Alan Fernandes becomes the fifth candidate for the Davis school board. There are two seats in contention, one of them currently held by Susan Lovenburg who is running for re-election and the other held by Richard Harris who is not.
In an email to the Vanguard, Mr. Fernandes said, “I have decided to run for Davis School Board because I care deeply about public education in Davis and am concerned that there will be critical decisions that will be made in the future that will impact the long term success of our schools.”
He added, “Because I am a parent with very young children who are just starting out in our schools I will always favor decisions that will have the long term success of our schools in mind. In addition, I bring both a unique perspective and a valuable set of skills that would benefit both our schools and our children.”
“For example, as many of us know, much of our funding is tied to the state, and I understand the complexities of the relationship between the state and local schools and will be able to rely on this knowledge to inform decisions we make as a community for our schools,” Mr. Fernandes wrote.
He concluded, “Finally, though there are significant fiscal challenges ahead, I believe there is a unique opportunity to improve our schools and the quality of education they provide by better engaging all parents of all children. As a long time parent and community volunteer, I have many ideas on how to achieve this.”
Alan Fernandes joins what is now a crowded field, with Jose Granda and Claire Sherman adding their names in the past week to those of Nancy Peterson and incumbent Susan Lovenburg.
Mr. Granda is an engineering professor at Sacramento State University and also a longtime resident.
“I have been a professor for 30 years and I know what it takes to motivate children and young adults to become engineers and scientists,” Mr. Granda told the Davis Enterprise in an interview yesterday. “I am sure Davis parents are on my side on that one. I would like to make a contribution to improve the quality of education that our children receive.”
While Mr. Granda professes his passion for education in an article with the Enterprise, he is most known for his opposition to the Davis parcel taxes.
As he explains it, “It is no secret that I feel the school board has not handled the finances efficiently.”
He continued: “They are running a structural deficit and that needs to be brought under control. The school board needs a fresh change, and I hope to make a contribution towards changing the culture of deficits and endless tax measures. I am up front and will state exactly what I believe, without fear of being politically incorrect.”
Claire Sherman told the Enterprise last week: “There doesn’t seem to be as much discussion as I’d like to see from the board. What you need from a board is wider variance, so you get a true representation of the community as a whole. I don’t see that now.”
She did not take a position on the parcel tax but indicated “she would bring an alternative approach to the school board’s ongoing budget debate.”
“I’m a bit different than most of the other candidates who have run for the school board in recent years,” she added. “I’m not really into personal experiences. Most of the stuff I do for my career is evidence-based decision making. Give me data, give me information to make better decisions. What generally happens at school board meetings, when you get to budget issues, is you get a lot of anecdotal discussion” about the impact of budget cuts on classroom programs.
Sherman told the Enterprise she would “go to the schools, go to the teachers and find out where there are ways we could be more efficient. I think it’s eye-opening when you are there yourself.”
Susan Lovenburg told the Vanguard her decision to run for re-election reflected her commitment to education and this district.
“It’s really because my commitment to education has not changed and I think that public education is even more at risk now than it was when I first ran five years ago,” she said. “While in some ways it would feel easier to step out of this and let someone else carry the ball, I also feel like this district has invested a lot in my education and I’ve invested a lot of time as well.”
“I feel like it’s a benefit to the students to continue,” she said.
Nancy Peterson is no stranger to the school district, as she has three kids in the schools and has been a long-time volunteer and advocate.
“My goals are straightforward and based on one central philosophy: We must nurture a love of learning in every child,” said Ms. Peterson in a press release. “For a child to become a life-long learner,” Peterson continued, “we need to start by creating a welcoming culture, a safe zone in which to develop. Every child should be met with high expectations, embraced by teachers and staff who believe in and work with them to maximize their potential.
“As a mother, it is very gratifying to watch my children learn and grow in a community that cares so much about education, but many Davis families face significant hardships. No child is less deserving than my own or anyone else’s. Children who struggle are a priority for me.”
“For over a decade, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in many meaningful pursuits for children and youth in Davis. Working from the ground up has given me deep insight into what our district does right, and what could be improved,” explained Ms. Peterson.
