A chance to make a change: 5 Saratoga residents campaign for Elementary district School Board

The Los Gatos Saratoga Union High School District did not have a campaign this year. Three spots on the board opened up, and three candidates stepped forward: incumbent Doug Ramezane, newcomer Robin Mano, and incumbent Cynthia Chang.

The elementary school district is a different case. Five candidates are running for three positions on the Saratoga Union School District (SUSD) school board. The positions have four-year terms, and the last election race for the SUSD school board was in 2010.

The candidates are current board member Patty Buchanan; retired Redwood Middle School teacher Susan Germeraad; parent and consultant Cynthia Miller; community volunteer Laura Tillett; and software engineer Yongjian Wu.

The school district includes Argonaut, Foothill and Saratoga Elementary Schools as well as Redwood Middle School.

Germeraad hopes to impact the community and improve education if elected. She said that her motivation to run for the SUSD School Board comes from an interest in keeping public education as strong as possible.

“When I grew up, I benefited greatly from the wonderful schools in Saratoga and first-class public universities in the state,” said Germeraad. “Our schools require constant attention and nurturing from the community. I feel that each of us who commits to this election process and four years of potential service, underscores the message of how valuable our schools are to our community and the next generation.”

Buchanan also believes that her abilities can help provide Saratoga students with an excellent education. 

“I decided to run because I bring experience and a broad perspective to the board and believe I can make a positive difference,” said Buchanan.

In addition to improving education, Wu plans to increase the amount of open discussion among teachers, schools and parents on how to achieve the best results for students. Some topics that Wu believes are important to students and families are maintaining classroom hours, ensuring that all students’ academic objectives are met while implementing Common Core, connecting foreign language departments better between Redwood Middle School and Saratoga High School and making the communication between the board, the teachers and the parents more interactive.

Tillett and Miller also plan to focus on improving the communication in the district and making sure the curriculum in the schools meets the needs of all the students.

“For example, parents have been asking for a K-12 math road map under the new Common Core standards that is agreed to by both SUSD and our high school district — I will see that they get it,” said Miller.

The end goal for the candidates is to get elected to the board and be in a position to make positive changes, but they are also enjoying the campaigning process.

“My favorite part of campaigning is having substantive discussions with people. Instead of ‘Hi, how are you?’ people want to talk about the future direction of the schools,” said Germeraad. “It's great to connect with people on an entirely different level than usual.”

Campaigning requires a lot of valuable time and dedication, however. The candidates have to take time away from their daily lives and families in order to campaign. 

“The hardest part of campaigning is the time it takes away from my family,” said Tillett. “However, my family is very understanding especially when there's no dinner on the table and they have to fend for themselves.”

The candidates have also run into some unexpected challenges along the way.

“Physically, the hardest part of campaigning is trying to get those lawn signs planted in the rock-solid ground that we have here in Saratoga,” said Miller.

On voting day, Nov. 4, three of these candidates will be elected to the school board and have the opportunity to contribute their ideas to the community. However, well over half of the community votes by absentee ballot, a ballot which voters fill in at home and mail in, so the race is expected to be decided in mid-October when many absentee ballots are returned.

Tillet hopes to take her experience as a volunteer in the schools and community to improve the transparency of district operations and timely communication to parents, the high school and community.

“I want to ensure that the curriculum meets the needs of our students whether it's Common Core or a more advanced curriculum,” Tillett said. “In the end, it's all about ensuring our students continue to have the opportunity to excel and get a great education.”