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I am the only Board Member with a Masters in Governance from the California School Boards Association. I have served as Board President and Board Representative to the Poway Chamber of Commerce; California Association of Large Suburban Schools; City of Poway Subcommittee; County Board of Education; and City of San Diego Subcommittee. I have a proven record of accomplishments, including successfully advocating for lowered class sizes and increasing funding for – robotics, PE, visual and performing arts, counselors, libraries, career pathway programs and other student programs.
My driving force has always been about fighting for the next generation, whose rug has been pulled out from underneath them. It is also my fundamental belief that public education is the foundation of Democracy in ensuring civically engaged and educated citizenry. Public education also affords the best opportunity for leveling the playing field and providing upward mobility.
I served on the PUSD Board back when the District's deservedly outstanding reputation was being built. The recent negative publicity is saddening and I want to put my 13 years of previous, well respected Board Member experience and conservative values to work to help get the District on the right track again.
I believe there is too much emphasis on test scores alone and too much teaching to the test. I firmly support a brisk vocational education program because of the good jobs available for the non-college bound students.
My engineering expertise was important in forming consensus on many budgetary issues during my previous tenure on this Board and will be in the future if elected.
During my previous PUSD Board tenure, I did not seek the endorsement of any special interest group, any union, or any other bargaining group and I do not do so now. I am not beholden to any special interest group nor have I made any comittments in order to obtain endorsement.
I do not believe that the voters want the unions on both sides of the table during salary negotiations. That is especially true since the district now faces an $18,000,000 deficit.
I believe that the voters are wise enough, intelligent enough and perceptive enough to make choices which will prove to be the right choices in this election and be in the best interests of the students of the PUSD. I don't believe they need to be told by the special interest groups for whom they must vote.
Your School Board needs new blood. It also needs an experienced, steady hand on the wheel. I offer that experienced, fiscally responsible steady hand.
I respectfully ask for you vote.
I am a believer in effort. As a first generation American, I quickly learned that success comes primarily from effort, coupled with ability and planning. Consistently, it has been a combination of these three qualities that helped me achieve my goals, even during very challenging times.
I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1974; the only daughter of Urmila and Ramesh Patel. At an early age, my elder siblings, Bimal and Anand, taught me how to be tough and face challenges head on. My mother would remind me regularly, that because I was an American, I could be anything I wanted to be, as long as I put in the effort. Although she passed away when I was 14 years old, her words continue to inspire me to this day.
I received a scholarship and grant to attend Occidental College (Los Angeles, CA), where I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry with a minor in Religious Studies in 1996. During my undergraduate education, I studied abroad for a year at the University of Sussex in England. Following graduation, I interned at Monsanto (St. Louis, MO) and then earned an intramural training award at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. I was awarded my Ph.D. in Biophysics by the University of California, Irvine in 2002. I joined the Department of Protein Engineering at Genentech, Inc., (South San Francisco, CA) as a postdoc and then received a Project Management Certificate from UC, Berkeley. I continued at Genentech, Inc., as a Project Manager in the Department of Translational Oncology managing therapeutics moving from research into development. By the time I left the biotech industry, I had eight years of professional experience.
I love learning and challenging myself in diverse settings. My experiences have given me a unique breadth and depth of knowledge that I use to turn my effort into excellence. My interests in civic responsibility started in Girl Scouts, continued through Key Club, and matured into leadership roles in organizations in college, graduate school and my professional life. Since moving to Rancho Peñasquitos with my family in 2010, I have served on:
• The Rancho Peñasquitos Town Council – President, and Chairs of Education, Web&Print, Fiesta and Safety Committees
• The Rancho Peñasquitos Planning Board – member of the Land Use Committee
• SDPD Police Captain’s Advisory Board – Northeastern Division
• Park Village Elementary School Foundation – Executive VP, Science and Technology Director
• Park Village Elementary School PTA – VP Legislation, Reflections Chair
• Poway Unified School District Advisory Committee, School Site Council
While serving as VP of Legislation on our PTA and on the District Advisory Committee, I realized that I could better serve my community by ensuring that PUSD fulfills its mission for Excellence in Education. I decided to run for Poway Unified School District Board of Education.