“We must guarantee equitable division of resources among the schools,” said Ms. Peterson. “For example, district-wide standards should be set for services. Parents should not have to shop for a school to ensure their child receives what they need for basic academic achievement.”
Alan Fernandes is the father of two young boys. He moved to Davis in 1993, attending UC Davis as an undergraduate.
He has served on the Birch Lane Elementary School site council since 2010, the Superintendent’s Advisory Committee on Special Education 2008-10, and has been a classroom volunteer since 2009.
He has also been active in the community, serving on the Davis Redevelopment Commission Oversight Board and as member of the Business and Economic Development Commission, among many other endeavors.
He works as “an attorney and policy advocate specializing in the legislative process and governmental affairs and has a broad range of professional work experience having worked in both the private and public sector. In addition, Alan has served as a pro-bono attorney on several occasions, particularly in capacities representing parents or organizations interacting with public schools.”
Because Mr. Harris declined to run, the filing period for school board candidate is extended until Wednesday, August 15. The Vanguard, which has been in the process of moving, will attempt to meet to interview the last three entries into the race this week.
—David M. Greenwald reporting
There is one incumbent, Susan Lovenburg, and, I’m supporting her because I know she has worked tirelessly to get the community support to keep the schools from declining through the worst economic downturn since the 1930’s.
Of the other four candidates, only one, Jose Granda, seems impossible to support at this time. His leadership in the opposition to community funding for education during these hard fiscal times disqualifies him from getting my support. How can Davis vote for someone who is outspoken in his opposition to keeping our schools afloat?
Where he works at Sac State the problem of state funding cuts has been solved through tuition increases that have many students graduating with large debts. This obviously is not a solution for Davis’ schools so one has to wonder what does Jose Granda propose to address the financial needs of the district?
No on Granda, yes on Lovenburg and continued support of our schools and our children.
Granda is the only candidate that’s coming out against the school tax measure. That makes him a stand alone candidate where he will garner 1/3 of the vote right off the top. Hopefully the other candidates will divide up the rest of the vote so Granda can slip through. Granda needs stick to the issue a fiscal responsibility and spell out how he plans to cut the waste. He just needs to pound that and stay away from the fringe issues like mail in voting fraud that get him in trouble.
Toad, I agree Lovenburg has done a great job of working hard and smart for our schools. She has my vote to be re-elected to the school board.
I have to take a close look at the other candidates. Nancy Peterson is a candidate that seems appealing and very dedicated to students, teachers, and education overall.
I have seen Alan Fernandes volunteer on Don Saylor campaigns time and time again. Don Saylor was one of the council members that got us into the financial disaster we are facing as a city by supporting projects and contracts that were not sustainable (i.e. the fire fighters contracts that David and the Enterprise have written about). We don’t need more of this kind of leadership so I proceed with caution.
I wonder what these candidates think about the water referendum and the delays in increasing water bills? The push backs gave the DJUSD clear shots for parcel taxes on the March 2012 mail ballot and the upcoming November ballot.
Wonder which Saylor c ampaigns Fernandes worked on ? That might give me a caution … Since Saylor left our city finances in shambles Fernandes will have to address these questions
2008
I don’t see how another Saylor devotee can help the cash-strapped DJUSD. Saylors M-O is to throw money and benefits to the public employees, with the expectation of help later in his career trajectory. It’s nearly killed the city finances, and he supported the new huge water rate increases to coincide with when the District had to get emergency money in March from the voters to save the schools
I’ll have to study these candidates to pick two with the right balance
Or how about this article ([url]https://davisvanguard.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5328:firefighters-trying-to-remake-their-public-image-in-the-wake-of-budget-negotiations&Itemid=79[/url])
[quote]Alan Fernandes was Don Saylor’s campaign manager in 2008, and noted that this was the first time he has ever spoken at public comment.
He cited as his reason, “a growing concern” about the “tone and tenor of our debate in this community about the value of public service” and specifically, “I want to address our first responders, because I don’t think you hear much from the public. But there is wide public support for our firefighters and first responders.”
