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Candidates get nasty at school board forum
By Lori Bledsoe
The Alpine Sun
ALPINE — Alpine voters had a chance to
meet the candidates vying for three seats on the Grossmont Union
School District’s Board of Trustees at a forum held at the
community center on Oct. 17. Alpine teenagers generally feed
into Granite Hills and Steele Canyon high schools, governed by
GUHSD. Grossmont has also vowed to build a 12th district high
school in Alpine.
The forum, hosted by the Alpine Soroptimists, the
Alpine High School Citizen’s Committee and The Alpine Sun,
brought about 50 residents, parents, teachers and students out
to hear from the GUHSD candidates that are running for the three
open positions in November.
On the venue, lone incumbent and presiding president of
the board, Jim Kelly, candidate Shari Groce, candidate Ken Sobel,
candidate Richard Hoy, candidate Robert Shield, and candidate
Andrew Sundstrom discussed their views on various issues that
the GUHSD board is facing.
Alpine community members were treated to an open forum
where they learned important factors in each of the candidates’
platforms, as well as insights into the candidates themselves.
Soroptimists member Susan Manis, of Manis and Associates, served
as the moderator for the forum, posing questions from the
audience to the six candidates.
As the forum opened, introductions began.
Shari Groce introduced herself as a mother of two sons, both of
whom graduated from West Hills High School. She’s been married
to her husband for 25 years, and is an aerospace engineer.
Richard “Dick” Hoy was the next candidate to be
introduced. He is a long time resident of East County, and was a
teacher for 33 years; 31 years at Santana High School.
Jim Kelly spoke next, listing his marriage of 25 years
as one of his accomplishments, along with his co-chairmanship of
Governor Schwarzenegger’s Education Reform Committee. He is the
current president of the GUHSD board and is very proud of the
fact that he is conservative and not endorsed by the teachers’
union or the Union-Tribune.
Robert Shield was next to be introduced. He is an
eighth grade history teacher in Santee; which he thinks puts him
in a unique position to build bridges between administration and
the teachers’ association. He is a Republican who works closely
with his own teacher union, and wants to be a unifying force on
the board.
Ken Sobel introduced himself by saying how proud he was
of the Grossmont Union High School District. He is married and
has two children who have graduated from this district.
Sobel has dedicated much of his time to the Grossmont
Blue Ribbon Budget Commission as well as getting athletic fields
build at Grossmont High School. He feels that he too is a bridge
builder and would like to work in that capacity on the board.
Andrew Sundstrom began his introduction by thanking
Alpine for turning out for the forum. He does not believe enough
is being done for the students, employees, and parents in the
Grossmont district.
Sundstrom said he recognize that this race is supposed
to be non-partisan, so he kept his political party affiliation
out of it. He wants students to have every opportunity to
succeed in life. He would like to see safe schools offering more
vocational education for students.
On the topic of finances, candidates were asked to give
their own opinion on how they felt district finances were
handled.
Sundstrom answered this question first by saying that
we needed transparent collaboration with all stakeholders in the
Grossmont budget. He said that due to the fact that school
budgets are very complicated and confusing, the board and public
need an open, transparent process to eliminate distrust and
rumors about finances.
Shield agreed with Sundstrom’s view on finances, adding
that the declining enrollment at GUHSD schools demands serious
financial oversight.
Sobel said that the GUHSD finances are a mess and that
the district has been carrying two sets of books.
“The district has one set of books when they’re is
trying to keep teacher salaries down, and one set when they are
trying to win an election,” Sobel said.
Kelly campaigned that when he was elected to the board
there was a $28 million debt on the district. He says that
today, there is no debt. Prop H was also passed during his
tenure, which generated $400 million dollars for the district
for school renovations and construction.
Kelly pointed out that although school board trustee is
a non-partisan position; the teachers’ union backs three of the
candidates.
“The unions always support liberal candidates,” Kelly
said. “We have three conservatives and three liberals up here
today.”
Hoy said that the management of Prop H is hard to tell
but it seems that thing are going slowly and everyday things
cost more money. In regards to the district budget, Hoy said
wryly that he believed that the budget was in bad shape last
March when teacher’s salaries were being negotiated, but now the
budget is better.
