November 25, 2024 • 19 mins
In this special episode of the oneSMFC podcast, Board Clerk Maggie Trinh and Board Trustee Gene Kim join Director of Communications Diego Perez to offer valuable insights into the Board Trustee Area 3 vacancy. Together, they walk the community through the district's transparent and thoughtful approach to selecting the newest board member.
If you’re interested in applying and live within one of the eligible school neighborhoods, check out the details below to learn more about the process and how you can get involved!
The San Mateo-Foster City School District is accepting applications for appointment to the Trustee Area 3 vacancy. Please contact the Superintendent’s Office at (650) 312-7348 to request an application packet. You may also email Superintendent Ochoa at diegoochoa@smfcsd.net. Applications can be found online by visiting www.smfcsd.net.
Any person is eligible to be a member of the Board of Trustees if he/she is:
- 18 years of age or older
- a U.S. citizen
- a resident of the SMFCSD Trustee Area 3
- a registered voter
- not legally disqualified from holding a civil office
A person is disqualified from holding any office upon conviction of designated crimes specified in the Constitution and laws of the state. (Government Code 1021) An employee of a school district may not be sworn into office as an elected or appointed member of that school district’s governing board unless and until he or she resigns as an employee. If the employee does not resign, the employment will automatically terminate upon being sworn into office. (Education Code 35107)
The complete application and any supporting materials must be received via email or in the Superintendent’s Office at the San Mateo-Foster City School District office located at 1170 Chess Dr. Foster City, CA, no later than 5:00 p.m. on December 6, 2024.
Open Board Position - Trustee Area 3
The current board vacancy seat is in Trustee Area 3 with a 4-year term. The following schools are located within the area boundary:
- Borel Middle School
- Baywood Elementary School
- Highlands Elementary
- Meadow Heights Elementary
- San Mateo Park Elementary School
Interested candidates may view the Board Trustee Seats in the Trustee Area Map to view the 5 Board Trustee Areas and their associated neighborhood schools (Printable PDF Board Trustee Seats in Trustee Area Map). If you reside within the boundary of Trustee Area 3, you are eligible to apply if you meet the additional requirements listed above. [Click here to access the PDF printable and fillable application.]
It is anticipated that the Board of Trustees will interview applicants and make an appointment on December 12, 2024.
Interested in learning more? Check out our recent On the Road to Year 3 Annual Report!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And I think, as I mentioned earlier, especially
growing up as a child ofimmigrants and Trustee, trin
knows, I got a little emotionalin that meeting as well.
It just really struck me thatwe were doing so much to reach
every constituency that we serve.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Educating these kids in a safe and joyful and
rigorous academic environment,but a psychologically safe one.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
In many ways.
When I first became a trustee,I viewed my role as elevating
those voices.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Hello everyone and thank you so much for joining us
today on the One SMFC podcast.
This is a program where weinvite students, parents,
community members and, intoday's very special episode,
two of our wonderful boardmembers.
My name is Diego Perez and I amthe director of communications
for the San Mateo Foster CitySchool District and I'm so happy
to have you both joining ustoday.
(00:49):
Can you please introduceyourself and we'll start with.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Hi, I'm Maggie Trin.
I am a lawyer outside of theboard.
I have about a year and a halfof service on the board and I am
in area four.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Hi everyone, this is Gene Kim.
I'm the trustee for area five.
I'm also an attorney and theparent of two daughters who
attend schools within thedistrict, and I was first
appointed back in December of2023 and just recently elected
this past November.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Happy to have you both and just want to say thank
you so much for taking the timeof your day to join me here
today to be able to provide anopportunity to our community,
our parents, who want to tune inand have interest in applying
for the current open vacancyseat in trustee area three, and
that's what this episode isabout.
We want to just provideinformation for folks who may be
(01:39):
interested in applying and Ireally just want to ask right
away what's one thing you loveabout being a part of the San
Mateo Foster City SchoolDistrict's Board of Trustees?
Speaker 2 (01:50):
One of the things I love most about being part of
the SMFCSD community is thedifferent personalities that I
see at all the different schools.
We have such a diversity ofkids from all over the world.
Actually, we have a lot ofnewcomer students who have been
here for under a year and youknow it's really great to be
(02:13):
able to see how these differentcommunities are welcoming
towards the new students and,you know, letting them settle
into their new home.