I am married to a very supportive husband and we have three daughters in 6th, 4th and 1st grade. I am invested in PUSD for years to come. Let’s work together to ensure that our children are given the resources they need to pursue their dreams.
Our district has genuine challenges with its current financial status. Because of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), our district does not receive the same supplemental categorical funds that neighboring districts receive due to our demographic profile. While I was PTA VP of Legislation/Advocacy (2-year term), I wrote a weekly column in the school paper educating the community on local, state and federal education legislation and policy, engagement opportunities and public notices directly impacting children and families. Several of my columns explained how LCFF works and how to participate in Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) community forums. I participated in the forums each year and have seen first hand the strengths and challenges. There are ways we can improve our community understanding of our LCFF.
During the LCAP community input period, our district offers a few forum time slots, including one in Spanish, and has an online survey. In the months before the forums, the district should put out a series of educational or instructional videos on what LCFF is and why we need an LCAP. Partnering with a non-profit organization like Ed100.org that already does this would better prepare and guide the participants. This type of outreach will help ensure a high quality of input from the public and provides multiple sources for understanding our LCFF, especially in context of state requirements. Also, our district has to do a much better job with inclusive outreach with our community through communication in multiple languages and multiple formats.
Additionally, I would advocate for a mid-year review where the district can solicit feedback on progress towards meeting LCAP goals from all key stakeholders including community, staff and students. With a mid-year report, the district can make adjustments to our plan and improve overall outcomes on meeting the LCFF goals, which are measured with a standard rubric including a combination of test scores with student, teacher and parent feedback.
Essentially, the most significant challenge falls under the broad category of resource management. Our district is facing challenges with finances, personnel and oversight. With finances, we need to redress the fallout from the capital appreciation bond, seek new funding opportunities due to budget shortfalls and rebuild fiduciary trust with our community. With personnel, we need to hire top-level administration and implement effective succession planning for staff nearing retirement age. Finally, there are serious flaws with internal controls and the processes currently in place are not sufficiently robust to capture mismanagement and need updating.
We need a board that will work collaboratively to address the resource management challenges in order to advance our mission of academic excellence. The current, visible, lack of trust and cooperation among board members hampers decisive board action and presents a controversial picture to the district and community. Additionally, there is an unintended consequence of demoralization of teachers, staff and administration. If elected, I would strongly advocate for a solution-focused board that takes into account all perspectives and strives for collaborative problem solving. As an experienced civic board President, competing interests have tested my consensus building, communication and ethics. While I respect that not all matters will be decided unanimously, the interest of our children’s education, the taxpayers’ dollars and the district’s employees should be foremost. This will be my guiding principle and it is time for positive change.
PUSD has a proven reputation as an exemplary school district, serving its community by delivering a high quality of education despite financial pressures. Our community has legitimate concerns that this outstanding quality of education is approaching a point of inflection.
I’ll work effectively every day for PUSD:
I am inherently a problem solver and consensus builder. I can use my strengths to guide our district in the right direction:
* I am qualified: I have a PhD in Biophysics from University of California at Irvine, have a Bachelor of Arts from Occidental College, and have worked at the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD) and Genentech, Inc. (South San Francisco, CA). I am a strong advocate of public education and have a genuine interest in the education experience. I am capable of digging into the weeds, but not getting stuck in them. My science background brings valuable STEM expertise to the Board. My Certification in Project Management, combined with extensive experience working on civic boards, makes me an objective problem-solver who can manage budgets and resources.
* I am dedicated: I have served on the Rancho Peñasquitos Town Council (serving as President, and Chairs of Education, Web&Print, Fiesta and Safety Committees), the Rancho Peñasquitos Planning Board (appointed member of the Land Use Committee),
the SDPD Police Captain’s Advisory Board (Northeastern Division), Park Village Elementary School Foundation (Executive Vice President, VP of Science and Technology), Park Village Elementary School PTA (Reflections Chair and VP Legislation), Poway Unified School District Advisory Committee and School Site Council.
