By Sara Ballenger
Los Altos residents Bill Cooper, Kevin Bella and incumbent Margot Harrigan filed with the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Office as candidates for the two four-year seats on the Los Altos School District Board of Trustees as of Aug. 11. for the Nov. 4 election.
Harrigan, a current board member, is running for re-election. Bella is an 18-year-old 2003 graduate of Mountain View High School. Cooper, a district parent who unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the school board two years ago, is running again for board member David Casas’ seat. Casas is running for Los Altos City Council. The Los Altos School District, by law, will pay for the cost of the election. Candidates are responsible to pay for their own campaigns.
Margot Harrigan
Harrigan who has served on the board since 1999, which includes one year as board president, said she would like to serve four more years. In addition, Harrigan is serving as the Santa Clara County Parent-Teachers Association President, is an art docent, has served as local PTA Council president and has held numerous positions on city, school and districtwide committees.
“I think I can benefit the elementary school district by continuing to serve,” Harrigan said. “I think the next four years will be as challenging as the last four, with many complex decisions still ahead. These decisions will demand proved experience and dedication to our children’s education.”
Harrigan said her experience and learned knowledge of the school district over the last four years is a strong asset she brings to the board.
“This term has been challenging and emotional,” Harrigan said. “We experienced the reopening of three renovated facilities, a successful parcel tax campaign and the continued delivery of a superior education, as well as budget cuts and closing one of our beloved schools. Now is the time to take advantage of the board experience, demonstrated commitment and extensive community involvement that I represent.”
Bill Cooper
Cooper, owner of an advertising sales firm, said he knew he wanted to run for school board again the minute he realized he lost the last election.
“Although it’s easy to get caught up in all of the challenges the district has faced the past two years, one thing remains unchanged — our district continues to offer a superb education to 4,000 plus students,” Cooper said. “One of my main goals will be to interact with the community in an ongoing dialogue, making sure the board effectively communicates the issues we face and the logic behind why specific, and at times, tough decisions have to be made.”
Cooper thinks his organizational experience and community ties will help make him an effective leader. Cooper has served as a school chairman for Measure A, Measure H and “Save our Schools” campaigns, and is a member of the district’s Curriculum Council and Budget Review Committee. He is also on the PONY League board, and is Education Chairman for Los Altos Neighborhood Network and scoutmaster for Boy Scout Pack 36.
“People have said I must be nuts for wanting to run for the school board,” Cooper said. “I can’t tell you how fortunate I think we all are. We’ve got great teachers working in unison with tremendously supportive administrators and parents. I will give it everything I have got to make sure we continue to offer our kids the best education in the state.”
Kevin Bella
Bella, an 18-year-old who graduated from Mountain View High School in June, found his inspiration to run for school board after reading “Stupid White Men,” by Michael Moore. Moore also ran for school board at the age of 18.
“For the most part I am just wanting to open up the forum and give people a choice,” Bella said. “I am doing more of a grassroots effort. I hope to get a bunch of people my age to go out and vote.”
According to Bella, he doesn’t have the $1,400 required to file a formal statement with the registrar of voters office, so when campaign time comes, he will be handing out fliers and doing his own campaign material.
“I don’t have a lot of money for an election,” Bella said. “I have already received some donations from a few family members though.”
Bella attended elementary school at Springer and junior high school at Blach. Bella said he would bring his experience as a recent student in the Los Altos School District to the board.
“I think that having been through the system a whole lot more recently than any of the parents have, it might help out the system and stir things up,” Bella said. “I think the school system has been stagnating a bit in the last few years and relying more and more on standardized testing to tell us what is going on. We need to get another way of defining accountability so we don’t rely so much on standardized testing.”
Bella, who’s mother is an art teacher, would also like to speak up for the arts.
“I would like to focus on getting more funding for the arts programs,” Bella said. “When budget issues come up, art and music are the first things to go on the chopping block.”
Bella will be attending the University of California at Davis in the fall, but the genetics major said if elected, he would rearrange his second-quarter classes around school board meetings and other obligations.
CUSD has 7 candidates for 2 seats
In another local school board race, seven candidates: Chiachi Chao, Lynette Lee Eng, Robert Lee Heslop, incumbent Josephine (Jo) Lucey, Elizabeth N. Tadman, George K. Tyson and Gilbert Suihoong Wong have filed with the Registrar of Voter’s office for the two available four-year seats on the Cupertino Union School District Board of Trustees. Board members Barry Chang and Josephine Lucey’s terms expired this year.
