Whoa! 27 Apply To Be Considered For Appointment (Not Election) To LB School Board (Rep'ing Mainly ELB-Lakewood)...And Here They Are

(March 5, 2012) -- 19 additional applicants for the vacated LB School Board seat (to be chosen by LB School Board incumbents, not election) surfaced the day after LBReport.com reported (on March 1) on the approaching March 2 deadline to subit an application for consideration.

As of midday March 1 (when LBReport.com published our story), eight individuals had filed. By 4 p.m. Friday March 2 (deadline), 19 more individuals had submitted applications (18 of them on the March 2 deadline date). LBReport.com reports the names of all those who submtited paperwork, below...and we describe the selection procedure further below.

Among the March 2 applicants whose names we recognize: Gavin McKiernan (President/Founder LB Neighborhood Foundation, National Grassroots/Membership Director Parents Television Council, active in Wrigley community now lives in ELB); Diane Ripley (LB native, veteran public relations representative and community advocate) and Gloria Cordero (spouse of former Harbor Comm'r/now Fed'l Maritime Comm'r Mario Cordero; Ms. Cordero had a 17 yr tenure with SCE and rep'd the utility in Long Beach during Bob Foster's company tenture; he named her Deputy Director of Community Affairs on his 2006 election; she now a principal/co-founder of the ABC Advocacy Group which handles gov't/public affairs).

Among the 27 who filed applications, LBUSD says two appear to reside outside the boundaries of the area with the vacant seat. Of the presumed valid remaining 25, 16 live in Long Beach and 9 live in Lakewood [the portion within LBUSD].

The applicants are:

Name	Self-description	Date received
Lori Andrews (LB 90807)	Special education teacher. [Note: Address doesn't seem to be within the boundaries of vacant seat]	2/15/2012
Lynda Lee Gordon (Lakewood 90713)	Retired -- Professor emeritus LBCC	2/23/2012
Marc Titel (Lakewood 90713)	Program Director, Business Programs, Fremont College. [Mr. Titel is a former Lakewood City Councilmember]	2/27/2012
Roberta "Bobbi" Clarke (LB 90808)	Counselor, Cabrillo High School	2/28/2012
Frederick Lim Uy (LB 90808)	Professor	2/28/2012
Camille Donnell (LB 90815)	Staff Accountant II -- First 5 L.A.	3/1/2012
William Baca (Lakewood 90713)	Senior Sales Representative	3/1/2012
Diana Craighead (LB 90815)	Homemaker & Volunteer	3/1/2012
Stacy Mungo (LB 90808)	Administrative Services Manager, County of L.A.	3/1/2012
Gloria Cordero (LB 90808)	Consultant, Public Affairs	3/2/2012
Sharon Wells McMahon (LB 90808)	Homemaker & Volunteer	3/2/2012
Stephen Donnenfield (Lakewood 90713)	Retired - LBUSD Teacher/Sub Lkw Crossing Guard	3/2/2012
Maria Williams Slaughter (LB 90712)	Administrator	3/2/2012
Nancy Manriquez-Dowell (LB 90808)	Independent Educational Consultant	3/2/2012
Thomas Soto (Lakewood 90712)	Director, Information Technology	3/2/2012
Shelly Millsap (LB 90815)	Sr. Human Resource Consultant	3/2/2012
Diane Ripley (LB 90808)	Public Relations	3/2/2012
Cindy Regnier Melvin (Lakewood 90712)	Mother	3/2/2012
Gavin Lafcadio McKiernan (LB 90808)	Non-Profit Management	3/2/2012
Anthony Klune, Jr. (Lakewood 90713)	Instructor	3/2/2012
Tyrie Tenese Mitchell (LB 90805)	System Engineer [Note: Address doesn't seem to be within the boundaries of vacant seat]	3/2/2012
Michele Wulf (Lakewood 90713)	Retired Firefighter/Paramedic	3/2/2012
Jeremy Knowles Brust (LB 90815)	Attorney	3/2/2012
Cynthia Diaz (LB 90808)	Bookseller / Sub Teacher	3/2/2012
Leolyn Boyer (LB 90808)	Retired Educator	3/2/2012
Glenn Zawicki (LB 90808)	Educator/Business Owner	3/2/2012
Teresa Ayala Castillo (LB 90808)	Manager, City of LB DHHS	3/2/2012

The new Boardmember will become part of a five member Board whose majority in the coming weeks will decide whether to approve or modify budget cuts proposed by LBUSD management (some to teachers/certificated personnel already proposed, others to non-certificated employees may be announced in the coming weeks). Decisions on who and what to cut will ultimately affect parents, students, teachers and taxpayers throughout CA's third largest school district. In addition, School Board members set overall LBUSD policies on matters including school facilities, educational policies and multiple oversight areas.

An application (questions below) to be considered for appointment to LBUSD School Board (for the mainly ELB-Lakewood district in pink below) was first made available on Feb. 14.

LBUSD plans to use the application, plus a screening and interview process, to fill the position. Who's doing the interviewing? The application states in pertinent part:

The interview committee will consist of one representative from each of the following groups: Teachers Association of Long Beach, Classified School Employees Association, Association of Long Beach Educational Managers, Long Beach Council PTA and the Board of Education. The top three candidates identified from the first round of interviews will undergo a second interview during the week of March 19-22 with all members of the Board of Education. The Board of Education will appoint the new District 5 Board Member at a Special Board Meeting to be called on Friday, March 23.

The application asks:

1. Do you have children who attend school in the Long Beach Unified School District? YES NO If yes, please list the grade level and school of each child.

2. Have you worked on any school committees or participated in any school activities recently? If yes, please list them.

3. Describe any other community or business activities in which you have participated. Describe your role, and whether your work was volunteer or employment-related.

4. Why do you want to be a school board member?

5. What is your approach to effective leadership?

6. What do you see as the basic purpose of public schools?

7. What is the role of the school board in the fulfillment of that purpose?

8. What should be the relationship between the board members and the administration in the handling of school concerns?

9. How would you describe the strengths of LBUSD?

10. What areas are in most need of improvement within the district?

11. How does the Board’s role differ from that of the superintendent?

12. Briefly describe your commitment to public education in the Long Beach Unified School District?

13. What could be done to help improve communications and relationships among the board, staff, students, parents and community?

A School Board majority is scheduled to make the appointment during a special meeting unofficially scheduled for March 23, 2012. Once appointed, the new board member will complete the remainder of the term, which expires in July 2014.