So I'm really proud to be partof such a welcoming district.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
I think for me personally, one of the things I
love most about being in the SanMateo Foster City School
District is just seeing thelevel of innovation that we put
into education.
I think parents here areconstantly surprised by the way
we learned when we were growingup in school maybe 20, 30 years
ago and how much that processhas evolved so that we can
improve on the way we teachreading or the way we approach
different types of issues in ourclassrooms.
Just recently, actually, thesuperintendent and I had a
chance to meet with GovernorNewsom about some of the work
(02:50):
that we're doing to restrictcell phone usage in classrooms,
and there's so much that we'redoing here in our district that
is innovative andforward-looking, and the fact
that our community, our parents,our staff and everyone else is
so involved in that process itjust makes it very interesting
both as a parent in the districtand as a trustee.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
And it's so interesting also to note that
you both have your ownprofessions, of course, outside
of being a trustee.
This is kind of where we bringin the conversation of how we
engage with our public, how weengage with families, how we
engage with other.
There'd be partners from thecity, from the county.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Explain what a trustee does and why it's so
important for a school districtto function.
I see this role as a governingrole and also a policy and
direction setting goal, butultimately it's in partnership
with the other board members,with the superintendent, with
the district staff and theschool site staff as well.
(03:52):
Ultimately, nothing that wedecide will make any difference
unless people on the groundembrace it and move it forward,
and I really think of this asthe biggest group project you
can imagine.
You know, educating these kidsin a safe and joyful and
rigorous that.
To me, the most important thingof being a trustee is being
(04:28):
open to feedback from thecommunity, whether it's from
families or from neighbors whoare annoyed at something beeping
on school grounds, or you knowjust anyone in the community who
has a stake in in the educationsystem, which is pretty much
everyone to some degree.
So sometimes we hear thingsabout how we can do better and I
(04:54):
always appreciate that feedbackbecause to me it means that
someone cares, that someonewants to push things forward and
make the system better foreveryone in some way or another.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
I would echo a lot of what Trustee Trinh said there.
I think at our core, our baseresponsibilities do relate to
governance and compliance andalso setting direction on issues
like our curriculum or how weapproach discipline and a lot of
things that affect theday-to-day life on our sites.
But I think, beyond that, what'sinteresting about being a
trustee is that we are electeddirectly by the families that we
(05:28):
serve, and so in many ways wetry to be closer to that
community.
We're much more answerabledirectly to those families and
to those voters, and so in manyways when I first became a
trustee, I viewed my role aselevating those voices, I think,
elevating a lot of perspectivesthat are out there in the
community that may not be in thedecision-making rooms when
those conversations arehappening.
But also for me personally, asa child of immigrants and as
(05:51):
somebody who grew up notspeaking English initially, I
think there are a lot offamilies in our district who
don't have the opportunity tocome to board meetings, who
don't come to the listeningsessions, who don't reach out to
us over email, and we want tomake sure that their experiences
and their challenges are alsopart of these conversations.
And so for a lot of thetrustees, we bring not only our
professional expertise asattorneys, accountants, business
(06:12):
owners, people who've beeninvolved in education policy in
the community, but also our ownexperiences previously as
students and as parents, andhelp to hopefully guide the way
our district functions based onthose lived experiences.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
So what I'm hearing a lot is never in isolation.
It's more of okay.
If we have this feedback from aparent, how can we amplify it
further to hear from the voicesthat normally don't go to board
meetings?
And this is why a podcastexists, right For families who
are on the go that just tune inand have an interest in learning
more about how it is that boardgovernance works here in the
San Mateo Foster City SchoolDistrict.
What does it take to be atrustee?
(06:45):
Are there any rules,eligibility requirements?
Who would like to give us theanswers to those on what is the
eligibility to be a trustee?
Speaker 2 (06:53):
On one level, it's actually fairly simple.
There are a few legalrequirements, which is that a
trustee must be 18 years of ageor older, a US citizen, a
resident of the trustee area, inthis case trustee area three.
They have to be a registeredvoter and not legally
disqualified from holding acivil office.
(07:14):
The way that you can bedisqualified is there's a list
of specific crimes.
So it's fair to say, if youhaven't been convicted of those
specific crimes, we you know,shouldn't be any issue.
Additionally, an employee ofthe school district can't be
sworn into office as an electedor appointed member of that
(07:37):
school district's governingboard until they resign.
