OPINION: Parents and Residents Oppose Focus on Ivy League in Superintendent Search
“What we all share is a desire for you to pursue the greatest Superintendent for PUSD regardless of the institution they attended or the field they majored in. We expect that candidates for Superintendent will have a proven track record as teachers, principals, or superintendents and this experience should play a critical role in your decision.To be clear- we would be very supportive if a graduate of the Ivy League and/or a STEM field is the also strongest overall candidate for Superintendent based on their professional accomplishments in the field of education and serving students of all academic needs. We just don’t want the search to be limited or candidates prioritized based on these factors.”
“As Piedmont parents and community members we urge the school board and their consultants to conduct a comprehensive search for a new superintendent with a broad array of skills and experience. The search should not give special priority to those candidates with science, technology, engineering or math degrees from Ivy League schools.
We specifically do not agree with the opinion expressed by former school board candidate Hari Titan as reported by the 1/30/15 “Piedmonter” under the headline “Wish List for new schools chief: Ivy League degree, access and ability to inspire voiced”:
“Hari Titan, who was a PUSD school board candidate and has children in the district, told Young that he wants to see a new superintendent whose educational background mirrors those of parents in the district, many of whom have attended Ivy League or top-tier schools such as Harvard, Princeton and Stanford. Many Piedmont parents also want their children to attend these schools, so a superintendent should have at least received an undergraduate education from an Ivy League school” he said. “There is so much of an expectation that a lot of parents have where they want their kids to get into top-tier schools,” Titan said. “Given that’s the expectation here, why would we not want our superintendent to come from one of these schools?…He’d (also) like to see the new superintendent with an undergraduate degree in a STEM discipline (science, technology, engineering and math).”
“We disagree with Mr. Titan’s characterizations of Piedmont parents and believe that Piedmont schools need to serve the needs of every student, not just the few on an Ivy League track and not just in the STEM discipline. The next superintendent should be equipped to manage the many needs of our district from AP offerings to special education and everything in between as well as the arts, sports, skilled trades and many more. The bottom line is that we would like to see the Board appoint a superintendent who can relate to all students, faculty, staff, parents and community members – qualities that should be weighed heavier than Mr. Titan’s ‘wish list’ of qualifications:”
| Barry Barnes |
| Carl Tsukahara |
| Peter deVroede |
| Kristi Mitchell |
| Cory Smegal |
| Tom Smegal |
| Michael Silverberg |
| Roderick Alemania |
| Ed Alazraqui |
| Michael Berg |
| Adolfo Rivera |
| Mary McFarland |
| Marna Chamberlain |
| Stephen Blitch |
| Maria Carson Breber |
| Laura Katter Katter |
| Wendy and Jamie Peterson |
| Jason Harris |
| Gary Korotzer |
| Pamela Gelson |
| Teresa Satue |
| Barbara Giuffre |
| Holly Hanke |
| Ryan Gilbert |
| Jon Davies |
| Sharon Shoshani |
| Clayton Mitchell |
| Reed Foster |
| Len Gilbert |
| David A. White |
| Douglas Moss |
| Conna McCarthy |
| Samantha Spielman |
| Lynne Spickard |
