Candidate for
Board Member; Monterey Peninsula Unified School District; Trustee Area 3

Hi, I'm Richard Grahlman. I'm a resident of Monterey, the Father of two teenagers who have attended MPUSD schools and I'm someone who believes strongly in our community's ability to get our school district on track and moving towards an educational system we can all be proud of.

I'm running for the School Board because I believe the people of this District deserve better than they've gotten from the current Board. At a time when the board should have been putting their differences aside and working hard to make up for the lack of state support, they obsessed on other things besides our children's education.

My work with the Education Foundation for MPUSD has shown me that the community is ready, willing and able to support public education but they have no confidence in the present School Board.

We have the ability to create the educational opportunity that we want for our students by rallying our local resources. The state isn't going to save us, we have to save ourselves. Fundamentally, we have to create a District that parents want to have their children in. That will bring back the students that have fled to private schools (that their parents can't afford) or home schooling and will bring in students from surrounding areas. More students - means more money. More money - means better programs, smaller class sizes and pay raises among other things. The "personality" of the Board has to change and the people on it have demonstrated they are incapable of change.

The role of a Board of Directors is to define the future and implement a strategy to make it happen. That takes creative thought, courage, hard work and compromise. I bring all of those abilities to this task.

I feel really strongly about serving in public education - and that probably comes from my background. My father was a career teacher. My first calling was for this Country - and I served in the Navy for 22 years winding up as a squadron commander supervising over 200 men and women. In the Navy, I learned leadership, discipline and structure - valuable lessons which I applied in school districts around the country as my family and I moved to various communities. Some school districts were good, some not so good. It's given me a great perspective and experience base for this job. Locally I've participated and have had leadership roles at every level; PTA's, site council's, Board advisory positions, District strategic planning and non-profits trying to help the District. Currently I am a professor at the Naval War College. I'd challenge anybody on the Board to show a greater depth and breadth of voluntary involvement in MPUSD. I care - and I act.

Here are some specific issues that I feel need immediate attention:

1) The Lack of Leadership. Our School Board should be defining and creating the future of MPUSD.

2) Teacher:Student ratios. We need to reach out to the community and find the people with the skills and the time to help our teachers in our overcrowded classrooms. We need volunteers, with degrees or experience in math, sciences, businesses, etc., who can come to the aid of our teachers and students with the expertise of their field . We can do that now. Class size reduction will come later.

3) We need to help teachers teach more (and parent less). I've been told, and my parental experience supports, that too much energy is spent in our classrooms dealing with "disruptions" to learning. The Board needs to send a clear message that education is a privilege and anything that interferes will not be tolerated.

4) Recruiting and Retention. We've already lost a large number of district employees through retirement and relocation. In order to stop this loss of talent - we have to become competitive in terms of salary, benefits and professional development opportunities. That's going to take some time but in the short term we can start by addressing the high cost of housing. How many of you would like to live in an affordable ocean view home and keep the market appreciation that it generates? Two years ago the District was working on making that a possibility for a good number of our employees and their families. This Board had other priorities.

5) Teacher's Settlement. Resolving this issue needs to be a priority. It is divisive and is an impediment to moving forward. I'd like to participate in getting the school board together to create a workable plan - and then - let's make it happen!

6) Superintendent Selection. Without a unified Board that clearly knows the direction they want to move in, finding a qualified and acceptable candidate for Superintendent is not only tough...it may be impossible. The current Board's hiring practices are working against us. If the board can make itself open to new possibilities - and search everywhere - we can find a leader that will implement the future we define.

It's time for a revolution in public education and it starts now. If the current Board is re-elected we'll get 4 more years of inaction and mediocrity. We deserve better. Our children deserve better. This board's had their shot and they failed. It's time to stop wringing our hands over the past. Prop. 13 is a reality. Fort Ord closed 14 years ago. Its time to move on! It's time to try someone new. As a Trustee I will work with the community, local businesses, teachers, classified employees and administrators to define, and then create, a District that we can all be proud of. That's why I want your vote!

Please, on Tuesday November 8th - vote for me - Richard Grahlman - for MPUSD Area Three Trustee.

Thank you.