So that's one thing for peopleto keep in mind if they
currently work for the district.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
And then, for this specific vacancy, the applicant
has to live in trustee areathree, which includes Burrell
Middle School, BaywoodElementary School, Highlands,
Meadow Heights and San MateoPark Elementary School.
The full map with the specificdistrict lines will be available
on the district website and oncommunication that we'll be
sharing.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
So anyone that lives around the schools just
mentioned, if you are a neighborto Burrell, if you're a
neighbor to Baywood and you livewithin the areas, you are
eligible to apply, of course, ifyou meet the requirements that
our trustee mentioned earlier.
I'm just curious to know theexperience you both had.
I mean, you kind of wentthrough a similar process with
an appointment, whether it beinterview, publicly responding
(08:25):
to the board in front ofeveryone watching.
I'm just curious to know yourexperience and would love for
you guys to share just some ofthose feelings, emotions, what
you did to prep, if anythingyou'd like to share.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Sure.
So I was actually quitehesitant to apply for this
position.
A few friends and relatives sawthe opening and encouraged me
to apply for this position.
A few friends and relatives sawthe opening and encouraged me
to apply, knowing that I hadbeen active with the PTA and was
very that I was a really strongproponent of public education.
So I would say without thosepeople's encouragement it's
(09:00):
unlikely I would have applied.
I think that some people are notcomfortable being in the public
eye.
I certainly am one of thosepeople and ultimately what won
out was the desire toparticipate in shaping the
school district to a higherdegree than I could really
(09:23):
accomplish at the school level.
It was definitely a new processfor me and I wrote out my
application, thought about why Iwas applying and just submitted
it.
I wasn't sure if there weregoing to be a lot of people who
had applied.
We certainly hope that therewill be a lot of people who
(09:43):
apply so that we can have thebest possible select the best
possible trustee, select thebest possible trustee.
I would encourage anyone who isfeeling unsure to really think
about what it is they're hopingto accomplish.
Is there something that theyhope to see?
Some kind of transformation inthe school that they want to see
(10:06):
that we're not already workingon, or even if we are already
working on it.
I think having five members ofthe board who are strongly
aligned helps us a great deal inmaking this the best possible
school district and the bestpossible experience for all of
our students.
And I recognize that you know,not everyone is quick to put
(10:31):
their name in the in the list,but I think we need you and if
you're out there and listeningto this and need a little bit of
encouragement to apply.
The application process isquite easy and the interview
process that I went through wasa little.
You know, I was a little bitnervous.
I'll admit that I was a littlebit nervous, but ultimately it's
(10:54):
a conversation between us andthe applicant, just to see we're
trying to find out more aboutwho you are as a person and why
you care.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
I think part of the reason that trustee Trent and I
are here for this podcast isboth of us have this shared
experience where we wereappointed to partial terms as
trustees before subsequentlybeing elected to a full
four-year term, and so when Iapplied, I went through a very
similar process.
We had to fill out applications, our information was publicly
released, we had to discuss ourqualifications and our vision
for the board publicly in frontof the board and in front of the
(11:28):
community, and go through aseries of rounds of questions to
explain different parts of abackground, how we thought we
could contribute to the board.
Specifically, I think, when itcomes to running to be a trustee
and, to be honest, any publicofficial, I think I understand a
lot of the hesitation andconcerns that people have.
Frankly, no one is doing thisfor the compensation or for the
(11:49):
credit.
I think there is a lot of extrawork.
At the bare minimum, we have afew meetings a month and a few
events, but beyond that, if youwant to be a truly effective
trustee, it does help to haverelationships in the community,
to be visible, to haverelationships at the sites and
with parents and others, whichcan take time, and then also,
especially as a new trustee, Iprobably spent many extra hours
(12:09):
in the first six months of myterm just learning all of the
different lingo.
I was unfamiliar with learningabout different budgetary items,
how the California educationbudget works, and so it can be
very intimidating in that way.
At the same time, if you look atour board, historically, we've
had a lot of people come fromvery diverse backgrounds.
My personal background was ineducation policy, but that's
actually very rare.
A lot of folks are parents orpeople who have been involved,
(12:30):
who are successfulprofessionally but may not have
been involved in government orpolicy previously, and in many
ways, their perspective is stillvery helpful.
As Trustee Trinh said, I thinkit helps if you have a sense of
what you would like to see thedistrict do.