| Will Carter |
| Dale Turner |
| Larry Hawkins |
| Pete Nicks |
| Robin Wu |
| Mike Zukerman |
| Sydney Proctor |
| Sarah Clifford |
| Amy McKenzie |
| Katie Korotzer |
| Elaine Murphy |
| Mahvash Hassan |
| Alan Siqueira |
| Glyn Burge |
| Jamie Flaherty Evans |
| Alissa Brownrigg Small |
| Pam McBain |
| Erin Rivera |
| Suzanne Heske |
| Lori Elefant |
| Darryl Lim |
| Denise Lincoln |
| Paula Silver |
| Anthony Lincoln |
| Gabeiella and Allan Gordon |
| Nancy Lim |
| Julia Moll |
| Barbara Withers |
| Kathleen Winters |
| Kristen Dixon |
| Kristen Malan |
| Lauren Dutton |
| Jeff Wieler |
| Austin Linnane |
| Lisa Kinoshita |
| Teresa Baum |
| Sandy Rappaport |
| Julie Gardner |
| Matthew Disco |
| Cormac Craigie |
| Cynthia Lyssikatos |
| Liz FitzGerald |
| Randy Porter |
| Sharon Filler |
| Lisa White |
| Janet D’Annunzio |
| Beth Barrett |
| Lori Adams |
| Wendy Kress |
| Fran Wolfe |
| Shannon Rogers |
| Susan Chiodo |
| Nick Levinson |
| Dan Harvitt |
| Ellen Fraser |
| Wendy Szczech |
| Susan Petty |
| Barbee Rubenstein |
| Margaret Dunlap |
| Adi Schacker |
| Julie Stein |
| Nancy McHugh |
| Dane Copeland |
| Cathie Geddeis |
| Kirsten Merit |
| Deborah Banks |
| Suzanne Sassi |
| Melissa Montalbano |
| Kate Grove |
| Nancy DeRoche |
| Laura Pochop |
| Karen Mamuyac |
| KeriAnne Hohener |
| Stacy Merickel |
| Ann Doumanian |
| Eileen White |
| Kathleen Henrikson |
| Carolyn Ridley |
| Peter Craigie |
| Susan Willrich |
| Teresa Stricker |
| Ariel Trost |
| Miles Perkins |
| Daniel Stein |
| Dave Reilly |
| Amy Kaminer |
| Beth Pennington |
| Nora Canty |
| Dana Low |
| Dave Keller |
| Gina Ekberg |
| Donna Williamson |
| Erik Wolfers |
| Melanie Robertson |
| Karen Markopoulos |
| Christine Linnane |
| Bruce Feder |
| Jodi Biskup |
| David Lindenbaum |
| Judith Rosenberg |
| Rebecca Thornborrow |
| Edward Thornborrow |
| Steven Gregovich |
| Elana Woodward |
| Michelle Pacheco |
| Angela Hom |
| Matt Heafey |
| Leslie Quantz |
| Mary Geong |
| Kelly Ellis |
| Karen Mead |
| Will Strimling |
| Connor Smith |
| Leila Hebshi |
| Claire Stephens |
| Katherine Rolefson |
| Veronica Hsieh |
| Iris Chavarria |
| Jan Corwin |
| Anita SooHoo-Cheung |
| Jennifer Fox |
| Lindsey Meyersieck |
| Dana Serleth |
| Margaret Heafey |
| Frank Szerdy |
| Kathy Moody |
| Jennifer Alderman |
| Carol Galante |
| Paul Lahaderne |
| Jason Feder |
| Valerie Corvin |
| Carin Bradley |
| Anne Gritzer |
| Cathy Glazier |
| Ken Meyersieck |
| Ann Hall |
| Claudia Harrison |
| Kristi De Serpa |
| Katie Anderson |
| Elise Lomenzo |
| Adrienne Armstrong |
| Mary Heller |
| Karen Engel |
| Claire Andreas |
| Curtis Schacker |
| Rick Smith |
| Jane Inch |
| Bert Inch |
| Amanda Docter |
| Carole Parker |
| Julia Burke |
| Karen Ellis |
| Dawn Riordan |
| Tami Becker |
| Jody Cornelius |
| Carol James |
| Mary Ireland |
| Dennis O’Conner |
| Jo Ireland |
| Bryan Cantrill |
| Allison Cota |
| Christine Free |
| Pamela Mercer |
| Hilary Cooper |
| Liz and Bert Tuan |
| Patti Edmonds |
| Jennifer Hart |
| Helle Vistisen |
| Paula Woolcott |
| Ellen Mann |
| Cindy Hubert |
| Debbi DiMaggio |
| Anne-Marie Lamarche |
| Alexander Menke Shahan Soghikian |
I quite agree with the views expressed in this posting. I must also add to this that the person selected as our new superintendent posses the ability and willingness to occasionally SAY NO to the many who favor the SPEND, SPEND, SPEND contingent. Just because more money can be thrown at everything that comes before the school administration and the Board, doesn’t mean that it’s always the right thing to do.