I am a parent to four children currently attending Bacich and Kent,

and am a fourth generation Marin native.

Over the last five years as an elected Trustee, I helped lead two

successful bond and parcel tax measures to make our schools safer and

prepared for 21st century learning.  During my term, Bacich and Kent

have consistently scored among the top schools in the state as

California Distinguished Schools, and Kent earned a California Gold

Ribbon for Science in 2015.

I believe outstanding public schools are fundamental to a thriving

community.  In 2013, I ran for the KSD Board to help foster a more

inclusive community and open, transparent communication.  During my

tenure, I have served on the District Communication and English

Learner Advisory Committees, and feel proud of our work to improve

community engagement.

Civic leadership and community involvement have always been important

to me.  For 20+ years I’ve served on national and local boards. Apart

from the KSD Board, I served as Chair of the KSD Safe Routes to School

Program for 7 years, and currently serve as Vice-President of the

Kentfield-Greenbrae Historical Society.  In May, 2017, I felt honored

to be recognized as one of the "Young Women Leaders of Marin" by the

Marin Women's Political Action Committee (MWPAC).

I have held executive positions in both the corporate and public

sector in business development and strategy. I received degrees from

Marin Catholic High School, UC Berkeley, and Oxford University.  If

re-elected, I will continue to ensure responsible fiscal stewardship

of our resources; serve as an independent voice within the KSD Board; and always be accessible within our community.

I feel honored to have served on the Kentfield School Board as a Trustee for the past five years, and hope to continue the important work for our students and community.

Learn more on my website: www.heatherforkentfieldschools.com

Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathermcphail/

Proven Commitment and Powerful Results for Our Schools

For six years, I have been an active and highly committed participant in our Kentfield School District community. I have taken on a number of leadership roles bringing parents and community members together to address important issues and create new programs to benefit our children’s curriculum, safety and the health and financial future of our schools. The following are the results of my commitment:

§      Led the Successful Campaign for the Recent Parcel Tax Renewal Initiative, which ensured renewal of 25% of the Kentfield School District budget.   As Co-Chairs of the Measure A campaign, my husband John and I organized and led hundreds of committed volunteers to achieve passage of this school parcel funding initiative, which passed with a 68.5% Yes vote in March 2018.  This secure funding ensures the continuing quality of our schools, including small class sizes, librarians and specialists for the next decade. Now, I hope to serve on the School Board to support our schools in using that funding well.

§  Raised $1.2 Million for 2015-2016 Kentfield Schools Foundation (kik) Annual Giving Campaign – As Co-Chairs of the Annual Giving Campaign, my husband John and I led a team of over 40 volunteers to exceed the kik  fundraising goal and raise $1.2 million for the Kentfield School District.  A key to our success was reviewing and upwardly revising the “Cost to Educate” metric – and thus the target average donation – to reflect the true full costs of educating each child in our district.  In the course of that endeavor, I became intimately familiar with KSD finance and the sources of revenue and expenditures. 

§  Improved Student Safety - To increase student safety, I worked with District and County employees to enhance safety features and secure a crossing guard for the 2018-2019 school year at the intersection of Manor Road and Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. 

§  Created the Bacich Family Maker Night –   I co-developed and co-Chaired a new-to-Bacich STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) event for the entire family that hosts nearly 700 community members. Entering its fourth year, this program has served as a model for several neighboring school districts that have since started their own Maker Nights.

In addition, I have served in long-term leadership roles in numerous local organizations that that support our schools and enrich children’s lives, including:

§  Kentfield Schools Foundation (kik) Board Member – I served three years on the kik Board including two years on the Executive Board.

§  Parent Education Chair, KSPTA (Kentfield Schools Parent Teacher Association) – For two years, I served as Chair of this committee, developing a highly-attended parent education program that brought in quality speakers on a slim budget.

§  Math Fair and Math Club Parent Coordinator – I coordinated parent volunteers for the annual Bacich Math Fair and was the Parent Lead Volunteer hosting a weekly Math club for 3^rd and 4^th graders.

§  Classroom Volunteer – My in-class involvement includes 6 years of being an Art for Bears Coordinator, Math centers volunteer, Class Garden Coordinator, and I chaired the 2016 Second Grade Heritage Day.

§  President, Ross Valley Nursery School Board of Trustees – Serving on this Board for two years, including as President, provided me with experience of how to work effectively as a Trustee on a school board.

§  President and Board Member, Family and Children’s Law Center – For over a decade I served on this Board, which included setting policies, reviewing, analyzing and approving budgets, and hiring Executive Directors.

From Grass Roots to Rooted in Marin

My commitment to public service was first inspired by seeing the commitment to community service by my grandparents, Bob and Frances Killingsworth. They embodied the notion of leaving the world a better place than you found it – a legacy I embrace and aspire to. In honoring that spirit, I have been volunteering since before I could vote.  In college, I tutored students in West Philadelphia public schools. In law school, I represented survivors of domestic violence and spent a semester as an intern at Legal Aid.   I found that this work enriched my life greatly as I learned more about the communities and people I served and contributed experience that made a difference to others’ lives.

