Election season is yet again upon us. It is great to be witness to Democracy in Action. This is especially poignant for me personally as Measure H & Measure I will be before the Votes to transform our Schools throughout Capistrano Unified.
What led to Measure H and Measure I began two years ago when
I made a decision to apply to serve on the Finance and Facilities Advisory
Committee and the Board took the risk to appoint me to the Committee. I have had the privilege to serve as its’
Vice Chair during deliberations. It
was quite a journey as I was witness to selfless souls who truly lived up to
Victor Hugo’s admonition to make sure one always looked to the future because
if the almighty wanted humans to go back to the past, human heads would have
had an eye behind them. History, though, is an important lesson to
understand what happened—and our Committee went through an exhaustive
deliberative process to make sure to understand what happened, get a true
realistic sense of the true realities and come up with a realistic
road-map. I have also been gratified
throughout my walkabouts in the Community as I have seen transformations
throughout the Community. The advent of
Solar Power throughout our High Schools and a vision of the Future as I saw
what can be possible with Esencia School in Rancho Mission Viejo. I first raised the idea of going Solar when
I had the pleasure to serve on the PTSA Legislative Committee about 6 years ago
and it is just simply great to be witness to Community Commitment of Climate
Change.
One of the most important aspects of our Committee’s work over
the past two years was its’ independence.
I was so proud to see the vibrancy of the debate and how we challenged
the Staff at every turn. Although we
were appointed by the Board, we did not take direction from the Board and took
our charter seriously. I commend the
Board for adopting both measures for the Voters unanimously because the idea of
creating a safe and amenable environment for our Children should not be up for
debate. It reminded me of all the
times I used to be at the Aliso Niguel High School GYM serving as a Volunteer
Proctor for the AP Exams as the kids took the exams as the deafening sound of
the Fans tried to keep things reasonably amenable. The idea of having something like an Air
Conditioning System should not be up for debate. The idea of fixing leaking roofs at San
Clemente High should not be up for debate.
I remembered a conversation I had with an Aliso Niguel Student who was jealous
after we finished a meeting at JSerra and I told him to have faith and stay
strong—and this Wolverine is now in his first year at UC Berkeley studying
Engineering. For me, this journey has
been about him and the thousands of other kids who look to us to make sure we
create a future they can be proud of.
In spite of all the challenges, the District continues to do
wonders with our kids. However, some
of the discourse I have seen seems to question it all—as some have questioned
salaries and benefits to Teachers and Staff and notions of mismanagement. As I have seen the debate on salaries, I
ran across a thought from the Prime Minister of Malaysia when he was severely
criticized when he decided to increase teacher Salaries 10-fold. His response was quite interesting as he
noted that he was making a long-term investment in the long-term welfare of
Malaysia’s Children. Look at what
Malaysia is today. I have also seen
push back by many over the years about the pay package given to top District
Staff. I would not want their job even
if they paid me twice the salary—especially as I have been one in my capacity
on the Committee as I have given District Staff a lot of grief over concerns
over the past two years.
Debate is always healthy in a Democracy—as long as we
remember to disagree without being disagreeable. For me, it has been to live up to an
admonition from the great Colombian novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez as he noted
that all of us have an obligation in our own way to make sure that we create a
World better than we found it—and if even if one person took a breath a bit
easier because of our efforts, it would mean success. It
is on us as the Community goes to the polls on March 3rd.
I remain hopeful and optimistic in spite of the all the challenges.
Onward to the new month with all its' possibilities!!!
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