But even if you are largelyaligned with what the district
has been doing, there are a lotof things that we agree on at
the high level, but when itcomes to implementation, when it
comes to specific strategies,when it comes to engaging with
(12:53):
smaller communities, it's alwayshelpful to have diverse
perspectives in the room, and sowe would highly encourage
anyone who is passionate aboutpublic education, about our
schools and about really helpingour district to move forward,
to put their name up forconsideration, and we'd love to
have that conversation with youall.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
Thank you so much for sharing that with you all.
Thank you so much for sharingthat.
Of course, this is a positionthat, once you are appointed for
, you do have the opportunitiesto engage in different community
.
Just one last question for youboth.
Given now that you've been inthe district for two years, what
is one event that you canhighlight that was the most
memorable that you think?
(13:28):
If I can go back and live thereagain, For that moment I'd do
it again.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
So since becoming a trustee, I think we've had a
chance to be a part of a lot ofgreat events individual side
events, celebrations, a lot ofthe great work we've done around
community schools, presentingone of those large ceremonial
checks that we've always seenother folks do, ribbon cuttings
for our new buildings.
It's all been a really greatexperience and just really
exciting to see what we're doingfor our community and for the
students in our district.
But for me personally, actuallyone of the most powerful
(13:56):
experiences I had as a trusteehappened about a month into my
term.
Trustee Trin and I went withSuperintendent Ochoa to meet in
a church basement with a groupof parents in our district and
we had a two-hour meetingentirely in Spanish with an
interpreter.
And I think, as I mentionedearlier, especially growing up
as a child of immigrants andTrustee Trin knows, I got a
little emotional in that meetingas well.
(14:17):
It just really struck me that wewere doing so much to reach
every constituency that we serveand that we're dealing with
these parents who were veryconcerned about changes
happening in district, wanted tounderstand what we were doing
and the fact that we werespending that time on a Friday
night going down there in thecommunity, having this very
one-on-one conversation aboutall of our goals and vision and
getting that kind of alignmentin our community.
It just made me very proud as atrustee, but also, again, as
(14:40):
somebody who grew up withimmigrant parents who often felt
like they were on the outsidelooking in when it came to
education and didn't understandthe decisions that were being
made.
It just shows how far thatwe've come, that we can then
have that kind of conversationbut also the trust of the
community as we move forward,and many of the folks that we
met with that night are stillfolks who show up to all of our
events.
They're very plugged in.
They're helping to guide thedirection that we're taking
moving forward, and so, insteadof being the type of
(15:03):
decision-making body that justkind of does what we think is
right, we always go out to thecommunity.
We make sure that we have theirtrust and support as we move
forward, and, I think,especially when it comes to
something as important as publiceducation for our kids.
I love that approach and itstuck with me pretty much my
entire term.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
I remember that meeting as well and I also found
it personally meaningful.
The thing that sticks out to meis the community school
celebration that we held tocelebrate the community schools
grant that was being provided tofive of our schools.
I had participated as a parentat some of the community schools
(15:43):
meetings at our neighborhoodschool and I just saw how hard
the district worked to make surethat everyone who had a voice
and an opinion about thedirection of the school was
there.
There was a lot of outreach thatwas put into that, a lot of
(16:05):
resources put behind that effortand I just really want to
highlight a that celebration,because you know a lot of what
we do day to day and a lot ofwhat our educators do day to day
does not come with celebration.
It's their job, obviously, butI think we also need to
celebrate our wins when we getthem.
(16:25):
Sometimes we have setbacks andit doesn't come naturally to me
to, you know, kind of spread thethe good news of what we're
doing, I think.
But it is really important thatthe people in the community
know what we're doing, how it'sbenefiting kids, and that they
(16:50):
know that we're out thereworking, and you know, each and
every day to make the lives ofthese kids better yeah, I'll
just say that serving as atrustee in this district has
really been an honor andopportunity of a lifetime.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
I'm glad I'll be able to continue to do so with
whoever does join us on thisboard, and so much of it is not
just because of what we're doinghere in the district office,
but at each of our sites, witheach of our families.
It's just a a really amazingcommunity to be able to
represent.