In regards to the $28 million that was saved due to the
bond that was passed, Hoy said that Kelly can’t take all the
credit: “Congratulate yourselves because that was due to the
bond that we all passed.”
Candidates were asked what they thought the role of the
school board is in the district and about whether or not the
current board is non-partisan.
Sobel commented that the role of the board was to set
strategic vision for the district and to be certain that this
vision was followed by the administration. He said that the
current board is definitely partisan, and trustees need to
strive to build bridges.
Kelly began answering this question with an attack on
Sobel, accusing him of being a liberal and being supported by
the school union. He irately reiterated that Sobel is a liberal
democrat then moved onto the question at hand, saying that Prop
H is going beautifully and the Prop H bond committee is doing a
great job.
Hoy agreed that the board is very partisan, saying, “Go
to a school board meeting; just go to a school board meeting.
That’s all I can say, it’s highly partisan.”
Sundstrom believes that a board member’s job is more
hands on. A board member’s focus is to get out to the schools
and take a look at what is going on.
“Whether or not a board is partisan or is there secrecy
— I don’t care. My main focus is academics, safety and fiscal
accountability,” Sundstrom said.
Next up was the issue of the new high school for
Alpine, a hot topic for local resident and no doubt the impetus
for much of the attendance. Candidates were asked whether they
would support a pre-approved site plan, one that has already
passed muster, to speed up the process.
Shield said that he would support using a pre-approved
plan if the community wants it and it meets the community’s
needs.
Kelly again began his statement with an attack on the
union and democratic candidates. He said that the last board,
that was a union backed board, built Steele Canyon instead of a
high school in Alpine. He said that if union candidates are
elected to the board, the union will use the bond funds for the
teachers’ salaries instead of supporting the building of an
Alpine High School.
Hoy followed Kelly saying that the Alpine High School
plan is part of a bond issue, and monies from it could not be
used for teachers’ salaries as it is illegal.
Groce agreed that Prop H insures that a high school
will be built in Alpine.
Sobel also is in favor of building a high school in
Alpine. He said that he understands how to get things built, and
with the support of Larry Urdahl and Priscilla Schreiber, they
will get a high school built in Alpine.
Candidates were asked their views on the test scores in
the district.
Kelly again opened his comments with an attack. He said
that the perception that scores were declining is nothing more
than a smear campaign by the union members against Governor
Schwarzenegger’s school reform plans.
“We have gone up 20 points since I’ve been on the
board,” Kelly said. “In the last three years test scores have
steadily increased… It was under the old union controlled board,
where it [test scores] declined three years in a row.”
“No school board member, or board as a group, ever
raised test scores,” Hoy said, arguing against Kelly’s boast.
“If we are going to improve test scores, and that should be our
goal, then we need to give the teachers the tools to do the
job.”
“Last time I checked the students took the tests and
the teachers taught the students,” Hoy said. “I’d like to raise
test scores all by myself, but I really don’t think I’m going to
be able to do it.”
Groce feels that we need to raise the bar in education,
especially in Math and Science, a point that Shield agreed with.
Sundstrom would like to see more vocational studies to give
students more options and career avenues.
When the candidates were asked about how to improve
teacher/board relations, all candidates agreed that clarity of
the budget and working together would go a long way in achieving
this.
In the closing statements, most of the candidates asked
for votes reiterating their introduction comments. However Kelly
took the opportunity to continue his comments, this time
attacking other candidates openly and personally.
“You have a clear choice here, do you want a janitor
who was picked because he’s a union negotiator? Or do you want
an aerospace design engineer,” Kelly said, invoking boos, hisses
and vocal sounds of disgust from the audience, who had been
growing increasingly agitated by his constant attacks throughout
the forum. “Do you want a 14-year incumbent and one of the most
outstanding teachers in East County, or two union negotiators?”
Sundstrom, directly smeared by Kelly, spoke briefly to
this in his closing statements saying that he believed it showed
poor character to judge a person based on their occupation.
Adding that it shows a view skewed against vocational education.
 E-mail
Christy Scott
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