New
Guard Takes Over School Board |
By Jorge Casuso
December 18 – With little fanfare and no debate,
the School Board last week elected Ralph Mechur as its president,
marking a new era of leadership for the cash-strapped district.
Barry Snell was elected vice president.
An architect and longtime champion of district schools, Mechur was elected
to the top post last Thursday, just 16 months after being appointed to replace
Emily Bloomfield, who moved to the east coast months after a successful re-election
bid.
The choice of Mechur, who is starting his first four-year term after facing
no opposition in the November election, signals what one board member called
a “total change in the dynamics of the board.”
“We wanted leadership that has been committed to sustaining the work
that we are committed to – greater accessibility, greater
transparency and extreme collaboration with all stakeholders,”
said outgoing board president Oscar de la Torre.
“I feel Ralph and Barry will do well,” de la Torre said. “Both
Jose (Escarce, the outgoing vice president) and I led the district during difficult
times, but at this time, we do need change.”
Escarce, who was reelected to a third term in November, said Mechur will bring
a long track record to the post, despite his short tenure on the board.
“His contributions to the schools as a community member are
so tremendous,” Escarce said. “He’s one of our
heroes.
“It’s important to cultivate new leadership,”
Escarce said. “Ralph is a new board member, but he’s
an old hand.”
Before joining the board in August 2007, Mechur served as president
of the Education Foundation for five years, as well as on the School
District’s Facilities Master Plan Committee, the Measure “BB”
Advisory Committee and the SMMUSD Capital Improvements Oversight
Committee.
Mechur -- who helped lead a grassroots movement that pressured the City Council
four years ago to give the district more than $6 million in annual funding --
says the district faces some serious challenges over the next year.
“The biggest challenge we face is the budget,” Mechur
said. “We’re waiting to find out what the mid-year budget
corrections will be.”
The district, Mechur said, could face a $3.5 to $9 million shortfall and the
State’s financial crisis could take another big bite out of the district
budget next school year.
“I assume the State budget will not be good next year,” he said.
In addition to the budget crunch, the board must shore up confidence with the
parents of special education students, Mechur said.
Over the past two years, special ed parents led a revolt against district leaders,
charging that top administrators were strong-arming them into agreements they
couldn’t discuss and that the district was short-shrifting the needs of
their children.
The controversy led to the resignation of deputy superintendent
Tim Walker, who was in charge of special education. (“Walker
Resigns Post Amidst Special Ed Controversy,” May 2, 2008)
The district, Mechur said, also must “have a meaningful discussion to
help close the achievement gap” between white and minority students.
In addition, it must prepare to pick a permanent replacement for
interim superintendent Tim Cuneo, who is filling in after Dianne
Talarico resigned in May to take over a small district in Northern
California. ("Superintendent
Talarico to Join Burlingame School District," May 30, 2008)
Cuneo’s contract is set to expire June 30. The board, Mechur said, in
launching a nationwide search, but is exploring the option of hiring Cuneo as
the permanent superintendent.
As the new vice president, Barry Snell also brought a long-track record when
he was elected to the board two years ago.
A single father of three and a CPA, Snell was a ubiquitous parent volunteer
at Santa Monica High School, where he was co-chair of the school’s African-American
parents’ group.
As a board member, Snell has taken advantage of his financial background and
and knack a for independent thinking.
In addition to electing Mechur and Snell, the board welcomed its only new member,
Ben Allen, who was the top voter getter in the November race for three open
school board seats.
A recent law school graduate who was student body president when he attended
Santa Monica High School, Allen was the student member on the University of
California Board of Regents.
“We’re delighted to have someone who grew up in our school system,”
Mechur said. “We have a board that will work well together.”
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