I would also add on that weknow the conversation both at
the state and national level isthat there are a lot of
challenges ahead in education,whether it comes to budgetary or
(17:24):
policy challenges, and so if wecan find somebody in the
community who, again, doesn'tneed to be an expert in this
subject, doesn't need to havealways aspired to hold this
position, but does care aboutthe future of our kids, of our
schools, I think it would begreat to have someone like that,
because we are going to befaced with a lot of challenging
decisions ahead.
We are going to have to figureout what we can prioritize and
(17:44):
how we can create this bestfuture for our students, and if
that's something that you'repassionate about, if being a
part of this process issomething that you're interested
in.
We would love to have you andwe'd love to talk to you.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Again, I'll just reiterate.
I'll just repeat that it's okayif you're not totally sure what
you are getting yourself into.
I think that this is a role inwhich you don't have to have any
formal experience in educationpolicy.
The fact that you are engagedin the community and engaged
with the school district alreadyis enough, right.
(18:25):
I think we want to have peoplewho are paying attention to
what's happening at theirschools.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
I would encourage you to apply, even if you're not
sure about what you're gettingyourself into thank you so much
for joining us on the one smfcpodcast for our community
listening here today.
You will have all of theresources to apply in the
(18:53):
description of this episode.
You can find the applicationsat the district office at 1170
Chess Drive, Foster City, andwe'd be more than happy to
provide them for you.
Thank you.
And I think, as I mentioned earlier, especially
growing up as a child ofimmigrants and Trustee, trin
knows, I got a little emotionalin that meeting as well.
It just really struck me thatwe were doing so much to reach
every constituency that we serve.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Educating these kids in a safe and joyful and
rigorous academic environment,but a psychologically safe one.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
In many ways.
When I first became a trustee,I viewed my role as elevating
those voices.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Hello everyone and thank you so much for joining us
today on the One SMFC podcast.
This is a program where weinvite students, parents,
community members and, intoday's very special episode,
two of our wonderful boardmembers.
My name is Diego Perez and I amthe director of communications
for the San Mateo Foster CitySchool District and I'm so happy
to have you both joining ustoday.
(00:49):
Can you please introduceyourself and we'll start with.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Hi, I'm Maggie Trin.
I am a lawyer outside of theboard.
I have about a year and a halfof service on the board and I am
in area four.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Hi everyone, this is Gene Kim.
I'm the trustee for area five.
I'm also an attorney and theparent of two daughters who
attend schools within thedistrict, and I was first
appointed back in December of2023 and just recently elected
this past November.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Happy to have you both and just want to say thank
you so much for taking the timeof your day to join me here
today to be able to provide anopportunity to our community,
our parents, who want to tune inand have interest in applying
for the current open vacancyseat in trustee area three, and
that's what this episode isabout.
We want to just provideinformation for folks who may be
(01:39):
interested in applying and Ireally just want to ask right
away what's one thing you loveabout being a part of the San
Mateo Foster City SchoolDistrict's Board of Trustees?
Speaker 2 (01:50):
One of the things I love most about being part of
the SMFCSD community is thedifferent personalities that I
see at all the different schools.
We have such a diversity ofkids from all over the world.
Actually, we have a lot ofnewcomer students who have been
here for under a year and youknow it's really great to be
(02:13):
able to see how these differentcommunities are welcoming
towards the new students and,you know, letting them settle
into their new home.
So I'm really proud to be partof such a welcoming district.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
I think for me personally, one of the things I
love most about being in the SanMateo Foster City School
District is just seeing thelevel of innovation that we put
into education.
I think parents here areconstantly surprised by the way
we learned when we were growingup in school maybe 20, 30 years
ago and how much that processhas evolved so that we can
improve on the way we teachreading or the way we approach
different types of issues in ourclassrooms.
Just recently, actually, thesuperintendent and I had a
chance to meet with GovernorNewsom about some of the work
(02:50):
that we're doing to restrictcell phone usage in classrooms,
and there's so much that we'redoing here in our district that
is innovative andforward-looking, and the fact
that our community, our parents,our staff and everyone else is
so involved in that process itjust makes it very interesting
both as a parent in the districtand as a trustee.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
And it's so interesting also to note that
you both have your ownprofessions, of course, outside
of being a trustee.
This is kind of where we bringin the conversation of how we
engage with our public, how weengage with families, how we
engage with other.
There'd be partners from thecity, from the county.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Explain what a trustee does and why it's so
important for a school districtto function.
I see this role as a governingrole and also a policy and
direction setting goal, butultimately it's in partnership
with the other board members,with the superintendent, with
the district staff and theschool site staff as well.
