Medlin as a contributor.  Admittedly it's not a huge donation, but it troubles me for a couple of reasons:

1)  I'd like to think that we try to conduct ourselves with integrity here in Los Altos.  Funding attack ads doesn't seem to be what we'd want from our public servants.  (overlooking the obvious fact that the BCS board isn't elected).

2)  I find it questionable, at best, for a member of a governing board to be financially involved in the election of the agency that governs them.  Yes, we all still have rights of free speech, and I'm certainly an advocate of that.  However, having BCS board members trying to influence the outcome of an election in another district, and to directly attack a member of SCCBOE-- it just doesn't sit well with me. 

Is it legal?  As far as I know, it is.  Is it ethical?  Not in my book.

I won't be making a personal donation to Anna's campaign because I don't think it is appropriate for me to do so while I am a sitting School Board member with business in front of the SCCBOE.  However, as parents and members of our community, you are free to support candidates as you see fit.  I believe that Anna has been a strong supporter of public schools, and she has committed herself to running a clean campaign.  The article below has an address and link if you would like to support her campaign.

Once again, this isn't a political ad for Anna Song.  It is my observations with respect to the electoral process.  However, to the extent that I've endorsed Anna, I don't want any confusion, so I am including her FPPC information in an abundance of caution.

Friends of Anna Song for County Board of Education, 2012
1000 Kiely Bl. #46,
Santa Clara, CA 95051
FPPC# 1241672

Buying a school?

For context, it is important to read this well written article by Rachel Stern on The Patch.  In it, she details how an outside PAC has been formed to fund a smear campaign against SCCBOE Trustee Anna Song.

Quite a number of people have reached out to me over the past several weeks, and I've been pulling together the information I felt I needed to post an article about the situation.  The biggest missing link for me was the source of the funding for the PAC that has run this campaign.  One person I spoke with made no less than 5 trips to the SCC Registrar of Voters office, seeking the forms that detail the PAC's funding.  It isn't clear yet whether they've finally filed those documents or if the Patch uncovered the funding through other sources, but none the less, there are a couple of key issues:

1)  We can't let it become political suicide to stand up to bullies.
Anna Song had the courage to speak up when she felt that a charter school wasn't fulfilling the objectives that charter schools are supposed to share- meeting the needs of under-served students. 

2)  The influence of "outside money" is very troubling. 
The information I've gathered is that this PAC is spending 3-5x above what is normal for a county school board race.  One source has pointed out that not a single funder to the Anti-Anna PAC has any connection to the area she serves.  This is starting to feel like a pattern with the charter school movement- the same people who deride traditional schools for the money we spend on teachers are now throwing huge sums at PAC's in an attempt to buy elected seats.  The reality is that in most communities, you'd be hard pressed to find a lot of folks who even know who their Country Trustee actually is.  (Think I'm wrong?  Pop quiz:  Who's on the El Camino Hospital Board?  The Water District Board?  The Air Quality Board?)  This particular attack may be effective for just that reason- because people don't know who their representative is, they're more likely to be influenced by attack ads that distort the facts.  That's what I mean when I say it's possible to "buy an elected position"- if you can outspend your opponent because a special interest group is funding the campaign, is that really what democratic representation is supposed to be about?

I don't have the solutions to all of these problems.  I do think it's important that we let the charter school folks know that people who attend traditional schools are not doormats.  We care about education too, but have made a choice to address it in a different way. 

Fortunately the article in the Patch delivers the facts in a clear way that everyone should be able to appreciate.  The next step would be to help out Anna.  If you are interested in contributing to her campaign, you can do so by sending her a check at her campaign offices:


Friends of Anna Song for County Board of Education, 2012
1000 Kiely Bl. #46,
Santa Clara, CA 95051
FPPC# 1241672

If you prefer electronic donation, here's the link

Donate to Anna's Campaign

The thoughts I have expressed here are my own.   However, in an abundance of caution, I'm also including Anna's FPPC information in case someone decides to interpret this posting as a political advertisement, which it is not. 

I wish Anna well in her race.  I believe she has served the community well, and hope that she continues to be able to do so.

Formal Endorsements: Taglio, Luther for LASD Board

It occurs to me that I haven't written much of a formal endorsement for either Steve Taglio or Pablo Luther.  I hope that you will join me in supporting them for the LASD Board for Trustees.

Steve Taglio
Steve has served the district well in a number of capacities.  Prior to joining the Board, he was a PTA president for two years, as well as volunteering in a number of other capacities in our schools.  He brings with him a broad perspective on our program, and understands what it takes to build community support for our schools.  In his year on the LASD Board, he has shown himself to a strongly independent thinker (occasionally to my chagrin, but that's politics!)  He is not as strident a voice as I tend to be, which is good for the Board and for the community.  Having a mix of voices improves the tenor of the discussion and generally produces a better outcome.

Steve gets a lot of feedback form the community, and he represents those voices well in our debates, both in open session as well as in our closed sessions.  I believe that Steve's wide base of support will be a huge asset as we move through some challenging discussions over the coming years.

