Saratoga News

LGUSD board member takes seat on the county commitee

By Michelle Alaimo

The Santa Clara County Committee on School District Organization is welcoming Steve Glickman as a new member after its Nov. 21 election for three seats. Glickman, a member of the Los Gatos Union School District board, was elected to represent Supervisorial District 1, the spot that had been filled by Matthew Hurley, who has served this year as chairman.

Seats for supervisorial districts 3 and 5 remain the same, with Betty Nelson and Jim Mathiott retaining their seats for another four-year term. Each seat is voted on by one member from each of the county's 37 school and community college district governing boards. Although all ballots were not in at press time, Larry Shirey, senior research analyst for the Santa Clara County Office of Education, said Glickman had received more than half of the votes needed to oust Hurley, a member the San Jose Unified School District board.

Glickman's four-year, unpaid term has already begun. His first public meeting will be on Dec. 10, when the committee holds its annual organizational meeting and chooses a new chairman.

Glickman said he became more aware of the committee's activities this year when it began a study on reorganizing school boundary lines in the West Valley area, and he had some experience in redrawing intra-district boundary lines while on the LGUSD board. Because of this experience, Glickman said, he believes he has the qualifications to serve on the board and to help in making decisions.

He said one of his goals while he is on the county committee is to get the committee to not act or announce potential actions without making sure that everyone who will be affected by the actions is well-informed in advance. He said he would like the committee to make an effort to listen to what people have to say, as the LGUSD did when redrawing intra-district boundaries a few years ago.

Glickman, who is the president of the software consulting company Glickman Technology Inc. and a volunteer computer science teacher at Fisher Middle School, said he knows what he is getting into with the county committee.

"It's known as jumping into the deep end of the pool," Glickman said, referring to the current year-long redistricting study that has been the buzz among residents and parents.

Glickman is one of 11 members of the county committee, two from each of the five supervisorial districts and one member serving at large. Members of the committee can be members of a school district governing board while serving on the committee but cannot be an employee of a school district or county office of education.

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