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The application deadline for the vacant seat on the Menlo Park City School District board is 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7. The school board is scheduled to interview applicants and appoint a new member at a special meeting set for 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10.

The special meeting will be in the district office TERC building, 181 Encinal Ave. in Atherton.

Applications for the seat, held until last month by Laura Rich, must be submitted to the district office at 181 Encinal Ave. in Atherton in hard copy and with an original signature. It should include a candidate statement with a statement of purpose and description of qualifications, and any other relevant information, according to the district. Eligible applicants must be 18 or older and live in the district.

As of midday Monday, Feb. 3, the district had received no applications for the seat. Superintendent Maurice Ghysels told the Almanac that, in his experience, applicants wait until close to the deadline before submitting their papers.

The appointee will be sworn into office at the board’s regular meeting on March 11.

For more information, call the district office at 321-7140.

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11 Comments

  1. I’d be surprised if anyone other than an MPAEF member even attempts to participate in this pretense. Why would anyone go to the trouble after the ambush last time? The board will listen politely and appoint one of their own, as always. The prerequisite for serving on the board of education is to raise money, worship the superintendent, and go along with the program. People who come from different backgrounds and bring diversity need not apply.

  2. The names of the candidates who are pursuing appointment to the MPCSD Board and the candidate’s statements are posted in Agenda Online. The candidates, in order by their chance of being appointed to the Board (IMHO):

    1. Scott Hinshaw (MPAEF Co-President)
    2. Stacey Jones (Co-Chair, Measure W; District Council)
    3. Carol Cunningham (Children not old enough to attend MPCSD)
    4. James Eakin (Former Board member in the 90’s)
    5. Caroline Lucas (Teacher in a neighboring district)

  5. Right, Peter! Because in a democracy, everyone who disagrees with the status quo should be silent.

    A lot of us have seen what happens to outsiders who try to run for school board. It’s not pretty. In this case, because it’s not a regular election, four of the candidates will emerge relatively unscathed and may even choose to run at a later date in a real election. At which point they can endure public humiliation.

    I am speaking from experience that I am pretty sure you don’t have, Peter.

  6. “Right, Peter! Because in a democracy, everyone who disagrees with the status quo should be silent. ”

    By no means BUT it is a lack of proper citizenship to sit on the sidelines and anonymously complain while being unwilling to do anything to improve the situation. I get very tired of those who hurl all sorts of charges at others from the shadows but who lack the courage to enter the ring.

    “I am speaking from experience that I am pretty sure you don’t have, Peter.”

    Wrong, just look at all the garbage that has been thrown at me when I have run for public office.

  7. Peter:

    Unfortunately, since the arrival of Ghysels in the MPCSD, the fine, caring, ethical people who do speak up are swiftly smacked down upon courageously entering the ring. This treatment has effectively silenced others from standing up and speaking out.

  9. Although Ghysels has negatively affected overall dynamics, the board clique has been around for at least 15 years. @Menlo Voter (Peter Carpenter), I am not going to name names — they’d be deleted anyway! — but the inside group is great at starting whispering campaigns against anyone perceived as a troublemaker. Difficult people are said to be suffering from mental illness, or dealing with marital difficulties. They’re almost always “bad” parents (anecdotes about their kids’ misbehavior are passed around) or labeled as parents of special need students who are trying to game the system. They’re accused of trying to undermine the quality of the MPCSD.

    That’s how the game is played. The board is not like other local elected bodies. Any election can get nasty, but I can’t think of any other local elected board that is so tightly controlled by a small clique. This is not to say they do a bad job.

  10. If the ever-deceitful Dr. Ghysels has his way, he’ll find a way to get another “yes” person in place to keep his cushy job, car collection and hopefully his latest girlfriend. But with a history of trashing everyone and everything in both his professional and personal life, it looks like it may be time to fasten seatbelts even tighter. Good luck MPSD!
    -Relieved in Mountainview

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