* I am trustworthy: In every role I have stepped into, I have fulfilled my responsibilities, held organizations to higher standards and have had the strength to voice my concerns. I am committed to ethically fulfilling my board responsibilities. I will continue to work collaboratively and effectively with teachers, administration and the community. Our children’s education is my top priority.
I am the strong leader PUSD needs to build consensus and restore education excellence as the top priority. I respectfully ask for your vote - electe Patel4PUSD!
Poway Unified School District Board of Education Candidate Dr. Darshana Patel interview excerpt by Craig Sewing on The American Dream. Full show aired on October 6, 2016.
June 3rd Hilltop Community Park. Patel4PUSD Launches Campaign for Poway Unified School District Board of Education.
Poway Democratic Club's PUSD Candidates Forum, scheduled on 8/18, 6:30 pm, at Templar's Hall, in Old Poway Park.
Questions were gathered from PDC members and randomized. Candidates were not given access to the questions prior to the forum.
The Superintendent and School Board will need to inform stakeholders of the financial challenges and need for prudent budgeting while retaining our excellent school district. Frugal spending and smart revenue building is paramount. Every aspect of the budget will need to be evaluated given our $18M deficit, CAB debt, and LCAP funding changes. I believe we can continue to broaden educational resources by incorporating Parents as Partners & local businesses while staying innovative and excellent.
The largest obstacles facing our district are the looming CAB payments and mismanagement at the highest levels. We need to hire a superintendent and elect school board leaders who can repair the recent damage done and rebuild our school district team into a cohesive unit working for all stakeholders interests. We have highly educated and compassionate teachers with students who want to learn from them. We have parents and a community that support them. What we need is a Superintendent and Board of Education that is working together for the students, not their personal interests.
This paper describes my answers to the PFT which was followed up with an interview. Submitted 8.26.2016. Modified formatting to meet parameters of this platform.
Why are you interested in serving as a trustee for the PUSD School Board?
I want to work for students, parents, teachers, and our community safeguarding one of our most valuable assets. As a 16 year resident of RB who has been active in the community and school district, I am a strong leader and advocate. I am a parent of two children who graduated from this school district. (2010 and 2015)
The Poway Unified School District is recognized as “high achieving”. Give us three examples of what is positive in PUSD and three areas that we should strive to improve upon. How do you suggest that we make those improvements?
1-The dedication of all district teachers and staff to provide an excellent educational opportunity for students.
2-The diversity of cultures that attend our schools enhances students with a unique experience necessary for success in life. It also indicates the acceptance of an inclusive society.
3-The parents desire to provide their children with an excellent well-rounded education.
1- Hire a Superintendent that is qualified and has the temperament to implement effective leadership.
2- A budget that reflects frugal spending and smart revenue building.
3-Broaden Career Technical Education & Career Readiness.
I suggest we make these improvements by first telling the companies sending of candidates for the Superintendent position to improve their submissions. Having the latest Superintendent leave in less than a week is ridiculous and disrespectful. The Superintendent hired should see the financial challenges before our district and develop a budget to balance the needs of all affected individuals. Third, utilize our fabulous parents and community to network services throughout the district. Specifically partner with businesses to come into the schools and share their services/trade, not only to students but to parents. In essence, expand our Parents as Partners programs.
Some PUSD schools have the resources to offer more electives, programs, field trips, etc. than other schools. How would you help ensure that all students in the district receive an equal educational experience?
I would devise an advisory committee to review all of our schools. Then, access if any of the current programs and techniques would benefit other schools in our district. This is common sense and may already be in effect. However this committee could be a partner to potentially new programs and engage our community to participate and offer innovative solutions.
Comment on your vision for complaint and conflict resolution.
Every citizen in the district is an investor of education and therefore should be heard, however, they should be respectful to others. Resolutions can more easily be accomplished with civility. We may not always agree but we need to keep the focus on the needs of the students and the goals set by the district in order to maintain a fiscally healthy and robust educational system.
