Endorsements

I still want this to be more of a conversation than a billboard, but let's face it, mail ballots have gone out and it is time to make your choice and cast your vote. As you weigh the factors in your decision, I want to make sure you know the conclusion some others have reached; they have chosen to endorse me and I hope you will choose to vote for me.

First, I was very surprised and grateful to receive the Boulder Valley Education Association endorsement, then shortly after that, the Colorado Education Association endorsement. I was surprised because I knew that my answers to their questions did not simply echo their positions. I was actually more surprised when BVEA offered $250 to my campaign and CEA offered $1,000. I am committed to running a frugal campaign and it just did not feel right to me to accept that much money from two organizations. I returned the checks.

I have also been fortunate to receive endorsements from major Boulder County publications. Their generous comments are humbling and their endorsements greatly appreciated. Their comments and links to the on-line articles follow. (You may have to cut and paste the links into your browser.)

Yellow Scene Magazine: http://yellowscene.com/2009/10/14/2009-election-endorsements/#bvboe Jim Pollicita over Tom Miers. Jim Pollicita is the type of person a school board of education dreams about, especially when current funds already seem insufficient and future funding cuts are expected. Some might even consider Pollicita over-qualified, but we think he’s exactly what the board needs. Pollicita has three decades of experience working in higher education at schools like Notre Dame and University of Colorado, and he’s worked on the District Accountability Committee. He’s focused on keeping funding cuts “as far away from the students as possible and as far away from learning as possible”—meaning, the kids and their education come first. He has an enviable balance of budgetary knowledge and know-how, experience in education, and compassionate, thoughtful consideration for student achievement.

Boulder Daily Camera: http://www.dailycamera.com/editorials/ci_13499552
District E: We endorse Jim Pollicita, of Louisville, who serves on the District Accountability Council, and has a lot knowledge about CSAPs and a decades of experience with higher education, which gives him a great perspective on how to prepare today's students. He wants to fight hard so that our teachers feel respected by the district in contract negotiations. He has two children in the district.

Boulder Weekly: http://www.boulderweekly.com/vote2009/schooldistricts.html
NO: Tom Miers YES: Jim Pollicita
[Please note: I took the liberty of correcting the spelling of my name in the body of the article reproduced below. –jp-]
Through raising his three children, Tom Miers, 55, was involved with Eisenhower Elementary, Douglas Elementary, Platt Middle School and Fairview High School for 22 years. His wife teaches in BVSD. Miers agrees with the districts visions and goals and he says he wants to provide a solid educational foundation for children that will prepare them for life’s challenges. Miers says this is done through maintaining the quality of education and teachers, while providing resources and improving morale and trust. Miers says key issues are school finance, trust and morale as well as closing the achievement gap and addressing special needs of all students.

Jim Pollicita, 60, has been a volunteer to school districts in the past: the Blue Ribbon Task Force on school finance and Master Plan Liaison Committee in Hamilton, Ohio. Pollicita is also a two-year volunteer on BVSD’s accountability committee. Pollicita has volunteered at Coal Creek Elementary and Louisville Middle School. Pollicita says it’s a critical time for public education and that the district’s key issue is sustaining overall student achievement. Pollicita says that these difficult financial times call for careful stewardship of available resources and collaborative approaches to issues. Pollicita has 30 years of experience in public and private education as a program developer and administrator, working with programs, pupils and teachers. Miers is active in BVSD, but Pollicita’s 30 years of experience in public and private schools outweighs Miers’ experience. Vote for Jim Pollicita for BVSD District E.

Candidate Information Handout - What do you think?

Posted below is the information now contained in a half-page handout I am taking to candidate forums and other events. This blog address and a photo also appear on the handout. Recognizing that blogspot has some formatting limits and this does not look exactly like the handout, I am very interested in your views:

1. What do you think?

2. What should be changed?

Thank you, Jim

Excellence * Engagement * Responsibility

The Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) is a great school district. Teachers, leadership, involved individuals and organization, and the board all contribute to the district’s excellence on current priorities: achievement, equity, and climate.