Pablo Luther
Pablo has served the district well over the past 7 years, working on the Citizens Advisory Council for Finance (CACF).  Through this work, as well as having had his children attend several LASD schools, he has developed a strong understanding of the complex environment in which LASD operates.  With the economy finally showing signs of improvement, it is an opportunity for us to rebuild the finances of the school district.  Pablo is strongly positioned to guide that discussion so that we build a sustainable financial model for the future.  As a long-time LASD parent, he also understands the unique nature of our school community- how much we rely on parent volunteers, how we work with our staff, and how our program is structured.  This knowledge is critical to anyone's success on the Board. 

Like Steve, Pablo is alto thoughtful in his deliberations, and he seems to be open to exploring many alternatives to issues that we face.  This will also serve us well- fresh blood on the board means we re-examine positions, and ensure that we are constantly making good choices in support of our students.

I am pleased to cast my ballot for Steve Taglio and Pablo Luther for LASD Board of Trustees.


On a related final note, I received a well written letter form a BCS parent responding to some of the comments I'd made about Amanda Burke-Aaronson's fundraising.  My earlier posts focus more on the funding side of Amanda's campaign because she doesn't have much of a record to debate.  One of the things I have seen over the past 3 years on the Board is that community support and knowledge of our program are critical to the success of any Board member.  The years I'd spent on various District committees gave me a broad perspective to bring to my service as a Trustee.  I also spent almost 2 years attending LASD Board meetings before I ran for the Board.  In addition to the raw understanding of the programs and needs, I also developed a network of people I could reach out to ask their thoughts, gain additional perspective, and further explore issues.  No matter how good her intentions, Amanda lacks that network of community support within LASD.  As a BCS parent who hasn't attended LASD Board meetings until last week, Amanda lacks that network and the understanding that comes with it.  I would strongly encourage Amanda to remain engaged, and to attend BCS Board meetings and seek appointment to the BCS Board.  I would be pleased to work with her on solving some of our more challenging issues, in a setting where she can leverage what she knows best (BCS) and I can represent the Los Altos School District, where I've devoted my time and energies for many years.

Campaign Funding, part 2

Steve Taglio
Pablo Luther
In my earlier post, I promised to update folks with the campaign funding docs for the remaining two candidates, Steve Taglio and Pablo Luther.  Both of these gentlemen responded promptly when I asked them for copies of their docs, but frankly I've been focused on other aspects of my Board work, and didn't get around to posting these.  However, following the same theme of transparency, I do include them here for everyone's reading.

Taglio's FPPC Form 460
Luther's FPPC Form 460

Vladimir Ivanovich
Today in the LATC it was reported that Vladimir Ivanovich has withdrawn from the race and thrown his support behind Luther and Taglio.  He cited the risk that his candidacy would actually help Amanda Burke-Aaronson as his primary reason for abandoning the race.  I applaud this decision- it's a wise political move, and it shows that he's thinking about what is best for the students.  I wish Mr. Ivanovich well in his continued service to LASD on CACF and in other capacities.

Amanda Burke-Aaronson
I'd also like to comment on the value of the sunshine process. Within 12 hours of posting Amanda Burke-Aaronson's campaign forms, I'd heard from members of the community confirming all donors except one to be directly tied to BCS. This is exactly why State law requires publication of these documents. The public is entitled to know who is funding a political race.


Ms. Burke-Aaronson responded to questions on the Town Crier website about her contributions.  She said, in part "Is it a big surprise that parents at my children's school are my friends? Is it a big surprise that my friends support me?"  I would respond that no, it isn't surprising at all.  I count among my supporters many parents that I have met through my involvement in activities at my children's schools.  That's just part of the process.  What is troubling, though, is that Ms. Burke-Aaronson doesn't have support of LASD parents.  It would be akin to running for the US Senate seat from California, but not ever having set foot in the state, and raising your campaign war chest in Texas.  The people whom you represent have to have confidence that you are actually representing their interests- not just your own view of how it should be. 

For in reason, all government without the consent of the governed is the very definition of slavery.  -Jonathan Swift

I still remain hopeful that Ms Burke-Aaronson will seek a seat on the BCS Board, and that when she gets that seat, we'll be able to work across the proverbial divide and solve this longstanding and difficult issue.  I just don't think that she would have enough support from our community to be effective in a leadership role at LASD.

Follow-up LASD filing

A quick update on the 2012-13 litigation:

We asked BCS to produce a number of documents related to their use of Blach as part of the process of drafting our motion.  We received about 200 BCS internal emails the night before our filing was due, and so they weren't directly incorporated in the filing we made last week.  However, as we read through them, there were a few that were worth pointing out to the court.  Once again the legal team has done a great job of distilling down the key facts.  Aside from the legal aruments raised, I'd like to point out a few things here:

1)  The back-and-forth between BCS staff with respect to the county board shows what I can only describe as chutzpah.  Their lack of regard for the county is evident in the banter over a simple inquiry.  Of course, the fact that they don't want to honestly answer the question just goes to prove the District's point about the facilities use.

2)  There are also emails between BCS staff and board about their furniture needs for Blach.  As we've told people publicly, BCS was stonewalling the District on their needs, and eventually used that as an opportunity for a photo op to try to make LASD look bad.  This kind of behavior is unproductive, and it's disappointing to see the lengths they went to (incl. taking action that effectively denied their own kids facilities by stalling against LASD requests.) 

None of it is earth-shattering, but it certainly does illustrate the points well enough.  Just 13 days to the hearing...

Stipulation to file
Supplemental Brief
Decl. of Shively