Changes shake up a typically sleepy race
Declining enrollment, contentious labor negotiations have 4 people seeking 2 seats
SAN JOSE — The stresses of change and contentious negotiations over a teacher contract have enlivened the race for school board in the Oak Grove School District, where in the past trustee seats often went uncontested.
Ten straight years of dropping enrollment — by about 2 percent annually in each of the past four years — have squeezed Oak Grove, whose coffers are filled according to attendance-based formulas from Sacramento.
The eastern San Jose district serves 10,360 students from prekindergarten through eighth grade. About 53 percent of Oak Grove students come from lowincome families — a substantial portion but not enough to win the largest state grants for hard-to-teach students.
The district also faces a diminishing supply of teachers, and an increasingly restive teachers union.
“It’s a really challenging environment for any school district these days,” said board President Dennis Hawkins, who has served as a trustee for 22 years.
Two separate races feature two candidates each. In the more spirited contest, technology consultant Steve Guerrero and teacher John Mackey are vying to replace outgoing trustee Jeremy Nishihara in Trustee Area 4.
Guerrero, 43, cites the need to attract and retain teachers as a major chal- lenge. He suggests redeveloping district-owned land into affordable housing for teachers.
“If we’re able to give somebody a two-bedroom condo for $1,000 a month, and allow them to live in their community and be very close to kids they’re teaching, we win as a community,” Guerrero said.
He touts his volunteer record as well as his business experience, supplying technology like fiber optic networks to local government, including school districts.
Guerrero is endorsed by San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, former Oak Grove Superintendent Manny Barbara and Oak Grove trustee Jacquelyn Adams, among others.
Mackey, 48, a former teacher in Oak Grove and currently a special-education teacher for San Jose Unified, said he would like to change how district funds are spent.
“It seems like too much is being allocated for re- serves,” he said. Despite state laws governing budgeting and accountability, he said, “There hasn’t been a lot of transparency with money in the district.”
He said Oak Grove spends too much on administration and too little in the classroom. He would like to reduce class size, attract and retain qualified teachers and rebuild trust between the staff and administration.
Mackey is endorsed by the Oak Grove Educators Association, the South Bay Labor Council and former teachers union head KC Walsh, among others.
In trustee area 1, incumbent Mary E. Noel is seeking a third term, opposed by newcomer Andrew Nguyen Pham.
Noel, 74, a retired teacher and principal in the district, cites the growing teacher shortage as the district’s major challenge. To alleviate that, she said she would look into form- ing a partnership with local teacher-training colleges.
“My extensive career as parent, teacher and principal in Oak Grove School District provided in-depth experiences that bring awareness and knowledge about schooling on all levels,” she wrote.
She is endorsed by former Superintendent Barbara and the teachers union, among others.
Pham, a paralegal, did not respond to questions about his candidacy.