Argus- Former trustee sets sights on school board -
2/5/2008
Former trustee
sets sights on school board
Oakland Tribune, Feb 5, 2008 by Linh Tat
FREMONT -- The presidential primary election has dominated headlines for months, but it's not the only political race weighing on some people's minds.
Since September, former Trustee Bryan Gebhardt has been running a Web site announcing his candidacy for November's Fremont school board race.
And on Feb. 24, he will kick off his campaign with a party at City Councilmember Anu Natarajan's house.
"Fremont schools has been a passion for me my whole adult life," Gebhardt, 33, said. "The simple reason I'm doing this is to make a difference. I feel I have made a difference and I want to continue to contribute as much as I can."
Gebhardt attended Washington High School until 1992, during which time he served as the student representative on the school board.
In February 2006, he returned to the board as an appointed trustee to serve the remaining 10 months of Guy Emanuele's term. Emanuele had stepped down from the board early due to health concerns and his desire to spendmore time with his family.
Natarajan said she's endorsing Gebhardt because of his two previous experiences on the school board.
"I'm impressed with his ability to get the big picture. When he was on the school board, he seemed very fair and very thorough in his deliberations," said Natarajan, who has invited nearly 150 people to the kickoff party. She expects a turnout of about 40 guests.
Gebhardt cited his experiences with Fremont schools -- as a student, volunteer and board member -- as one reason voters should elect him.
"I have negotiated the superintendent's contract, worked on school bond issues ... and have served on committees," said Gebhardt, who has chaired the district's financial advisory committee and now serves on the instructional equity commission. The software engineer also has been a part of the technology advisory group.
In addition to experience, Gebhardt said he's built trust within the community and helped set a vision for the organization by adopting district goals while on the board. He also believes in accountability, but says test scores aren't the only way to measure progress.
He listed student achievement, campus safety and parental involvement among his priorities.
"Students need to come ready to learn or they're not going to learn," he said.
School board member Peggy Herndon, who served alongside Gebhardt during his appointment, said recently she "wholeheartedly" is throwing her support behind her friend. Herndon has decided not to seek a third term herself.
"Eight years is a significant amount of time. I think I've gotten a lot of things accomplished with other members of the board. I'm ready to turn it over," she said, adding that it's helpful to have trustees with children in school.
Both of Herndon's sons have graduated from the district while Gebhardt's children -- a 3-year-old girl and a 10-month-old boy -- will enter school in the coming years.
So far, Gebhardt -- who reported raising more than
$15,000 for his campaign -- is the only person to have announced his candidacy.
School board President Ivy Wu, whose term is up this year, said the earliest she'll decide if she will seek re-election will be in March. Wu was diagnosed last spring with breast cancer, which now is in remission. Her decision whether to run again will depend heavily on the results of next month's check-up, she said.
Nina Moore, the third and final trustee whose term expires in November, also said she has not decided whether to run again.
For information about Gebhardt's campaign or the kickoff party, visit http://www.bryan4schools.com.
Education reporter Linh Tat can be reached at 510-353-7010 or at [email protected]. Read her blog postings at http:// www.ibabuzz.com/tricitybeat.
c2008 ANG Newspapers. Cannot be used or repurposed without prior written permission. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.
Oakland Tribune, Feb 5, 2008 by Linh Tat
FREMONT -- The presidential primary election has dominated headlines for months, but it's not the only political race weighing on some people's minds.
Since September, former Trustee Bryan Gebhardt has been running a Web site announcing his candidacy for November's Fremont school board race.
And on Feb. 24, he will kick off his campaign with a party at City Councilmember Anu Natarajan's house.
"Fremont schools has been a passion for me my whole adult life," Gebhardt, 33, said. "The simple reason I'm doing this is to make a difference. I feel I have made a difference and I want to continue to contribute as much as I can."
Gebhardt attended Washington High School until 1992, during which time he served as the student representative on the school board.
In February 2006, he returned to the board as an appointed trustee to serve the remaining 10 months of Guy Emanuele's term. Emanuele had stepped down from the board early due to health concerns and his desire to spendmore time with his family.
Natarajan said she's endorsing Gebhardt because of his two previous experiences on the school board.
"I'm impressed with his ability to get the big picture. When he was on the school board, he seemed very fair and very thorough in his deliberations," said Natarajan, who has invited nearly 150 people to the kickoff party. She expects a turnout of about 40 guests.
Gebhardt cited his experiences with Fremont schools -- as a student, volunteer and board member -- as one reason voters should elect him.
"I have negotiated the superintendent's contract, worked on school bond issues ... and have served on committees," said Gebhardt, who has chaired the district's financial advisory committee and now serves on the instructional equity commission. The software engineer also has been a part of the technology advisory group.
In addition to experience, Gebhardt said he's built trust within the community and helped set a vision for the organization by adopting district goals while on the board. He also believes in accountability, but says test scores aren't the only way to measure progress.
He listed student achievement, campus safety and parental involvement among his priorities.
"Students need to come ready to learn or they're not going to learn," he said.
School board member Peggy Herndon, who served alongside Gebhardt during his appointment, said recently she "wholeheartedly" is throwing her support behind her friend. Herndon has decided not to seek a third term herself.
"Eight years is a significant amount of time. I think I've gotten a lot of things accomplished with other members of the board. I'm ready to turn it over," she said, adding that it's helpful to have trustees with children in school.
Both of Herndon's sons have graduated from the district while Gebhardt's children -- a 3-year-old girl and a 10-month-old boy -- will enter school in the coming years.
So far, Gebhardt -- who reported raising more than
$15,000 for his campaign -- is the only person to have announced his candidacy.
School board President Ivy Wu, whose term is up this year, said the earliest she'll decide if she will seek re-election will be in March. Wu was diagnosed last spring with breast cancer, which now is in remission. Her decision whether to run again will depend heavily on the results of next month's check-up, she said.
Nina Moore, the third and final trustee whose term expires in November, also said she has not decided whether to run again.
For information about Gebhardt's campaign or the kickoff party, visit http://www.bryan4schools.com.
Education reporter Linh Tat can be reached at 510-353-7010 or at [email protected]. Read her blog postings at http:// www.ibabuzz.com/tricitybeat.
c2008 ANG Newspapers. Cannot be used or repurposed without prior written permission. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.