I see my work as the managing partner of my law firm as simply an extension of that service.  In addition to the many clients I serve, I have been a pro bono attorney for domestic violence restraining orders, served on committees of the Marin County Bar Association, and as a settlement conference panelist with the Marin County Superior Court.  I am grateful that my legal skills and experience can help address some of the toughest issues that people face.

With all the experience I have to offer and the tireless willingness to do the hard work, I hope to earn your vote for a seat on our Kentfield School District Board.

Davina brings over 20 years of experience in education as a K-12 educator, school administrator, and currently supervises 5 High Schools serving nearly 6,000 students in the San Francisco Unified School District. She has worked in 4 school districts and has been on the cutting edge of educational research and best practices. She has been a School Administrator, Leadership Coach, Senior Director of Professional Development for School Principals and Assistant Principals, and a District Central Office Administrator.

Davina's work experience is entirely applicable to the value she can bring to our school board.  Her responsibilities include:

• Supervises, coaches & evaluates Principals
• Approves school goals and ensures those goals are met
• Develops and approves school budgets to make sure funds are used wisely
• Organizes school safety plans to ensure staff and facilities are prepared to respond to emergencies 
• Leads school reform initiatives, publishes findings in renowned educational publications, and is extremely well versed on the best practices in the key educational initiatives our district encounters
• Meets regularly with union leadership to ensure teachers are bought on board to school decisions
• Designs and facilitates professional development for 60 School Administrators 
• Leads district Literacy Design Team
• Internal Oversight Committee English Language Learners

Davina stands out due to her unique skill set, her wealth of knowledge, and her ability to tap into experts in the topics that come up at a School Board level.  Davina deeply understands the inner workings of both a school and a district through designing rigorous instruction, engaging curriculum, common core, project based learning, social and emotional learning, and differentiation.

Having been deeply involved with the district for nearly 10 years with children currently in both the elementary and middle school I believe I have good perspective on the strengths and weaknesses of the Kentfield School District.  In addition, in my role as co-President of the fundraising foundation Kentfield Schools Foundation (kik) I have attended every school board and finance committee meeting in the past 3 years.  This gives me additional insight into the workings and challenges of the board.

I am running for the KSD board to continue my service to the Kentfield Schools.  As a committed and proven supporter of our local public schools I welcome the chance to strengthen our district through my efforts.  I hope to help KSD focus on the success of all students.  I aim to accomplish this by working with my fellow board members to ensure opportunities for a diverse range of views to be heard and discussed and then communicate a common vision to our community.  I will work to make sure that this communication reaches the broader community.

My passion has always been to improve our education system for all children and this passion has guided my educational and professional pursuits for the last 30 years.  At Stanford, I received a Bachelor’s degree in Education Economics and Policy, followed by a Master’s in Education and a teaching credential.  I had the great opportunity to help create and teach a truly integrated science curriculum to high school students. 

I later turned my attention to technology and worked at Yahoo on education products and services for middle and high school students and teachers.  This experience gave me a solid grasp on the potential and limitations of technology in education and helped me realize that I wanted to focus my attention on other aspects of education.

During a 5-year stint in Washington D.C. I worked in education reform.  I wrote a book targeted to low-income parents to help them navigate the robust, and somewhat confusing, school choice system there.  I also authored a report on the impact of high quality early childhood education.  Next, I worked with a national organization to implement education policies state by state that are focused on the best interests of students.  This experience helped me develop a clarifying “lens” for analyzing education policy – a lens that focuses exclusively on what is best for the students.

Most recently I discovered Montessori education through my children’s preschool experience.  I found this holistic philosophy reflected my instincts about child development, and also mirrored the current research in education and child psychology and development.  And I knew from my time in D.C. the importance of high quality education for this age group. I became certified in Primary Montessori education which focuses on children aged 3-6 years.  I currently teach at Corte Madera Montessori school. 

I also have dedicated my volunteer time in the past to public schools.  When my son attended a public elementary school in San Francisco, I served on the site council and on the PTA fundraising committee.  I worked to increase parent feedback by moving our annual feedback process online.  I designed and executed the online survey and helped analyze the results.  This effort helped guide the PTA fundraising priorities for the following year.

My varied experiences give me a wide range of perspectives from which to draw when analyzing issues facing our school district.  I know that technology can be a powerful tool but is not always the right education solution.  I know that funding our enrichment classes, aides, etc is critical but I also know that more money isn’t always the answer.  I know that excellent teachers, administrators and other staff are our schools’ #1 asset.  I know that developing a sense of purpose is one of the most important things we can offer our children. 

We moved to Marin and have now spent 2 years in the Kentfield school district.  I know that serving on the school board is where I want to spend my volunteer time.  I would be honored to be a trustee and to ensure that Kentfield Schools are providing all our students with the best possible education experience.