Parents of Alum Rock Union School District students, community members and Somos Mayfair plan to protest in advance of tonight’s school board meeting and the potential appointment of a new board member.
The protest, which is scheduled to start 30 minutes before the 6pm board meeting, hopes to sway trustees Esau Herrera, Dolores Marquez and Andres Quintero from appointing a new board member before Karen Martinez joins the board in December. Martinez won a trustee seat in this month’s election and the county does not certify results until Dec. 4.
“It’s not too late for Alum Rock Trustees to reconsider,” Jaime Alvarado, executive director of Somos Mayfair, said in a statement. “I hope they do and delay the appointment to allow for a process that is transparent and honors the will of Alum Rock voters”
Last week, Alum Rock community members raised concerns that trustees were rushing the appointment process to replace Darcie Green in a non-transparent, undemocratic fashion. Green resigned from her trustee seat to take a position on the county education board.
In addition to delaying the appointment process, the community members are also proposing school district policy reforms that include:
1. Establishing term limits for Alum Rock Trustees.
2. Prohibiting appointments for Board vacancies during the period between the date of any general election and the date that the results of that general election are certified.
3. Setting minimum requirements for how, where and for how long notice of school board vacancies must be posted.
4. Setting minimum requirements for other outreach efforts that the district must conduct during school board vacancy appointment processes.
5. Requiring public comment during all public meetings of the school board.
The Alum Rock school board meeting will take place at district headquarters, located at 2930 Gay Ave., San Jose, CA 95127.
They should get agreement from the two potential trustees to resign as soon as they are appointed.
Martinez-Roach and Gonzalez will gain more politically from resigning after they are appointed than they will gain from accepting the appointment.
Resignations will force the school board to restart the process, and they won’t have enough time.
This political back slapping is out of control. County politics has turned into a round robin of paybacks to cronies and insiders, despite what voters intend. This cannot continue. Seeing Cindy Chavez in a picture with Martinez-Roach (kind of appropriate name considering M-R lost two elections this year but keeps popping up) just shows the insider practices. Anyone remember Cindy’s lost mayoral campaign? Can’t these people go get real substantive jobs instead of continued ‘public service’ which is certainly not in the public’s interest.
Wow, ex-Shirakawa aide Andrea Shelton (1 hour ago announced) gets appointed to school board. The shocks never end. At least Shelton knew to jump ship from Shirakawa’s boat. I give her that credit.
“Anyone remember Cindy’s lost mayoral campaign?”
Yes, and it is timely to remember that the vote that defeated her candidacy was the vote cast by DA George Kennedy when he filed criminal charges against Mayor Ron Gonzales six years ago after the mayoral primary election and before the mayoral election.
Those criminal charges (which turned out after the mayoral election to have no merit) are what put a drag on her campaign and defeated her at the polls.
Also, the Mercury News did all it could to convict Gonzales (and indirectly) Chavez by its coverage prior to the election of Reed as mayor.
Chavez never stood a chance of gaining a majority of votes after Kennedy filed charges against Gonzales after the mayoral primary in June and before the mayoral election in November.
What a dissapointment newly appointed board member Andres Quintero turned out to be. Just another lackey.
No real education policy background just a good ol’ boy appointment for himself and then the first real thing he gets to weigh in on and he makes it a point to defy the will of the community he is supposed to represent and appoint another of his cronies from Sleazy Shirakawa’s office. Ms Shelton-Flores may be the right choice, but why not let the vetting process work and allow the community time to research whether or not they want to support yet another person from that The SS Shirakawa/Titanic of an Office? Why force someone down the throats of parents without a proper consideration? It reeks of depseration on Marquez’s & Herrera’s part and idiocy on Quintero’s. Mr Quintero this is not the sort of reputation for “leadership” you should be cultivating. Shame on you for being so close minded and short sighted.
How many kids do you have in the Alum Rock school district? I wonder how active you are (and have been previously) at their school. Are you an active PTA member? Member of the SSC? A classroom volunteer? or are you yet another in a long line of political opportunists who pretends you’re the “people’s choice”
Mr Jaime Alvarado should be applauded and commended. When the time comes I hope Mr ALvarado considers unseating Councilman Campos. It would be nice to have a true community advocate on the ballot that I could campaign and vote for.