Los Gatos Weekly-Times Candidates in Loma Prieta call for openness, listening Six candidates vie for three seats on board By Michelle Alaimo The Loma Prieta Joint Union School District is no stranger to change. In the past two years, a sometimes divided board has replaced a principal and principal/superintendent. Now voters in the district have just weeks to decide who will replace three of their outgoing board members. Only the current board president, Rick Parfitt, is running for re-election. Others stepping up to the plate hoping to grab a spot on the board are Edward Garcia, Tina Graham, Richard Lyness, Wayne Heimsoth and Margaret Murphy Binter. Rick Parfitt Rick Parfitt, father of two and board member for 11/2 years, said he has listened and learned from the community and staff. Parfitt said he values a good education and hopes to be re-elected so he can help the board focus on a high quality of education for children. He added that he would also like to focus more on the community and improvements in facilities. "The school is the focus point of our community," Parfitt said. "It's a place where people express themselves." During his stint on the board, the district has reinstated standardized testing and given teachers a large raise, Parfitt said. He admits that the board was not unified after a split decision was made to accept former superintendent Lee Tinder's resignation. However, Parfitt said it is the board's responsibility to be supportive of the decision. "Experience has taught me the importance of open communication and full community involvement in the board's decision making," Parfitt said in his candidate's statement filed with the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters. Edward Garcia Construction company owner and full-time firefighter Edward Garcia said that if he is elected to the board, he will be there for the parents. The father of four decided to run for election because, "Since I have children in the district, I thought I would know what the needs of the parents would be." If elected Garcia said he would help the board work together to have higher standards for the children. He wants the district's students to perform "in the highest percentage of the country." Garcia, chairman of the committee to rebuild the track and field, added that it is also important for students to have a "strong mind and healthy body." Tina Graham Tina Graham, mother of three, said there is much she would like to do with the district. The active parent has several goals for the board including creating a nurturing school environment by focusing on teacher education and teacher support. She also would like to continue developing standardized curriculum and to ensure that the assessments the district uses are bench marked. And Graham would like all of the boardmembers to go to school board conferences to learn the job and to learn what other opportunities are out there. Graham, who has been involved with the treasury position at both schools for the past seven years, said that "opinions are essential to having a working community." Richard Lyness "I particularly see a need for leadership on the board," Richard Lyness said. "The board needs to listen to the community and build a consensus over issues regarding curriculum and a need for higher education." The father of one said it is very critical that the board repair some of the damage caused by the very visible division over former superintendent Tinder's contract. The president of the Loma Prieta Community Foundation said that Mary Ellen Lewis, the district's new superintendent/principal, "needs the support of a board that is working in a unified way." On Lyness' candidate statement, he states that the board has been moving "crisis to crisis" and that the board can and must do better. Wayne Heimsoth Wayne Heimsoth said he does his best to stay involved in the schools. The father of three said a few years ago he began noticing that the district needed some direction. Heimsoth has several goals for the board including focusing everyone's attention back onto the curriculum and concentrating on raising the students performance standards. He would also like to have more advisory committees to take care of small tasks. In addition, he said the board needs to have some kind of business plan. Heimsoth said the board has probably had a problem communicating to the community because they have no set goals. "In the past, we've asked the board to state goals and they would give mission statements," Heimsoth said. "We need to sit down and see where we could go as a school district." Margaret Murphy Binter "I want to put the word trust back in the word trustee," Margaret Murphy Binter said. The grandmother of one and mother of two grown children said the community has been very divided over the past few years. Murphy Binter said the district's schools are the focal point of the community and she wants to see the schools represent all of the community. She adds that the district should use its local resources for projects. Murphy Binter has several goals for the board which include meeting the needs of all students while respecting diversity, increasing funding for the district and enhancing organizational capabilities and community involvement. The mountain resident of nearly 20 years stressed that the board needs to be more open and not withhold information from the community. [ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, October 14, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. 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