Opinion Schools

Why I’m Endorsing Vladimir Ivanovic for LASD School District Board

Vote for Vladimir Ivanovic to send a message to the LASD board
Written by lalahpolitico

Vote for Vladimir Ivanovic to send a message to the LASD board

WHAT PASSES FOR LALAHPOLITICO HUMOROUS COMMENT:

Vladimir Ivanovic says he is dropping out of the race for the LASD School District Board. But I’m voting for him anyway. Here’s the reason. ” Because I am very doubtful that this district can move beyond the current litigious situation with BCS unless there is a substantial change in the board.  Both boards.”  That was said by Vladamir in his closing statement at the first candidates forum on Sept. 17. I was planning to vote for him and will vote for him, drop out or not.

Vladimir is a current user of the LASD Bullis-Purissima campus for his child.  So any thinking voter can infer he would not support any BCS facilities solution that involved swapping that campus and probably any entire campus with BCS. But he was/is open-minded and would have been a welcome disruption to the socio-dynamics of the LASD board – where the alphas Mark Goines and Doug Smith will be trading the Presidency very soon now ( I’m speculating this is why Bill Cooper did not seek reelection).

Vladamir at least acknowledges 1) the State of California has laws that permit charter schools and 2) that BCS probably has a right to exist…and these are constraints on the LASD Board.  But I’m not so sure that Pablo Luther and Steve Taglio do. Vladimir says that these two gentlemen are open-minded.  Yes maybe. I personally saw Taglio vote against the board majority once – to reject the silly “term-sheet” amendments to the doomed “tentative long-term agreement” hammered out in closed mediations.  So Taglio really does have the capacity to think for himself. Unfortunately, Taglio is also willing to “go along” and keep his thoughts to himself.  I’ve seen that in a dozen LASD board meetings I’ve attended since April. As for Luther, I attest that he does seem to have a positive track record of working with the larger community and BCS.  He chaired a committee that produced this report describing the costs and benefits of various possible generic BCS facilities solutions  (not specific pieces of land, etc).  However, if he’s elected, I fear the socio-dynamics of the LASD board may quickly harden the arteries in Luther’s fine mind.

Bottom line – Taglio and Luther do not assure the substantial change in the board I’m looking for.

I think of my vote FOR VLADIMIR IVANOVIC as a VOTE NO on Taglio, on Luther, no on the status quo, and no on the LASD board. Don’t worry; Vlad won’t get many votes anyway. He did not pay the $2000 for a candidate statement in the official Voter Info Pamphlet or run a campaign with signs, flyers and coffees.

a VOTE  FOR VLADIMIR IVANOVIC  = VOTE NO on Taglio/Luther
= VOTE NO CONFIDENCE in LASD BOARD

All votes cast for Vladimir count for nothing. They do not get forwarded to Taglio/Luther. Better to flush your vote rather than endorse continued LASD board constipation.

Any Votes For Vladimir will not be “forwarded” to the candidates he now supports

 

PRE-PLAN FOR THE LASD BOARD ELECTION 2014
Seeking to recycle old City Council Members

Assuming the newly elected board 2012 is pretty much the same as the old board, I hope the larger community — here I mean the non-parent community — makes long range plans to intervene.  I used to think that public school parents and PTAs and educrats could properly be the ones to run their own affairs in a local public school district.  The larger community of non-parents should just go about its business, write checks to the schools, and nod approvingly once a year. NO MORE. NOT HERE. I would very much like to see former Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, and Mountain View city council members — with name recognition and who are electable — run for LASD Board in 2014.  Please think about it. I’d like to have hope and change.

About the author

lalahpolitico

Norma Schroder is an economics & market researcher by trade and ardent independent journalist, photographer and videographer by avocation. Enthralled by the growth of the tech industry over the decades, she became fascinated with the business of local politics only in the past several years.