So much happening in a short amount of time, but we will try to keep this update brief. When the announcement was made last night that Dr. Luza is authorizing a search for a new superintendent, Trustee Garcia mentioned that they are already looking at a couple people. At this point, we are not sure what that means. But we need to start lobbying our trustees to include key stakeholders (parents, teachers, unions, etc.) before any final decision is made. The selection cannot be arbitrary, as was the case when Dr. Luza was appointed. Carmel Unified has developed a good template in their search for a superintendent carmelunified.org//site/Default.aspx?PageID=3412, which has included community forums and surveys in the development of the criteria for prospective candidates, to ensure transparency in the process. Garcias statement that they already have a potential replacement in mind implies the direction our trustees intend to take may involve as little transparency as possible. So its up to all of us to make sure our voices are heard. Second, the Barnes recall. We owe it to ourselves and to everyone who gave their time and financial support to see this recall effort all the way through. At this point, our goal is to hold the Monterey County Elections Office accountable to standards. As it stands now, there are none. There is no specific validation criteria for signatures to prevent them from being arbitrarily disqualified. Our message to the Board of Supervisors is to fix this problem at once...especially when it comes to protecting the sanctity of Elections and the trust we must place in our Registrar. So TODAY, at 9:00 AM and 10:30 AM, we will be speaking publicly to the Board of Supervisors. Why twice? Because there is a good possibility the Board will be reviewing the Barnes recall during their closed session agenda at 9:00 AM. So we urge you to be there if you can make it, especially if you are one of the many voters whose signature was not counted. The Board of Supervisors needs to hear from you!
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 14:40:01 +0000