He touted the record of the firefighters in the community and added, “The point is that we have a part of our community that is often times part of a negative conversation; I’d like to see that change.”
“The council has recruitment and retention policies that really talk about reinforcing community involvement and I think that we need to consider those things as we deal not only with firefighters and first responders, but frankly, all public employees that the city is responsible for.”[/quote]
Looking at Fernandes’ resume it seems he has done lots of things to serve the community. i think that instead of picking one thing out we should weigh things in total. In doing so we should give him the opportunity to make his case for election before passing judgement on his candidacy. The same goes for Sherman and Peterson. All three of these people will likely serve us well and be deserving of our second vote.
“i think that instead of picking one thing out we should weigh things in total.”
Actually if you think there are four qualified persons for two positions, picking one thing you don’t like about one of them is a logical exclusionary device, no?
“Granda is the only candidate that’s coming out against the school tax measure. That makes him a stand alone candidate where he will garner 1/3 of the vote right off the top.”
Sorry Rusty, Measure D passed with 84% yes and 16% no. In a five way race with two votes for each voter 16% won’t get you there.
If, like me, you already know you are supporting Lovenburg and opposing Granda, you are left with one vote out of three people. You may have already made some decisions yourself Siegel but disqualifying Fernandes by association isn’t something that works for me.
“Sorry Rusty, Measure D passed with 84% yes and 16% no.”
I think you have that about 10% too high there.
“You may have already made some decisions yourself Siegel but disqualifying Fernandes by association isn’t something that works for me. “
That’s because you happen to like his association. On the other hand, as we saw with his fire speech, there is bleed over association to policy.
Toad, Measure A passed with just 67%. Being that the next proposed school tax is not only a renewal of what was supposed to be only a temporary tax but on top of that they want to more than double it I would venture to say that Granda has at least 1/3 of the voters already on his side.
A was a low turnout vote by mail only election. D was a primary higher turnout election. November will be an even higher turnout presidential election. As you increase the pool of voters you diminish the no votes for education funding.
Siegel my numbers are from Yolo elections Measure D: 12322 yes, 2343 no.
I agree his association does not disqualify him in my mind.
Measure D was the parks tax. Measure C was the parcel tax and it was in March.
I would hope that the choices we make would entail more than just “more taxes”vs “no more taxes” and would include issues of quality of instruction, best practices, maintaining and expending valuable programs, as well as eliminating waste if and where that still exists.
I look forward to hearing what each of the candidates has to say. I think it is a little early in the process to be “handicapping” the race.
“Measure D was the parks tax.”
But the parks tax numbers work better for Toad. LOL
You are right Siegel but I’m still not sure getting 27% in a low turnout vote is enough to put you in the top two. If the 27% bullet voted and the 73% voted for two randomly among the remaining four candidates you would still lose.
Fernandes was Saylors Campaign Manager ion 2008?
That means he pretty much owns his guys record because he volunteered to help, knowing about those voters for fiscal disaster for Davis.
And the theft by CC vote in 2005 of the sales tax increase that was promised by the city to go to parks and rec and family programs. Saylor gave it all to the FFs.
Now, we have no tree trimmer emiyees and the Community Pool is closed, among other results if that 2005 Saylor – Souza vote
Fernandes will have to explain himself to our voters, and how he views himself as distinct from Saylor
“Fernandes will have to explain himself to our voters, and how he views himself as distinct from Saylor”
Maybe, but probably not. A candidate running for school board will not be asked about city politics. You also forget that Saylor is popular enough to deter Sue Greenwald from even running for Supervisor so what you see as a negative may not be viewed as such by the electorate.
Relax, Mr Toad… Mr H was just trying to make a firefighter staffing/compensation issue relevant to this thread.
I’m pretty relaxed mostly because I don’t know anything about this guy except for what I’ve read and certainly I am yet to make up my mind about my second vote with my first vote going to Lovenburg.
Toad: probably everyone is voting first for Lovenberg, including me.
The only drama here is who is the second ?