In the current economy, we all need to step up to ensure that:

Excellence – is sustained and inclusive. We need to continue to address equity gaps in student achievement.

Engagement – becomes characteristic of the way board, staff, and citizens are welcome, informed, involved, respected.

Responsibility – requires careful stewardship of resources aligned with district priorities plus energetic advocacy for public education.

Reasons to VOTE for Jim Pollicita
Commitment to public education
* BVSD parent
* BVSD District Accountability Committee since 2007
* 15 years prior service in school finance, building projects, and as engagement consultant
Professional background
* Business owner, university administrator, nonprofit staff
* Ph.D. and M.Ed. in education
* BA in community leadership
Breadth & Depth of experience
* Education, business, nonprofits
* Peace Corps Costa Rica
* Extensive community service *Collaborative team builder

Issues: Excellence, Contract, Finances

I have been asked several times to identify the most important issues facing BVSD. Let me start by suggesting three different categories of importance, with comments about each.

Most central: Excellence. BVSD is rightfully recognized as producing outstanding results. We need to broaden and deepen the conversation about what should constitute educational excellence while sustaining the overall high achievement of BVSD students and eliminating equity gaps in achievement.

Most immediate: BVSD and BVEA need to finalize a contract. Both sides of contract talks need to work at lessening the divide.

• The district must recognize and reward teachers for providing the high-quality educational experiences our children deserve, yet the district cannot promise more payment than it can afford. Long-term commitments cannot be based on one-time funds.
  
• BVEA must recognize that the BVSD Board cannot approve a contract if they have serious doubts about the district’s ability to fulfill payment now or in the future.
  

Dragging this out risks loss of public good will and confidence. I believe teachers, administration, and the board all want the best for BVSD students now and in the years to come. It is time to step up to that challenge.

Most enduring: Finances. School district budgets consist mostly of wages and benefit costs for personnel. From my experience in public and private education as well as private business and family life, I know that when you plan a budget, it is useful to remember that old classroom illustration about filling a container with rocks, gravel, and sand: Put in the big rocks first.

Once mandated spending and continuing contracts are accounted for, appropriate compensation, including benefits costs for professional staff, is the next “big rock.” I also believe in fundamental financial principles learned from my parents:

• You cannot spend what you do not have.
• Do not promise what you cannot deliver.
• Prepare for an uncertain financial future.

My understanding is that BVSD’s current fiscal year budget was built based on awareness of potential cuts, then those cuts became much worse than originally anticipated. Most of us are familiar with this kind of unpleasant surprise in our own family finances this year.

Governor Ritter recently stated that fiscal Year 09-10 State cuts are likely to be over $561 million. These cuts are for the current fiscal year. Earlier state estimates predicted $320 million in cuts. It is important to recognize that these cuts are happening to the fiscal year we are in now.

Nobody can predict precisely what the future holds; however Colorado leaders are being very clear about what they see coming as a result of falling revenues at the state level
Todd Saliman, state budget director has indicated that coming cuts may be more painful than previous ones. In other words, the state has done all it can do to limit the impact of cuts so far, so coming cuts are likely to be more painful.

On September 22, 2009, Governor Ritter, on KCFR’s “Colorado Matters,” stated that even with Amendment 23, “There are some places in K-12 education where we can make cuts without violating Amendment 23.” The cuts would be in FY 10-11. K-12 is 43% of state budget. This seems to be an only slightly subtle way of alerting the public to the inevitability of state-level cuts to support of K-12 education this year and next.

The “bottom line” is that we may see drops in state per pupil support to BVSD, not to mention supplemental funding. The only way through this is to agree on fundamental priorities and recognize that we all have to contribute to both short and long term solutions. Board members are uniquely positioned to seek input from the districts they represent and inform thoughtful consideration of alternatives in order to make timely and effective decisions in the best interests of the whole district, now and for the future.