Do you support Prop 55 (Tax Extension to Fund Education and Healthcare/extends Prop 30)? Why or why not?
I support Prop 55. I believe the State should show more responsibility to support education. I do not think it has supported education as much as it proposes to.
Why do you feel the PFT should support your candidacy and what role should employee unions have in the District?
Employee unions should be part of the conversation with the Human Resources department about its hiring process and benefits package for union members.
I want the PFT support for my campaign because teachers have the influence to develop our children into successful adults. A teacher will be more effective when they are supported by the leadership of their district by this I mean Superintendent and School Board. A team is only successful when the team works together. I will be a team player.
List the groups and individuals that have endorsed your campaign. What other endorsements do you plan to seek and accept?
I plan to continue accepting endorsements from individuals and organizations that believe in my work ethic and believe that I will be the voice for our school districts future.
Here is my initial list of supporters:
Carina Martin, Pre-K Teacher
Mary Wagner, Realtor
Isabel Hess, Librarian
Bob Mott, Retired
Edith Mott, Retired
Steve Tutunjian, Retired
Valerie Brown
Roger Wolfe, RBNHW
Dayse Ekholm
Patrick Ekholm
John Norwood
Lauren Norwood
Sean Norwood
Paul Gilbert, Professor
Erin Gilbert
Eelia Henderscheid
Dale Hendersheid
Patricia Wussler, Scientist
Jill Weller
Mary Ann Pavilionis
Dianne White
Pat Jones
Ginger Rhodes
This paper describes my answers to the Westview High School Editor-in-Chief of The Nexxus, student newspaper. Submitted 10.16.2016. Modified formatting to meet parameters of this platform.
WESTVIEW HIGH SCHOOL QUESTIONNAIRE
How should PUSD direct funding?
The Superintendent and School Board will need to inform stakeholders of the financial challenges and need for prudent budgeting while retaining our excellent school district. Frugal spending and smart revenue building is paramount. Every aspect of the budget will need to be evaluated. We can continue to broaden educational resources by incorporating Parents as Partners & local businesses staying innovative and excellent.
What can the board do to improve learning in PUSD?
With effective leadership we can strengthen educational options for our students helping to close the achievement gap. We should evaluate programs and techniques that would benefit other schools since there are PUSD schools offering electives, programs, and field trips that other PUSD schools cannot access. Why not offer inner district webinars at minimum. Additionally, partner with businesses to share their services/trade, not only to students but to parents. In essence, broaden our Career Technical Program & Career Readiness with Parents as Partners as we show students fiscal responsibility. I want to expand alternative path career opportunities for students that think in alternative ways verses mainstream learners. Success will happen with energetic solution-focused leadership.
What are you looking for in PUSD’s next superintendent?
I will select a superintendent who will rebuild our school district team into a cohesive unit working for all stakeholders’ interests. A Superintendent who will work proactively with the Board of Education to tackle issues such as the looming CAB debt, budget shortfalls, and national and state education mandate implementations. A business administrator with 5 years of experience as a Superintendent or Deputy Superintendent and a clear credential. A person with superb communication skills to interpret policies & regulations, who has keen supervisory skills, and can manage staffing adjustments. Someone who can manage education, law, finance, marketing, labor relations, & facilities management. Who can analyze data with student focus encouraging innovative instruction & equitable academics. Who can resolve issues with departments effectively & confidently. Compensation for this individual should be equivalent to another district with our same size and socio-economic.
How will we heal the divisiveness within the board and re-establish superintendent-board relationships?
Healing the divisiveness within the board will happen when board members are elected that will work together for the overall PUSD educational system instead of special interests. This new board will need to hire a Superintendent that has all stakeholders’ interest in mind. I will solve the problem by working to restore transparency, collaboration, and integrity to the school board. Providing oversight to district management will be my key role. My specialty is organizational leadership. I have reorganized businesses effectively while maintaining company values. I have a respectful candid relationship with my peers and co-workers. Informing our community about our financial challenges and the need for prudent budgeting, while retaining an excellent school district, is paramount to this job. I will strengthen educational options for our students, ensure teachers and staff have resources and collaborative support, and safeguard our community’s investment for the future.