(03:52):
Ultimately, nothing that wedecide will make any difference
unless people on the groundembrace it and move it forward,
and I really think of this asthe biggest group project you
can imagine.
You know, educating these kidsin a safe and joyful and
rigorous that.
To me, the most important thingof being a trustee is being
(04:28):
open to feedback from thecommunity, whether it's from
families or from neighbors whoare annoyed at something beeping
on school grounds, or you knowjust anyone in the community who
has a stake in in the educationsystem, which is pretty much
everyone to some degree.
So sometimes we hear thingsabout how we can do better and I
(04:54):
always appreciate that feedbackbecause to me it means that
someone cares, that someonewants to push things forward and
make the system better foreveryone in some way or another.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
I would echo a lot of what Trustee Trinh said there.
I think at our core, our baseresponsibilities do relate to
governance and compliance andalso setting direction on issues
like our curriculum or how weapproach discipline and a lot of
things that affect theday-to-day life on our sites.
But I think, beyond that, what'sinteresting about being a
trustee is that we are electeddirectly by the families that we
(05:28):
serve, and so in many ways wetry to be closer to that
community.
We're much more answerabledirectly to those families and
to those voters, and so in manyways when I first became a
trustee, I viewed my role aselevating those voices, I think,
elevating a lot of perspectivesthat are out there in the
community that may not be in thedecision-making rooms when
those conversations arehappening.
But also for me personally, asa child of immigrants and as
(05:51):
somebody who grew up notspeaking English initially, I
think there are a lot offamilies in our district who
don't have the opportunity tocome to board meetings, who
don't come to the listeningsessions, who don't reach out to
us over email, and we want tomake sure that their experiences
and their challenges are alsopart of these conversations.
And so for a lot of thetrustees, we bring not only our
professional expertise asattorneys, accountants, business
(06:12):
owners, people who've beeninvolved in education policy in
the community, but also our ownexperiences previously as
students and as parents, andhelp to hopefully guide the way
our district functions based onthose lived experiences.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
So what I'm hearing a lot is never in isolation.
It's more of okay.
If we have this feedback from aparent, how can we amplify it
further to hear from the voicesthat normally don't go to board
meetings?
And this is why a podcastexists, right For families who
are on the go that just tune inand have an interest in learning
more about how it is that boardgovernance works here in the
San Mateo Foster City SchoolDistrict.
What does it take to be atrustee?
(06:45):
Are there any rules,eligibility requirements?
Who would like to give us theanswers to those on what is the
eligibility to be a trustee?
Speaker 2 (06:53):
On one level, it's actually fairly simple.
There are a few legalrequirements, which is that a
trustee must be 18 years of ageor older, a US citizen, a
resident of the trustee area, inthis case trustee area three.
They have to be a registeredvoter and not legally
disqualified from holding acivil office.
(07:14):
The way that you can bedisqualified is there's a list
of specific crimes.
So it's fair to say, if youhaven't been convicted of those
specific crimes, we you know,shouldn't be any issue.
Additionally, an employee ofthe school district can't be
sworn into office as an electedor appointed member of that
(07:37):
school district's governingboard until they resign.
So that's one thing for peopleto keep in mind if they
currently work for the district.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
And then, for this specific vacancy, the applicant
has to live in trustee areathree, which includes Burrell
Middle School, BaywoodElementary School, Highlands,
Meadow Heights and San MateoPark Elementary School.
The full map with the specificdistrict lines will be available
on the district website and oncommunication that we'll be
sharing.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
So anyone that lives around the schools just
mentioned, if you are a neighborto Burrell, if you're a
neighbor to Baywood and you livewithin the areas, you are
eligible to apply, of course, ifyou meet the requirements that
our trustee mentioned earlier.
I'm just curious to know theexperience you both had.
I mean, you kind of wentthrough a similar process with
an appointment, whether it beinterview, publicly responding
(08:25):
to the board in front ofeveryone watching.
I'm just curious to know yourexperience and would love for
you guys to share just some ofthose feelings, emotions, what
you did to prep, if anythingyou'd like to share.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Sure.
So I was actually quitehesitant to apply for this
position.
A few friends and relatives sawthe opening and encouraged me
to apply for this position.
A few friends and relatives sawthe opening and encouraged me
to apply, knowing that I hadbeen active with the PTA and was
very that I was a really strongproponent of public education.
