2010 Site Council Parent Representatives Ballot

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! VOTE TODAY
for Your 2010-2012 Gunn HS Site Council Parent Representatives

We are pleased to present the following slate of parent-candidates for the 2010-2011 Site Council. Each year, two of the four parent representatives serving on Site Council come up for re-election. According to Site Council bylaws, incumbent representatives can only serve two consecutive terms (four years). This year, Martha Bowden and Corey Levens retire their seats, following four years of distinguished service to Gunn’s Site Council. Thanks to Corey Levens and Martha Bowden who have graciously offered their services to our community.

Please vote for TWO (2) candidates and either mail or email it to the Site Council office here at Gunn. Same voting rules and April 1 deadline apply. Please email your E-ballot to: rhart@pausd.org. Please include your Gunn student's name and grade on your e-ballot. NOTE: YOU MUST HAVE A STUDENT ATTENDING GUNN THIS YEAR TO VOTE. ONLY ONE BALLOT PER HOUSEHOLD ACCEPTED. The ballot must be in the office by April 1.

If you have any questions about the election process or the Site Council, please call the office (650.849.7932) or email to the address given above. Election results will be announced in next month’s SPOTLIGHT and on the Gunn Connection. VOTE NOW!!!


____ JOHN BENZA, Parent of Jesse (10th grade)

John is the Director of Administration responsible to plan and direct operations, finances and facilities for a church and Pre-K through 8th grade school with 350 students. I oversee all administrative, financial and facilities issues covering 7 acres, 6 buildings, and 125 employees. Manage over $5M budget, including $2.1M on facilities management. Oversees personnel issues, including staffing, salaries and benefits management. Develops and makes board presentations of year-end results and upcoming annual budgets. Responsible for large capital projects such as construction and remodeling projects. Develops consistent level of professional policies and procedures across the organization.

John and Debbie are firm believers in public education despite his work association with a private school. Jesse has participated, and excelled, in PAUSD education since kindergarten. John served on the Barron Elementary School Site Council from 2003-2005. Debbie served as the volunteer crossing guard for the five years that Jesse attended Barron Elementary. John also served on the Site Council for Terman Middle School from 2005-2007. Additionally, John was selected to participate in the 2006-2007 PAUSD Attendance Area Advisory Task Force. I believe these past experiences have equipped me to understand, appreciate and anticipate the challenges and needs associated with our growing school populations. The whole world is represented here in the bay area and our public school system is second to none in demonstrating and leveraging the value of diversity in culture, language and heritage.

I want to serve on the Gunn High School Site Council as a way to utilize my professional skills and talents to directly benefit the PAUSD administration, the Gunn student and teacher community and Palo Alto residents at large. Since 2004, I have also served as a member of the Palo Alto Emergency Response Team and since 2005 as a Santa Clara County Emergency Communications Operator.

____ KAREN LESYNA, Parent of Lauren (9th grade)
Site council member for 2 years at Blach Middle School in Los Altos
RN by profession
Small Business Owner of Lite For Life for the last 6 years
Lauren is my last of 4 children, my first to attend Gunn
Past PTA president at Loyola elementary
Past Parliamentarian for the LA/Mtn view PTA council
Past member of the Los altos Education Foundation
Looking for a way to get more involved at Gunn

____ BOB SPOER, Parent of Daisy (9th grade)
I’ve served as Director of Global Talent for a major public high tech company, Trimble, in Silicon Valley, for the past 8 years. I’m in charge of preserving and expanding our culture of innovation and can bring this perspective to bear in the site council’s work. I manage the global talent budget and have been under budget every year. Moreover, I am part of a global HR team at Trimble and well versed in the leading edge HR policies and training programs which may be useful in review of new initiatives at Gunn. Earlier in my career, I was involved in public affairs as a member of US Senator’s Frank Lautenberg’s legislative staff in Washington so have an understanding of policy development in the public sector. I was appointed as a member of Community Board #9 in Manhattan and served on the Board for 3 years so have good experience in group decision making as it relates to policy development and budgeting. By my peers at work, I am seen as a creative “idea person” and seek my opinion because it is positively different and they want to get a different perspective._For more information about me, please feel free to view my profile on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/bobspoer52009 and in this YouTube video on behalf of LinkedIn http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsMRAdAraTs

____ SUSAN THOMAS, Parent of Andrea Allen (9th grade)
I have 25 years’ experience in business, primarily working with organizations and individuals to build credibility and awareness for their business, professional and public sector initiatives. My areas of special interest include technology, education, energy and health care.
For the past five years I have worked with Apple’s education group on a variety of leadership and advocacy programs around education reform and the use of technology in teaching and learning. I am currently on a team of people working with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology on the National Education Technology Plan.


I began my career as a business journalist covering technology, banking and finance, and in the early 1980s became a public relations consultant with one of Silicon Valley’s top technology public relations firms. In 1988, I started my own public relations firm, which I owned and managed for 10 years before its acquisition by an international PR firm. I became a partner in this firm and for three years was director of its global technology practice. I have also served as a market analyst at a market research firm and as vice president of marketing for an enterprise software company.



I also serve on Boards of Directors and Advisory Councils of both for-profit and non-profit organizations.



BALLOT FOR 2010-2012 SITE COUNCIL PARENT REPRESENTATIVES

Vote for 2 candidates either on paper or electronically NO LATER THAN APRIL 1.

Voters must have a student now at Gunn. One ballot per household, please.

____ JOHN BENZA
____ BOB SPOER
____ KAREN LESYNA
____ SUSAN THOMAS

Your Gunn Student’s Name:_________________________________

Grade:_________

Mail to Gunn HS Site Council: 780 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94306
Fax to Gunn HS Site Council : 650.493.7801
Email to: rhart@pausd.org