How does your background prepare you for a position as a board trustee?
For over 20 years, I have been an advocate for families in the community. I am able to think outside the box, unafraid to try new concepts, while focusing on the overall goal. With two children that graduated from this district, with very different educational needs, I saw firsthand the challenges in our district. I assisted other families before helping develop the Parent Center at RBHS. As one of the ombudsmen of this center, I helped families with specific concerns. My ability to bring people together resulted in families and the student body bringing Grad Nite back on campus. I have served as a School Site Council representative and District Advisory Committee representative. I am also a member of the Foundation and the Friends of the Library. Having established the motto of Staying Connected and a mission of helping families, I am dedicated to ensuring our district’s educational system is brought back to a standard of excellence. Hosting focus groups and training peers about their rights and benefits has empowered more families with their children’s needs. I will bring effective leadership and experienced oversight to our board of trustees.
Why should we vote for you?
I will support district leadership and staff while our district works through its challenges. I have developed a Staying Connected motto and Parent Center where many community and district resources are shared. I encouraged student ownership by incorporating their service activities into their education. Teachers and staff benefited from these applications as we fostered a supportive environment for them as well. This can be done district-wide with our Parents as Partners and effective district leadership. We have highly educated and compassionate teachers with students who want to learn from them. We have parents and a community that support them both. We need nothing less than a person who has successfully and respectfully developed and built programs that work in our community. Please vote Terry Norwood 4 PUSD School Board.
This paper describes my answers to the Poway Chamber of Commerce & GVCA which was followed up with a community forum. Submitted 9.30.2016. Modified formatting to meet parameters of this platform.
POWAY CHAMBER QUESTIONNAIRE
1. Your personal/professional background (i.e. schools your children attended, community you live in, profession, etc.)(250 characters or less)
B.S. Organizational Leadership. 20 yr education/military advocate. Training/Management skills. Developed Military Family Ministry, Created RBHS Parent Center, Grad Nite Chair, RBHS PTSA President, 2 kids- Westwood, BHMS, RBHS. Encouraged law suit against Palomar College. Integrity=outspoken + solution-focused.
2. Why are you seeking this office? (500 characters or less)
Ensure every voice is represented-students, parents, teachers, staff, and the community-not personal interests. Ensure children receive a whole education. Manage budget deficit w/prudent revenue building. Chose management w/qualifications. Provide transparency & integrity. Strengthen parents’ engagement in children’s education, like I did at RBHS as PTSA President, as well as, encourage students taking ownership in their education, fostering supportive environment for teachers & staff.
3. How have you been involved in the PUSD community? (250 characters or less)
From Box Tops for Education to PTSA President, I have stayed engaged in our schools throughout my children’s education. At the BHMS Student Store I weekly sold items for the Associated Student Body. While advocating for my two children’s education initially, one in special education and one in accelerated classes, I assisted other families before developing the Parent Center at Rancho Bernardo High School. It provides resources for all families with two ombudsmen who assist families with specific concerns. My ability to bring people together resulted in families and the student body bringing Grad Nite back on campus. I have served RBHS as a School Site Council representative and District Advisory Committee representative. I was also a member of the Foundation and the Friends of the Library. Having established the motto of Staying Connected and a mission of helping families, I am dedicated to ensuring our district’s educational system is brought back to a standard of excellence.
4. What qualities and qualifications are most important in the next PUSD Superintendent? And what would be an appropriate compensation package? (500 characters or less)
Clear credential & 2-5 yrs admin experience. Compensation of equivalent district. Avid to rebuild #TeamPUSD. Understand/Empathize w/stakeholders. Superb communication skills to interpret policies & regulations. Keen supervisory skills managing staffing adjustments. Manage education, law, finance, marketing, labor relations, & facilities management. Analyze data w/student focus encouraging innovative instruction & equitable academics. Resolve issues w/departments effectively & confidentially.
