Schools
3 Seats Available on the Albany Board of Education
Interested candidates must file between July 14 and August 8.
Information submitted by the Albany Unified School District:
Dear Friends of Albany Schools,
Albany is known for its great schools. Some of you moved to Albany just so your children could attend school here. This year, there's a rare opportunity to be instrumental in making sure our schools stay great: Three seats on the school board will be on the ballot this November, and two current board members (Allan Maris and Jonathan Knight) have decided not to run for re-election.
To fill these vacancies, the district needs thoughtful, engaged citizens who care deeply about Albany schools and the children who attend them. If you are interested in serving, you must file for candidacy this summer between July 14 and August 8.
Below are some frequently asked questions about serving on the Board. If you would like to know more, any of the current Board members would be happy to share their experience with you. Contact details are at the end of this message and on the AUSD website at www.ausdk12.org.
In addition, the California School Boards Association publishes a pamphlet called School Board Leadership (click link below). Additional resources are also available (click links below).
What are the benefits of serving on the Board? Board members, through the collaborative process of participating in Board meetings and working on committees, have the satisfaction of knowing that their efforts help to keep education in Albany at the highest level possible.
Board members propose and approve new programs, make sure problems are taken care of, and decide how to spend the District's funds. When funds are short, Board members decide which programs are spared and which are pared back. When funds are abundant, Board members decide how best to use them to benefit the students and people of Albany.
In the process, they get to visit classrooms, talk to administrators and teachers, and keep at the forefront of educational planning. If you like children and think education is important, there is no more satisfying job than serving on the School Board.
In fact, teachers and administrators who work in a District other than the one in which they live sometimes serve on the school board in their home District because they get so much personal satisfaction from doing so. There is also a modest stipend of $200/month and eligibility for health benefits.
What does the Board of Education do? The school board is like a cross between a corporate board of directors and the board of trustees of a nonprofit agency, with the difference that a school board is elected by and answerable to the public.
The Board sets policy, oversees the budget and finances, and sets priorities for the District. Occasionally the Board acts as a judicial body when a student or District employee must be disciplined.
The board has one employee: the Superintendent. Because the Superintendent is the chief administrator (think CEO) of the District, the Board can influence everything that goes on in the District through the Superintendent.
However, the Board does not get involved in the day-to-day operations of the District. The Board is a collaborative body; that is, individual Board members have no power to direct or control anything that goes on the District. Rather, Board members work together to decide on policy matters and approve or reject contracts, budgets, and so forth. That said, a Board member can effect policy changes by convincing a majority of the Board to go along.
What is the relationship between the Board and the Superintendent? The Superintendent is a public education and management expert tasked with running the District's day-to-day operations and carrying out the Board’s decisions. Together, Board members and the Superintendent work as a governance team.
Typically, the Superintendent makes recommendations to the Board. The Board then listens to stakeholders, deliberates in open session, and votes on a decision. The Board decides by majority vote what goals the district will aim for, while the Superintendent decides how to achieve them.
Is it a lot of work? Board members attend regular Board meetings two evenings a month (currently the second and fourth Tuesdays). Board meetings usually run from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., and unlike those in some larger neighboring districts, Albany’s board meetings rarely run late. To prepare, Board members familiarize themselves with a packet of materials which is normally available five days in advance; it might take anywhere from four to ten hours to prepare for a Board meeting.
Most Board members do more: for example, they visit the schools, meet with stakeholders, attend PTA and site council meetings, develop and advocate policy positions, and respond to public inquiries. The 2014-15 Board of Education meeting schedule is available on the AUSD website at www.ausdk12.org.
Do I need to know a lot about education? Not at all. All you need is a willingness to learn. Many training opportunities are available, and the Board is very supportive of new members. On the other hand, whatever experience and expertise you do have—whether it's in education, finance, law, technology, human resources, communications, or pretty much anything else—your knowledge will be valued by the other Board members and will benefit the District.
The following resources for new and prospective Board of Education Members are available on the AUSD website at www.ausdk12.org: 1) CSBA Article/Brochure, “School Board Leadership”; 2) AUSD Board of Education Governance Handbook; 3) CSBA Article, “The Role of The Board”; 4) CSBA “Question & Answers for Board Members”; and 5) NSBA Article, “Doing the Right Thing” (click links below).
How do I become a member of the Board? Just go down to City Hall and ask the City Clerk for information and forms, visit the AUSD website at www.ausdk12.org, or click on the links below.
You need to gather 20-30 signatures (to prove that you have some backing from the community) and file a Declaration of Candidacy with the City Clerk between July 14 and August 8, 2014.
Albany's a small town and—other than appearing at a public meeting or two and possibly handing out lawn signs and pamphlets—candidates for school board in Albany have never run a political campaign. Most candidates find they can fully defray the modest expense of running for office with donations from supporters. Contact any of the current Board members for advice.
Click on the links below to access the City of Albany’s website for election information as follows:
- http://www.albanyca.org/index.aspx?page=82 (General Info)
- http://www.albanyca.org/index.aspx?page=560 (2014 available seats)
The nomination period begins on July 14, and runs through August 8 (extended to August 13 if an incumbent does not file by August 8).
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact details of current board members:
- Jonathan Knight (Nov. 2014) 525-7206 Email: jknight@ausdk12.org
- Allan Maris (Nov. 2014) 526-7032 Email: amaris@ausdk12.org
- Paul Black (Nov. 2014) 589-9576 Email: prblack@ausdk12.org
- Patricia Low (Nov. 2016) 526-5126 Email: plow@ausdk12.org
- Ronald Rosenbaum (Nov. 2016) 525-1109 Email: rrosenbaum@ausdk12.org
- CSBA Pamphlet, “School Board Leadership” http://bit.ly/1hMieRL
- AUSD Board of Education Governance Handbook: http://bit.ly/1hMibpa
- CSBA Article, “The Role of The Board”: http://bit.ly/1kMOX92
- CSBA “Question & Answers for Board Members”: http://bit.ly/1l54H2q
- NSBA Article, “Doing the Right Thing”: http://bit.ly/1qoUtyX
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