So I would say without thosepeople's encouragement it's
(09:00):
unlikely I would have applied.
I think that some people are notcomfortable being in the public
eye.
I certainly am one of thosepeople and ultimately what won
out was the desire toparticipate in shaping the
school district to a higherdegree than I could really
(09:23):
accomplish at the school level.
It was definitely a new processfor me and I wrote out my
application, thought about why Iwas applying and just submitted
it.
I wasn't sure if there weregoing to be a lot of people who
had applied.
We certainly hope that therewill be a lot of people who
(09:43):
apply so that we can have thebest possible select the best
possible trustee, select thebest possible trustee.
I would encourage anyone who isfeeling unsure to really think
about what it is they're hopingto accomplish.
Is there something that theyhope to see?
Some kind of transformation inthe school that they want to see
(10:06):
that we're not already workingon, or even if we are already
working on it.
I think having five members ofthe board who are strongly
aligned helps us a great deal inmaking this the best possible
school district and the bestpossible experience for all of
our students.
And I recognize that you know,not everyone is quick to put
(10:31):
their name in the in the list,but I think we need you and if
you're out there and listeningto this and need a little bit of
encouragement to apply.
The application process isquite easy and the interview
process that I went through wasa little.
You know, I was a little bitnervous.
I'll admit that I was a littlebit nervous, but ultimately it's
(10:54):
a conversation between us andthe applicant, just to see we're
trying to find out more aboutwho you are as a person and why
you care.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
I think part of the reason that trustee Trent and I
are here for this podcast isboth of us have this shared
experience where we wereappointed to partial terms as
trustees before subsequentlybeing elected to a full
four-year term, and so when Iapplied, I went through a very
similar process.
We had to fill out applications, our information was publicly
released, we had to discuss ourqualifications and our vision
for the board publicly in frontof the board and in front of the
(11:28):
community, and go through aseries of rounds of questions to
explain different parts of abackground, how we thought we
could contribute to the board.
Specifically, I think, when itcomes to running to be a trustee
and, to be honest, any publicofficial, I think I understand a
lot of the hesitation andconcerns that people have.
Frankly, no one is doing thisfor the compensation or for the
(11:49):
credit.
I think there is a lot of extrawork.
At the bare minimum, we have afew meetings a month and a few
events, but beyond that, if youwant to be a truly effective
trustee, it does help to haverelationships in the community,
to be visible, to haverelationships at the sites and
with parents and others, whichcan take time, and then also,
especially as a new trustee, Iprobably spent many extra hours
(12:09):
in the first six months of myterm just learning all of the
different lingo.
I was unfamiliar with learningabout different budgetary items,
how the California educationbudget works, and so it can be
very intimidating in that way.
At the same time, if you look atour board, historically, we've
had a lot of people come fromvery diverse backgrounds.
My personal background was ineducation policy, but that's
actually very rare.
A lot of folks are parents orpeople who have been involved,
(12:30):
who are successfulprofessionally but may not have
been involved in government orpolicy previously, and in many
ways, their perspective is stillvery helpful.
As Trustee Trinh said, I thinkit helps if you have a sense of
what you would like to see thedistrict do.
But even if you are largelyaligned with what the district
has been doing, there are a lotof things that we agree on at
the high level, but when itcomes to implementation, when it
comes to specific strategies,when it comes to engaging with
(12:53):
smaller communities, it's alwayshelpful to have diverse
perspectives in the room, and sowe would highly encourage
anyone who is passionate aboutpublic education, about our
schools and about really helpingour district to move forward,
to put their name up forconsideration, and we'd love to
have that conversation with youall.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
Thank you so much for sharing that with you all.
Thank you so much for sharingthat.
Of course, this is a positionthat, once you are appointed for
, you do have the opportunitiesto engage in different community
.
Just one last question for youboth.
Given now that you've been inthe district for two years, what
is one event that you canhighlight that was the most
memorable that you think?
(13:28):
If I can go back and live thereagain, For that moment I'd do
it again.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
So since becoming a trustee, I think we've had a
chance to be a part of a lot ofgreat events individual side
events, celebrations, a lot ofthe great work we've done around
community schools, presentingone of those large ceremonial
checks that we've always seenother folks do, ribbon cuttings
for our new buildings.
It's all been a really greatexperience and just really
exciting to see what we're doingfor our community and for the
students in our district.