5. Schools in this district are still in need of capital improvements. How do you propose the district finance it? (250 characters or less)
Inform stakeholders of financial challenges & need for prudent budgeting; retaining excellent school district. Frugal spending & smart revenue building is paramount. Broaden educational resources incorporating Parents as Partners & local businesses.
6. What do you think the relationship between the School Board and the Superintendent should be? (500 characters or less)
School Board is oversight committee ensuring Superintendent manages policies set forth by stakeholders. Maintain respectful communication & candid relationship w/district. Ensure students/parents/teachers/staff have resources & collaborative support; including employee bargaining productivity discussing hiring practices & benefits. Safeguard community’s investment.
7. List your top priorities as a PUSD School Board Member: (250 characters or less)
Hire Superintendent w/integrity. Secure resources/collaborative support for teachers/staff. Close achievement gap: hosting inner district field trips/webinars, providing seminars for parents/students about these unprecedented solutions.
I have had over 35 years in the educational community. I hold a Master's degree in Special Education and three teaching credentials. I have taught as a Special Education Teacher, Regular Education Teacher, a trainer of teachers and as a principal of a elementary school.
Presently, Poway Unified does not qualify for this funding. Our role as a school board is to ensure the funding that the district does receive, is spent according to state guidelines. We have to make sure that the public has access and input into how the money is being spent in the district.
The district has lost the trust of the public with the school board and the leadership of the district. We have to return the focus back on students and learning. We have to find a new superintendent and leadership team that will bring respect and trust back to the district. We have to establish in-depth conversations among the board and created guidelines for future proceedings.
As a candidate for a school board, I have no political philosophy. My main priority is to ensure that all students in the district receive the support they need to achieve to the best of their abilities.
Overview
Versatile and capable with a reputation for diplomacy, vision, dedication, and excellence. Strong communication and management skills. More than 25 years of experience comprised of paid and volunteer roles in fundraising, community affairs, marketing communications, market research, and political campaigns.
Select Accomplishments
Co-founded two parent-driven organizations to support Poway Unified Schools: Willow Grove Educational Foundation and The D39C Collaborative. Co-authored corporate by-laws and completed rigorous 501(c)3 applications. Led strategic planning to develop sound organizational Mission and Vision statements, fundraising plans, and budgets. Led volunteer boards of directors to adopt sound management policies and procedures. Funds bridged gaps in insufficient state support to provide schools with additional teachers, materials, supplies, and equipment and helped build the culture of the learning communities.
Directed marketing and public affairs activities for the premier regional economic development organization in San Diego. Staged publicity events promoting the region’s key business attributes, wrote speeches and op-eds, prepared business leaders for editorial boards, met with key reporters and editors, served as media contact and spokesperson for business climate stories. Provided staff support to committees comprised of key business leaders to address issues critical to the region’s continued competitiveness. Led annual internal strategic planning process.
Conducted research studies to inform clients’ interests in the areas of product performance and development, advertising effectiveness, message development, and public, community, and media relations. Managed contractors, designed questionnaires, analyzed quantitative data, moderated focus groups, and interpreted qualitative data.
Developed and oversaw implementation of four-day program sponsored by the Presidential Inaugural Committee and hosted by President-elect George H.W. Bush. Managed seven person event execution team and volunteers. Developed theme and managed $300,000 program budget. Prepared briefing material for President-elect Bush and Inaugural Committee senior staff.
I believe in elevating public education, and I believe in Poway Unified schools. Every student deserves the opportunity to achieve their personal best. That requires a school board focused—first and foremost—on student learning and the district’s diverse needs. I’m passionate about upholding public trust and the district’s reputation, never losing sight of the children and families counting on us. If elected, I will conduct the district’s business with integrity, with transparency, and with every student in mind.
Craig Sewing delves into issues facing the Poway Unified School District including budget contstraints and leadership challenges.
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