Four candidates vie for CUHSD board
Moreland, Campbell Union districts won't have contested races
By Steven Raphael
As election time draws near, all three school districts that cover Campbell--Campbell Union School District, Campbell Union High School District, and Moreland School District--have open school board seats. But the only positions that are contested are those in CUHSD.
In CUHSD, there are four contenders for two board seats: incumbents Henry Zander and Margie Mitchell and first-time candidates Bob Becklund and Brad Imamura.
Zander, 59, a contractor, has been on school board for seven years. He, his wife and his daughter all graduated from high schools in CUHSD. Zander has been involved in public education for 26 years, as a board member for CUHSD, Union Elementary School District in San Jose, Metropolitan District for adult education, that serves central Silicon Valley, and as president of Santa Clara County School Board Association.
In his ballot statement, Zander wrote: "As your trustee, I believe I serve two roles: One, to provide the best educational opportunity for today's students, and, two, to protect your investment and spend your money wisely so your schools are there to serve today's students and students of the future."
He cites managing district finances, resolving teacher salary negotiations, meeting state standards and helping students do well at college entrance exams as key issues.
Mitchell, 46, an account manager at Pacific Bell, has a son enrolled at Del Mar High School and another in eighth grade who will enter Del Mar next fall.
Mitchell has been on the school board for the past two years, and has been involved in education for over 10 years. Previously, she has served as vice president of the PTA, as an organizer of fundraisers and as a district administrator.
She hopes to increase communication between CUHSD and its feeder districts to ensure continuity of subject matter. Mitchell also hopes to bring up district test scores and to help with recruitment of teachers.
"I've had a wonderful two years. We've made a lot of progress, a lot of exciting things have happened, and I'd like to continue," she said. "I have children in there, I enjoy education, and I'd like to be involved with this community."
Becklund, 73, a retired engineer who has lived in Campbell for 38 years, said his analytical background makes him a strong candidate for the school board.
"I think there needs to be some analysis of schools," he said. As an example, he explained why he supports smaller school sizes. He cited research showing that, as the number of students in a school increases, dropout rates and disciplinary problems increase and test scores decrease.
Becklund said he has been interested in education for his entire life. When retirement left him with a lot of free time, he decided to get involved in the district from which all four of his children graduated.
Becklund said his main goals include minimizing wasted time, clarifying disciplinary policies, instituting programs for student interviews of successful people, public speaking training and study of the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence.
Imamura, 46, a housing code enforcement inspector, has one son enrolled at Prospect High School and another who just graduated. Imamura is currently a board member of the Prospect Music Booster Club, and has previously served as president and treasurer of the club.
Additionally, he is the chairperson of San Jose Federated City Employees Retirement System and has previously served as president of the Municipal Employees Federation of San Jose.
Imamura said his experience would be useful to the district in many capacities. By representing 7,000 municipal employees of San Jose, Imamura said, he has gained valuable experience with labor contract negotiations. He hopes to help resolve ongoing teacher salary negotiations.
"We need to compensate our teachers fairly because they're the ones in the classroom in direct contact with the kids," he said.
He also hopes to use his expertise to help manage the budget and to make sure buildings are up to code. This includes appropriate structural integrity, as well as teachers having proper equipment.
"I'd like to bring a fresh perspective to the board," Imamura said. "Many times, if you keep an old board, you continue with business as usual and you don't get a lot of new ideas brought in."
Of the four CUHSD candidates, only Zander and Becklund paid a fee of $1,000 to have a statement placed in the county election brochure.
The CUHSD board elections will be the only school board election on the Campbell ballot. Neither the elections at Moreland nor those at CUSD will be included because the positions are not contested. For Moreland, two seats are available and both incumbents, Susan Zimmer and Frances Amin, will run unopposed.
There are four seats available in CUSD, two standard four-year terms and two shortened, two-year terms. The shortened terms are for the seats of two board members who resigned mid-term. Stephen Bevin and Nejleh Abed filled these positions temporarily, and both will run unopposed for the positions for the remaining two years of the term. For the two full-term positions, incumbents Janet Johnson and Susan Meyer will also run unopposed.
Campbell, California
