The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

No contest in race for SESD school board

Killian, Roberts and Kiddy run unopposed for three open spots as trustees

By Katherine Petersen

The Sunnyvale Elementary School District Board won't have to worry about appointing trustees, now that three people have filed papers for the three seats up for election in November. But the low turnout of candidates may mean no competition for the board member spots.

Bob Roberts, owner of Sunnyvale Lumber and an SESD candidate two years ago, will try again along with Ray Kiddy, vice chairman of Sunnyvale's Housing and Human Services Commission. Incumbent Linda Killian, who is vice president of the school board, will also run.

Board President Bill McDowell and board member Peggy Quillinan have opted not to run again. McDowell said his work is demanding too much of his time, and Quillinan, with two kids in college, wants to have a larger income than a position on the school board can offer her.

"The focus of my life has changed," Quillinan said. "I really believe it's time for me to move on and give someone else in the community an opportunity to serve."

Kilian, a trustee for the past four years, wants to maintain continuity on the board when it hires and orients a new superintendent this fall.

"We've made great strides in the past four years, but there are some things I hope to see in place that haven't happened yet," she said, giving a lack of goals and a means for measuring progress in projects such as lowering class sizes as an example.

"I'd like my voice to be on the board for another four years to continue to ask: What's our goal?" she said.

Kilian wants education to be on the forefront of people's minds and would like to see more competitive races for that reason. Although as the current vice president, she doesn't mind not having to juggle developing a campaign with hiring a new superintendent this fall.

"I'd like to see people have choices rather than just telling them who the new board members will be," she said.

Unless someone else steps up, the chance to serve will go to Roberts and Kiddy, two well-known community members.

Kiddy wants to see north Sunnyvale have the same opportunities as other communities in the city and to see the school district take a more active role in working with non-English-speaking students and their parents.

"The Columbia Neighborhood Center has helped a great deal, but there's still more to do," he said. "I think the district needs to relate better to parents and students whose first language is not English. Non-English-speaking students can do as well as their English-speaking peers if there's more understanding of their struggles."

Kiddy suggested providing meeting agendas in different languages and organizing workshops for parents and activities for kids in their primary language.

Kiddy is pleased that no remaining district programs will be cut to put lower class sizes in first and second grades in place.

"Sometimes a lot of pressure on a district can cause a jump in the other direction," he said. "We have to be sure no services are sacrificed."

Roberts has lived in Sunnyvale for 37 years. He has handed over most of the daily operations of his business, Sunnyvale Lumber, to his three sons, one of whom is Sunnyvale's vice mayor.

Roberts is president of the board of directors of Higher Expectations Learning Program (Project HELP). The program helps at-risk kids get up to speed on reading skills with extra class time during the school year and the summer, he said.

Roberts has served on the Sunnyvale School District Education Foundation board and budget advisory committees and participated in strategy planning sessions for maximizing students' time in school.

Roberts spent one day as acting principal at Cherry Chase School, where he read a Paul Bunyan story to second-graders.

"I realized what a destructive story it was, so I gave them an ecology lesson afterward," he said. "I think the school picked that one because I'm in the lumber business."

Roberts believes this business background will help him face any district challenges the board may run into.

He looks forward to developing a relationship with the new superintendent right up front.

All of the candidates invite residents to call them with questions they have about their views. Roberts can be reached at 733-5061; Kiddy at 245-6723; and Killian at 733-0351.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, August 13, 1997.
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