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Dan Gustafson reflects on 12 years as school board trustee

By Anna Pier

Dan Gustafson will not seek a fourth term as a member of the Sonoma Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees in the November election. After his announcement this week, he shared his thoughts on the post he’s held since 2006, the role of the board, and how it can succeed in the future.

Dan_Gustafson_Photo“If the board can re-focus on governance, not management, the likelihood of success will increase considerably,” he said. “I hope the board decides to focus everything on student achievement.”

He lamented that “the killer B’s – bonds, buildings and budget” – have for the past 18 months diverted the trustees’ attention from the critical issue of student achievement.

Gustafson said he believes the role of the trustee is misunderstood. “A trustee should have zero power.” The most important job is to hire the superintendent. When he began his service in 2007, Barbara Young was superintendent. He has participated in the subsequent hiring of Pam Maartens, whose tenure was brief; she was followed by Louann Carlomagno, interim Chuck Young and now Shiels.

Speaking from his nearly 12 years of service, including three stints as board president, Gustafson asserted that the job of the trustees “is to make the superintendent successful.” Elaborating, he told The Sun that this certainly does not mean “to impede, distract or undermine. You hire the superintendent and then, together, set goals and metrics. … then you stay out of their way.”

Setting annual goals is a collaborative process between the superintendent and the five trustees — “the governance team.” He said that working with Louann Carlomagno, the trustees adopted her “pillars,” which were pre-K for all, and literacy by third grade.

Gustafson characterizes the board as the conduit for the community. Trustees should communicate problems, but it is “not their job to solve them.” He acknowledged that what is true is often complex and nuanced, whereas what the public hears and listens to is in bold.

Addressing the issue of transparency, Gustafson believes it is best served by public study sessions for topics such as budget, test scores, English learners, and others. These would be led by a district staff person. Board and community would learn together, at the same time. He also believes the committees such as Finance should be comprised of stakeholders, parents, staff and community; and should not include trustees. This would avoid the uneven playing field that results when some board members, participating in a committee, know more than others. “If you want transparency, everyone learns in public.”

The programs that Gustafson is particularly pleased to have supported over the years are dual immersion at Flowery and Adele Harrison; early education; and sports and extra-curricular programs. He affirms his conviction that many kids learn as much in sports or extra-curriculars as they do in the classroom.

During Gustafson’s board tenure, the district had to deal with the financial crisis of 2008, and the recent budget crisis. He characterized the latter as “overplayed,” since the amount which needed to be cut was only five percent of the budget. He acknowledged that when Chief Financial Officer Justin Frese departed from the district, there was a surplus. After the job was unfilled for five months, it then became a part-time position, filled by Jon Bartolomé, who retained the duties of his former district office job. Gustafson said that Bartolomé had warned the board of the deficit in several communications.

Also during his tenure the district sought and got voter approval for two bonds, Measure H for $40 million, and the recent Measure E for $120 million. Since 2006 the board went through the defeat of two attempts at a parcel tax. Each won over 60 percent of voter support, but failed to get the difficult two-thirds required.

The retiring trustee said the most fun on the job is getting to hand out the high school diplomas. He said he has always tried to set a “behavioral example” on the board. He is proud of the solar installations throughout the district, and feels his best accomplishment has been trying to be supportive of the efforts of all the teachers and staff. “We grossly under pay our teachers.”

 

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