Schools

Applicants Vie for Vacant Seat on Belmont-Redwood Shores School Board

Seven applicants are vying for the seat left vacant by Michael Parker's resignation last month.

The seven applicants vying for a seat on the Board of Trustees answered questions from board members Thursday night.

Board President Andy Stulbarg and board members Cathy Wright, Brian Matthews and Robert Tashjian alternated asking seven questions to the applicants, who answered in random order.

The seven applicants were broken down into two groups. Redwood Shores residents Andrew Eliopoulos and Suzanne Pritchard, and Belmont residents Yuval Erlich and Chuck Velschow, were in the first round and Michelle Matosian, Karen Silfvast and Peter Tac, all Belmont residents, were in the second group. Applicants were given three minutes for each answer.

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Questions included what the greatest challenges facing public education are, and what the components of a great school are. Applicants were also asked how, if appointed to the board, they would respond to a resident's inquiry on a split vote.

The trending answer to the number one challenge facing public education was the budget. Many applicants also agreed the is another current topic of concern within Belmont.

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Each applicant also told the board what they individually would bring to the table.

Pritchard, who answered first and said she's had years of PTA experience as well as volunteered in school district classrooms, said a long-term technology plan for the district would be a goal of hers. "I would love to see technology integrated into the curriculum," she said.

Eliopoulos went next and said he would provide a fair viewpoint on the board; that even if an issue didn't personally benefit his family he would do what was best for the district.

Erlich said his years of doing crisis management as well as his experience working in other countries, including in Europe and South America, would benefit him as a school board member.

Velschow, a teacher at Woodside High School, said he could bring a professional educator's perspective to the board.

Tac, the first to answer in the second group, said his connections through his volunteer work would be an asset, and he'd make sure to focus on the current enrollment issue if he's appointed.

Matosian said her experience in problem-solving and strategic thinking would be valuable to the board.

Silfvast, the last to answer, said she would make sure to be a team player in the community.

Assistant Superintendent Penny Weaver said initially there had been eight applicants, but one had withdrawn.

The school board to provisionally appoint a fifth person to the board after trustee Michael Parker announced his resignation, rather than hold a mail-in ballot election that would have cost about $80,000, and $147,000 for a regularly conducted special election. There is no anticipated cost for the appointment process.

The board is expected to appoint a new member at its next meeting on Thursday, April 7. The seat of the person appointed to the board will be up for election in November.


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