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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Sunnyvale resident Josephine 'Jo' Lucey, 43, is one of the newest members of the board of trustees for the CUSD. Lucey spent the past 20 years in the aerospace industry, working with satellites and satellite design.
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The Bigger Picture
Josephine Lucey was elected to the CUSD unopposed. Now she's thinking big to try to help Cupertino schools.
By GEORGE MOORE
Winning a seat in local government requires strategy, decision-making skills and the ability to gamble. When Josephine Lucey decided to file for a two-year seat on the Cupertino Union School District, it was a gamble that paid off.
"I really wanted to be on the school board, regardless if it was two or four years," Lucey said. "I thought my chances would be better if I went for the two-year, so I filed for it."
Lucey was the only person who filed for the CUSD seat, which was vacated last April when former board member Roberta Pabst moved out of the area during her second term. Lucey was sworn in as a new board member last month, and if she decides to run again in two years, she of course will be an incumbent.
Lucey grew up in South Bend, Ind., and has lived in Sunnyvale since 1986. She said she has 20 years of experience in the aerospace industry, first as a technical contributor and later as a senior manager of a consulting company.
"Mostly it's the work experience that gives you perspective on what it takes to run an organization--how to set goals, manage staff, budgets and facilities to make the whole process work," Lucey said.
Lucey has been active at the elementary school level--math tutoring and volunteering at the library and children's classrooms.
Susan Tsolinas, principal of West Valley Elementary School, has known Lucey for about five years and said she has been very involved with the school.
"She's valued so much in the community," Tsolinas said. "She looks at situations with such a broad outlook that I think she'll make the best decisions."
Lucey said she has thought about being a school board member for about three years, but her work and family consumed too much of her time. She left the aerospace industry about a year ago, which enabled her to sit in at school board meetings and do other preparatory work. She said she has performed leadership roles at school sites, held a seat on a budget advisory committee and several district-level task forces and has worked on equity funding for local schools.
"What I'd like to do is make sure as a district we represent all of the community, and we do things with a big-picture perspective," Lucey said. "One of the biggest issues we're facing now is trying to finish that transition of the middle school. We need to get that school built, figure out the boundaries and do it fairly quickly so people can adjust."
Lucey said she wants to make sure the boundary issue is communicated district wide so parents have the ability to provide feedback. She said there already is a middle school boundary task force working to collect that data.
Lucey said the attributes she brings to the district are consensus-building skills and the ability to listen and make decisions. She said the decision process requires good communication--and lots of dialog up front, especially to those affected by a decision.
"But when discussions are over and it's time to make a decision, you just need to make it and move on," Lucey said. "I don't like dragging feet. I try to get a consensus, but you don't always get there. I don't think you always have to have a unanimous vote."
Lucey said her fellow board members all bring such different backgrounds and experiences with them, which also means distinct ways of approaching their decision-making.
"They're all so focused on the district--I have optimistic hopes for a good year," she said.
Lucey said having opinions about things like the budget--how it's spent and wanting to shape it a little bit--was one reason she wanted to join the district.
"I've learned since then that the budget's pretty tight and harder to shape than you'd think," Lucey said.
According to Lucey, one of the biggest challenges from the district's perspective is funding, particularly equalization funding.
"I think if we were underfunded and did poorly, academically, we would get a lot more sympathy as a district that's underfunded and does well," Lucey said. "I think it's going to be a yearly, long-term battle, and we need to be persistent and work with our state legislatures. The rest of the challenge is to deal with what we have and do the most we can with those dollars."
Class size is an issue with Lucey, but she said it's not something easily remedied. A reduction in class size means hiring more teachers, which would be difficult under the current system.
"I think if we can get our equalization funding, then we can look at that issue."
Lucey said there are a certain number of teachers that come and go every year, which could affect academic programs. The district has provided support through teacher training, mentoring and programs that teach curriculum, she said.
"I think the days when a teacher stays in a district for 20 years are gone," Lucey said. "The district has recognized this and has worked hard to help its new teachers get up to speed."
Lucey said joint task forces working with the city are looking for ways to retain teachers and provide affordable housing.
Lucey said she's not sure if she has any plans to run for any other public offices, such as city council.
"For me it has always been about education," Lucey said. "My father's a college professor and my mom was a schoolteacher. Would I think about it in a few years? Maybe, but I don't have any aspirations to run for state Senate or anything like that."
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Cupertino, California Since 1947
