Candidates compete for school board positions

 

The race for Castro Valley School Board is on with three candidates competing for two available positions on the board. The candidates are current board members Janice Friesen and Gary Howard, and challenger Dorothy “Dot” Theodore.

Friesen is a veteran member and current president of the school board, with almost 25 years of experience. She currently works as a licensed psychotherapist.

Howard is a current board member as well as former president of the Castro Valley Educational Foundation. He is a biomedical researcher and the Castro Valley Regional Occupational Program representative.

Theodore is a new candidate who was inspired to run after serving as president of the Castro Valley Elementary PTA. Theodore emphasized the communication between teachers and parents.

“I think it’s so important to have conversations with teachers in the classroom,” she said.

The candidates battled it out in the school board debate held in the Castro Valley Library on Tuesday, Sept. 30. Over 150 Castro Valley voters attended the debate to support their candidates.They addressed issues such as the lack of special ed teachers, district budget, teacher salaries, and communication between the board and parents.

Most of their opinions on district issues were in agreement.  The one topic, however, that sparked controversy was unsurprisingly the issue of the $14,000 espresso machine. The candidates were asked, “Do you feel the school district has justified the purchase of the $14,000 espresso machine?”

Howard reminded us that Superintendent Jim Negri answered this question in a press release last week. He expressed that it was thought to be a good idea, but due to unanimous community outrage, they changed their plan.

“I’d like to emphasize, though, we’ve been working really hard to improve child nutrition throughout our district,” Howard added.

Friesen agreed with Howard that the district had already canceled the purchase anyway, but also defended the district’s reasoning.

“I think it’s important that we not lose sight of what the intent was. It [the machine] was going to make coffee for catering,” Friesen said.

Theodore was the only candidate who thought the district was not justified in its lavish spending.

“The funds came from child nutrition, but not a single child will benefit, not a single child will have a cup of coffee,” she said.

Theodore also mentioned that the money could have been used for more practical causes, such as upgrading school kitchens and creating school gardens. Theodore’s comments were received with a round of applause.

Election day is on Tuesday, Nov. 4.