But for me personally, actuallyone of the most powerful
(13:56):
experiences I had as a trusteehappened about a month into my
term.
Trustee Trin and I went withSuperintendent Ochoa to meet in
a church basement with a groupof parents in our district and
we had a two-hour meetingentirely in Spanish with an
interpreter.
And I think, as I mentionedearlier, especially growing up
as a child of immigrants andTrustee Trin knows, I got a
little emotional in that meetingas well.
(14:17):
It just really struck me that wewere doing so much to reach
every constituency that we serveand that we're dealing with
these parents who were veryconcerned about changes
happening in district, wanted tounderstand what we were doing
and the fact that we werespending that time on a Friday
night going down there in thecommunity, having this very
one-on-one conversation aboutall of our goals and vision and
getting that kind of alignmentin our community.
It just made me very proud as atrustee, but also, again, as
(14:40):
somebody who grew up withimmigrant parents who often felt
like they were on the outsidelooking in when it came to
education and didn't understandthe decisions that were being
made.
It just shows how far thatwe've come, that we can then
have that kind of conversationbut also the trust of the
community as we move forward,and many of the folks that we
met with that night are stillfolks who show up to all of our
events.
They're very plugged in.
They're helping to guide thedirection that we're taking
moving forward, and so, insteadof being the type of
(15:03):
decision-making body that justkind of does what we think is
right, we always go out to thecommunity.
We make sure that we have theirtrust and support as we move
forward, and, I think,especially when it comes to
something as important as publiceducation for our kids.
I love that approach and itstuck with me pretty much my
entire term.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
I remember that meeting as well and I also found
it personally meaningful.
The thing that sticks out to meis the community school
celebration that we held tocelebrate the community schools
grant that was being provided tofive of our schools.
I had participated as a parentat some of the community schools
(15:43):
meetings at our neighborhoodschool and I just saw how hard
the district worked to make surethat everyone who had a voice
and an opinion about thedirection of the school was
there.
There was a lot of outreach thatwas put into that, a lot of
(16:05):
resources put behind that effortand I just really want to
highlight a that celebration,because you know a lot of what
we do day to day and a lot ofwhat our educators do day to day
does not come with celebration.
It's their job, obviously, butI think we also need to
celebrate our wins when we getthem.
(16:25):
Sometimes we have setbacks andit doesn't come naturally to me
to, you know, kind of spread thethe good news of what we're
doing, I think.
But it is really important thatthe people in the community
know what we're doing, how it'sbenefiting kids, and that they
(16:50):
know that we're out thereworking, and you know, each and
every day to make the lives ofthese kids better yeah, I'll
just say that serving as atrustee in this district has
really been an honor andopportunity of a lifetime.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
I'm glad I'll be able to continue to do so with
whoever does join us on thisboard, and so much of it is not
just because of what we're doinghere in the district office,
but at each of our sites, witheach of our families.
It's just a a really amazingcommunity to be able to
represent.
I would also add on that weknow the conversation both at
the state and national level isthat there are a lot of
challenges ahead in education,whether it comes to budgetary or
(17:24):
policy challenges, and so if wecan find somebody in the
community who, again, doesn'tneed to be an expert in this
subject, doesn't need to havealways aspired to hold this
position, but does care aboutthe future of our kids, of our
schools, I think it would begreat to have someone like that,
because we are going to befaced with a lot of challenging
decisions ahead.
We are going to have to figureout what we can prioritize and
(17:44):
how we can create this bestfuture for our students, and if
that's something that you'repassionate about, if being a
part of this process issomething that you're interested
in.
We would love to have you andwe'd love to talk to you.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Again, I'll just reiterate.
I'll just repeat that it's okayif you're not totally sure what
you are getting yourself into.
I think that this is a role inwhich you don't have to have any
formal experience in educationpolicy.
The fact that you are engagedin the community and engaged
with the school district alreadyis enough, right.
(18:25):
I think we want to have peoplewho are paying attention to
what's happening at theirschools.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
I would encourage you to apply, even if you're not
sure about what you're gettingyourself into thank you so much
for joining us on the one smfcpodcast for our community
listening here today.
You will have all of theresources to apply in the
(18:53):
description of this episode.
You can find the applicationsat the district office at 1170
Chess Drive, Foster City, andwe'd be more than happy to
provide them for you.
Thank you.
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