Special Board Meeting
Milpitas USD
January 03, 2017 5:00PM
5 p.m. Open Session
Board Room, Building 500
1331 East Calaveras Blvd.
Milpitas, CA 95035
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The agenda was approved, with a modification to include the Flag Salute and Approval of the Agenda. Passed with a motion by Danny Lau and a second by Chris Norwood. |
Yes Dan Bobay.
Yes Danny Lau.
Yes Hon Lien.
Yes Chris Norwood.
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President Dan Bobay called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m.
Milpitas Unified School District received a total of 16 applications to fill the current vacancy on the School Board. From this group, the Board will interview and rank the top five candidates. The top finisher will be the Board's provisional appointee and will serve the remainder of Bob Nunez's term until November 2018.
He explained the meeting was held to interview the candidates for Bob Nunez’s seat after his successful campaign for Milpitas City Council. Mr. Bobay thanked the tremendous amount of applicants, 16 people, who applied and got involved in the process.
He asked for silence during interviews of the top five candidates in the Board Room that evening. Mr. Bobay added interviews will be scored by each Board Member and passed to Superintendent Cheryl Jordan, who will tabulate them. In the end, a final candidate will be selected to be a Board Member for the next year for the seat. |
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| A parent of a Rancho 7th grader discussed documents, comparing how Cupertino schools compare to Milpitas in terms of having a less defined math pathway. |
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Milpitas Unified School District received a total of 16 applications to fill the current vacancy on the School Board. From this group, the Board will interview and rank the top five candidates. The top finisher will be the Board's provisional appointee and will serve the remainder of Bob Nunez's term until November 2018. The candidates will be interviewed in the following order: - Mauricio Gavidia - 5 p.m.
- Kelly Yip Chuan - 5:25 p.m.
- Amin Fazal - 5:50 p.m.
- Break - 5:50-6 p.m.
- Yong Zhao - 6 p.m.
- Robert Jung - 6:25 p.m.
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President Bobay explained each of the five candidates interviewed that evening would receive the same eight interview questions, in addition to giving a closing statement. He said each Board Member will take a turn asking a question, everyone would rate the answer, and they would rotate through until all the questions were asked.
Questions were:
1. Why are you interested in becoming a school Board member?
2. What qualities do you bring with you that will strengthen the makeup of this Board?
3. What should be the relationship between the Board members and the District Administration in handling school concerns?
4. School Boards are charged with the responsibilities of educating children to reach their fullest potential. How do you, as a school Board member, plan on doing this?
5. In representing the community, school district trustees must balance their personal beliefs and values with the following:
• Political constituencies
• Educational needs of students
• Supportive working conditions and compensation for employees, and
• State and federal laws
What are potential areas of conflict or stress for you and how will you deal with them?
6. One of the Milpitas Unified School District’s focuses for its students is “closing the achievement gap.” Please tell us what “closing the achievement gap” means to you. How do you propose to close this gap?
7. As Board members, we receive many complaints from parents, staff, and community members. How would you respond to a parent who has cornered you in the grocery store and told you that there was an “inferior” teacher at her child’s school that needed to be removed?
8. With all the demands made on schools for accountability, how do you, as a school board member, view your role in seeing that achievement is maximized and schools meet their goals?
The candidates interviewed in the following order:
-Mauricio Gavidia: During the interview, he shared having an interest in the position as a father of two children in MUSD. Mauricio said he has always been a volunteer in public schools and shared his background began with his younger brother. Mauricio said he understands the importance to address the individual needs of all children and taking care of the “whole child,” citing hunger as one example. He mentioned the need to be more involved with the community, adding he is equitable and has strong leadership skills.
-Kelly Yip Chuan: As the mother of three daughters attending District schools, Kelly mentioned an interest in the position since they will be a part of the community for a long time. She added it is important for her make an impact on her daughters'education in addition to the 10,000 students enrolled here at large. Kelly shared her experience as a community volunteer, serving on the PTA, Rotary, and Chamber of Commerce. If chosen, she shared her desire to set examples and high goals for the Board and advocate more funding for the District.
-Amin Fazal: Amin shared his strong involvement in the Sixth District PTA. He said being involved with PTAs has allowed him to look at situations objectively. As a resident of 15 years, with a daughter in 10th grade at Milpitas High School and a 7th grader at Thomas Russell Middle School, he is interested in becoming a Board member to help the school district set educational goals for children in the community.
-Yong Zhao: Yong said he is indebted to the teachers and school board members, and would like to be a part of the solution for children here. As someone who is self-employed, he said he has the time commitment to impact schools and is excited as he is familiar with them through personal experience. Yong shared the need for every Board member to put aside personal beliefs and upbringing to help every child receive the best education they can. He shared being a good listener, with lots of compassion. He thanked the Board for having the opportunity to interview.
-Robert Jung: The Board interviewed Robert, who has been involved in Milpitas schools for over 13 years. He shared his experience as the PTA president at Randall, Rancho and Milpitas High School in addition to serving as a SCC Representative and on CBAC. Robert sees becoming a Board member as an opportunity to continue his passion for education and serving the Milpitas community. Being familiar with the school district, he is aware of the school board and procedures through PTA and believes his previous experience working with principals, teachers, students, and parents would be beneficial. Robert emphasized the end goal of any education system is to help every child find their passion and realize their potentials.
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Motion:_____ Second:_____ Action:_____
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In accordance with Education Code 5092, within 10 days of the provisional appointment of a person to fill a vacancy on the Board, notices of the vacancy and the provisional appointment will be posted in three public places in the District and published in a newspaper of general circulation in the District. The appointment will remain unless a petition calling for a special election is received by the Superintendent of the Santa Clara County Office of Education within 30 days with valid signatures of 1.5% of registered voters in the district at the time of the last general election. |
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Name Robert Jung as the Board's provisional appointee Passed with a motion by Chris Norwood and a second by Danny Lau. |
Yes Dan Bobay.
Yes Danny Lau.
Yes Hon Lien.
Yes Chris Norwood.
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Oath of Office I, (appointed Board Member), do solemnly swear or affirm that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.
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| The meeting adjourned at 7:06 p.m. |
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| Individuals who require special accommodation should contact the Superintendent’s Office at (408) 635-2600 ext 6013 at least two business days before the meeting date.
All disclosable public records related to an agenda item for discussion in open session of a regular meeting of the Board of Education and distributed to all or majority of the Board members less than 72 hours prior to that meeting, shall be made available for public inspection at the same time the writing is distributed to all or majority of the Board members. Any such writings will be made available for public inspection during business hours in the Superintendent’s Office Bldg. 100, 1331 East Calaveras Blvd., between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Barring technical difficulties, such writings will also be posted on the District’s web site at www.musd.org. |
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| Present | Dan Bobay |
| Present | Danny Lau |
| Present | Hon Lien |
| Present | Chris Norwood |
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