Info about the BVSD Board and this election:

I am writing this in response to the many questions I have received from folks during the past couple of weeks. Please share this information with your friends and neighbors, check out the candidates for BVSD Board as well as other positions and issues on your local ballots, and VOTE!

The Boulder Valley School District Board of Education (BVSD Board) has seven members who each represent one of seven different districts throughout the geographical area of BVSD. Each member serves one four-year term per election up to a maximum of two terms or eight years total service.

BVSD Board members are not paid for their service and board elections, by Colorado law, are non-partisan and all voters in the school district have the opportunity to vote on all board positions. Each BVSD Board member represents a specific geographic area, or “director district” within BVSD. In this year’s election, three of the seven board positions are up for vote. See

http://www.bvsd.org/news/Pages/boardCandidates2009.aspx :
District B: John Kettling vs Lesley Smith (Incumbent)
District F: Jennie Belval vs Louise Benson (Incumbent Jean Paxton is term-limited.)
District E: Jim Pollicita vs Tom Miers (Incumbent Patti Smith decided not to run for a second term.)

The BVSD Board meets the second and fourth Tuesday of each month and decides district policy, approves and monitors budget, hires and evaluates the Superintendent of Schools. By Colorado state law, all voters in the school district vote on all board positions.

Mail ballots will go out to registered voters around October 13. Other balloting options are available, but you must contact the Boulder County Elections Office: 1750 33rd St # 200, Boulder, CO 80301-2546, Telephone: (303) 413-7740. Their website is http://www.bouldercounty.org

A learning experience ...

Volunteer service to public schools is not new to me, but being a candidate for elective office certainly is. I am learning a lot. I started this blog only four days ago. The next day, Labor Day, I participated in the Louisville parade along with my wife, Kathy, and our daughter, Alexis. We passed out candy and small slips of paper - my "campaign literature" so far. Each slip of paper read : Jim Pollicita - Candidate for BVSD Board of Education. YOUR VOTE COUNTS! Mail ballots out October 13, 2009. http://jp4bvsd.blogspot.com

Armed with campaign literature, we met folks along the parade route. When I walked up to folks and said, "Hello, I'm Jim Pollicita and I'm a candidate for the BVSD Board" people reached for the candy as they subtlely pulled away a bit. (Pretty much the initial reaction I would have myself and one I expected.) When I said, "Here's a link to my blog site and it's a blog because I want to hear what you think about education issues" people generally leaned in, took the slip of paper, smiled, said "thank you," indicated they would take a look, and were very encouraging.

I was pleasantly surprised ... but those welcoming reactions reminded me of the most frequent kinds of concerns or complaints I have heard from people. Most folks I have talked with think BVSD is a very fine school system and so do I. When people have complained to me, though, no matter what the specific issue or concern, the individual's dissatisfaction boiled down to this: They felt that somebody in authority did not listen. The encounters varied; the subjects covered the waterfront, and the results were different. The dissatisfaction was pretty much the same, though.

I chose to post a blog rather than traditional webpage because a blog is designed to be interactive. I did not want just a billboard about me. I want this to be a place for informed and respectful interaction about BVSD, the issues, the board's role, and ultimately, how best to educate our children. Let's use this space as a place to enlarge the conversation ... and listen.

Why are you running for BVSD Board of Education?

Simply put, it's time to step up. When the incumbent board member, Patti Smith, announced she would not seek re-election, I wondered who might become the next board member to represent District E. Shortly after I read Patti's announcement, I received an e-mail with the message "You should do this."

The message came from someone I respect and had worked with on support for BVSD schools, so I started to think about the possibility. I know this year has been challenging for BVSD and next year promises even more budget difficulty. I have been involved with public schools for a long time (Check "About Me") and believe now is a time when my experience and approach can be helpful. What it came down to for me is: If not you, who; if not now, when?