Fall election key to future of PUSD
There are several local elections ahead this year, but, in our view, none will carry as much importance as the fall contest for two seats on the Poway Unified School District Board of Education.
The four-year terms of veteran board member Andy Patapow and one-term member Kimberley Beatty end in December. Patapow has said that he is retiring after 20 years, meaning there will be at least one open seat. Beatty this week disclosed she will seek re-election.
Two years ago T.J. Zane, Michelle O’Connor-Ratcliff and Charles Sellers were elected to the five-member board. For the previous two years Beatty had been a political lone wolf on the board, questioning and often challenging district staff and (at times) other board members on a wide variety of topics.
Following the 2014 election Beatty picked up a constant political ally in Sellers. Their comments at board meetings made their dissatisfaction with the performance of Supt. John Collins and certain top staff members apparent. For example, board approval of contract extensions for the three associate superintendents was postponed over such a long period that two of the three unexpectedly announced their retirements in February.
Earlier this month Beatty suggested the board create a new position of deputy superintendent, who would report not to Collins, but to the board. Sellers endorsed the idea, while Zane and O’Connor seemed cool to it and Patapow was flatly opposed.
In late March, backers of an effort to recall Patapow decided to fold their tent and instead focus on finding November candidates who see things their way: a district headed by someone other than Collins. With Beatty running for re-election this group needs only to elect one of their candidates to tilt the board against Collins.
As noted in the space before, the conflicts being displayed by and around the current school board bear remarkable similarities to 20 years ago, when two board members repeatedly attacked the district administration. That situation festered to the point where a group of concerned parents created a coalition that sought out and endorsed a slate of three pro-administation candidates, each of whom were elected.
A similar coalition was announced a few weeks ago. According to a press release, the group consists of parents, grandparents and educators, including retired Poway High School principal Scott Fisher. The group’s aim is to recruit and endorse candidates who are willing to act in the best interests of students and who will maintain the district’s reputation for excellence in education.
The hope here, for the sake of everyone who cares about the quality of the PUSD, is that this new coalition is equally successful in achieving its goals.