2014 OUSD School Board Candidates Forum
This Thursday, BOP, Californians for Justice, and Parent Action Leadership Network are hosting an Oakland School Board of Directors Candidates Forum at La Escuelita Elementary School to give community members an opportunity to hear from the candidates they’ll vote for to represent Oakland schools! Below is a list of the candidates who are running for district’s 2, 4 & 6. *All candidates were asked to submit their own bios and headshots- featured here.
District Two Candidates
Aimee Eng
Aimee is a 5th granddaughter of the first elected Asian American City Councilman in Oakland. With a background in education policy from Stanford, Aimee has spent her entire professional career dedicated to improving outcomes for children and youth. She currently works at a private family Foundation where she has successfully advocated for millions of dollars of funding for Alameda County students. Aimee is endorsed by Alameda County Superintendent Sheila Jordan, Supervisor Wilma Chan, Oakland School Board President David Kakishiba, Peralta Trustee President, as well as parents, teachers, and Principals. Her website is: www.AimeeforSchoolBoard.com.
William “Bo” Ghiradelli
My name is Bo Ghirardelli – I am a fourth-generation Oakland native and former middle school teacher in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. I hold a master’s degree in public administration and founded a nonprofit called Greenside Development Foundation that helps young adults form businesses in Oakland and in North Africa. I love my community and care about our children’s futures.
District Four Candidates
Saleem Shakir-Gilmore
Saleem Shakir-Gilmore is an Oakland native, former OUSD parent, and award winning educator with a long history of public service in Oakland. Saleem is a founding member of Concerned Black Men of Oakland which provides mentoring for OUSD students. In addition, Saleem serves Oakland voters as the Chair of the Measure G Oversight Committee which is an advisory body that oversees the expenditures of over $20 million and reports to the OUSD Board. Saleem’s 25 years as an educator, youth advocate, trainer, and university instructor are grounded in his family’s commitment to youth and public service. His grandfather, Carter Gilmore was a little league baseball coach and the first African American elected to city office in Oakland. As a City Council member, Carter Gilmore was instrumental in passing the Community Police Review Board resolution. Saleem sees the School board seat as an opportunity to offer is skill and expertise for the benefit of children at a level that will have systemic impact. His relationships throughout the district mean that Saleem is no stranger to school and city leaders. He has a reputation of high integrity, honesty, and determination in the face of obstacles. He is a person that can represent all of Oakland’s youth, families, and teachers.
Karl Debro
With more than 30 years of experience as a teacher and administrator, Karl Debro has taught at middle school (7 years at Bancroft Middle School) high school (18 years at San Leandro High School) and community college (Los Medanos & Contra Costa). He was the founding coordinator of the AVID program at San Leandro High School in the 1999-2000 school year. By 2008, the program had grown to 300 students and earned National Demonstration School status. The program boasted a 95% college acceptance rate, an AVID student body slightly over-representative of Latinos and African Americans with a program-wide 50-50 male-female population, unprecedented among AVID Demonstration Schools.
Debro left SLHS to pilot the first-ever AVID program in higher education at Los Medanos College. Ultimately, AVID became the cornerstone course in LMC’s Transfer Academy, a learning community designed to accelerate first-time freshmen transfer to four year college. In collaboration with USC’s Center for Urban Education, Debro also led the LMC’s examination of data, and development of interventions that focused on improving success rates for African American students,In 2012, Debro became the founding director of the Gateway to College at Contra Costa College. Gateway is a national dual enrollment program for high school drop-outs that is housed on the community college campus. In its first year, the program was been recognized by the Gateway National Network for its high rate of student success and its innovativeness.
A former National Staff Developer for AVID, Dr. Debro has led Summer Institute strands for both the High School and Higher Education levels. He has also led professional development on institutional racism, student success, culturally responsive pedagogy, and equity for high schools and colleges. Dr. Debro has been honored for his work to bring safety and respect to LGBTQ students by many groups, including the California State Legislature, and the United States Congress. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from UC Berkeley, a Master’s degree in Education, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Mills College. He lives in Oakland with his wife of 32 years and two children.
Nina Senn
I am a bridge-builder that knows how to get things done in OUSD and other complex environments for the benefit of all students. This is due to my unique package of skills and background in schools, non-profits as a(n):
- Oakland public school parent leader/volunteer with deep and current knowledge/experience of identifying and solving issues in District 4 schools, e.g., Montera Middle School
- Former President of a non-profit conflict resolution Board in Alameda County
- Multi-cultural community mediator
- Restorative Justice practitioner and advocate in schools
- Commercial attorney specializing in dispute resolution and transactions in businesses and organizations
- Senior Management Team member of a multi-billion organization
Cheri Spigner
I was an Oakland parent and I understand the challenges real people face everyday. My children attended charter, public and private schools here. This experience gives me a larger context of the challenges and benefits of each, and how these schools can work better for our children. I had to make very tough choices regarding education for my children and I vowed that I would make life easier for other parents in Oakland. I bring an outside, independent perspective; I have worked for nearly 20 years in technology sales, and I bring a needed skill set to the board. I’ve excelled in negotiating contracts, building relationships, managing budgets, identifying problems and providing solutions. My mother earned an MA in Special Education, and worked as a Curriculum Specialist for a non-profit providing academic support for inner city students. My grandparents were educators who left Texas to teach on an Indian Reservation in Chinle, AZ, for over 20 years. My family paved the path for me to value public service and the impact of teaching our youth.
*No photo was submitted for Cheri Spigner
District Six Candidates
Renato Almanzor
We can do better for our kids. I know how challenging it is to create a place where students are loved and supported, as well as encouraged and challenged to be successful learners. As a parent, I was my son’s first teacher. From elementary until his 2013 graduation from Skyline, I chaired multiple School Site Councils. I am an educator at heart and have taught 14 years at the graduate level. I have been an administrator at UC Berkeley and the Oakland Unified School District. My credentials include a PhD in Organizational Psychology, an MS in Counseling, and a BA in Psychology. I am committed to Oakland youth and have served on multiple nonprofit boards, including the Planning and Oversight Committee for the Oakland Fund for Children and Youth. As Director of Programs for an Oakland nonprofit, I run a Fellowship for Bay Area nonprofit executive directors and oversee leadership trainings statewide.
Shanthi Gonzales
Shanthi’s first campaign was during high school, when she was recruited to the No on Proposition 187 campaign by Californians for Justice (CFJ). Proposition 187, if implemented, would have denied access to any public services for undocumented families in California, including schools. While they did not defeat the initiative, they were successful in every precinct that CFJ worked in. She was hooked by the realization that her organizing had made a difference. She went on to work with CFJ on many economic justice campaigns, launching a career in organizing and service to her community.
When Shanthi started working, she went to work for SEIU United Healthcare Workers West, where she organized home care workers, most of whom earned minimum wage and no benefits prior to unionization. She realized how critical a strong labor movement is in creating economic security for low-income communities of color, and also discovered a passion for leadership development, which is the focus of her volunteer work in the community today.
Leadership development has been an important role Shanthi plays in the organizations she is involved in. She serves as Vice Chair of the Oakland Library Advisory Commission (LAC), and is proud of the role she has played in reviving the LAC, developing capacity for advocacy for Oakland’s libraries and helping to bring about greater cooperation and coordination of all library advocates in Oakland. She also serves as Vice President of the Board of La Raza Centro Legal, where she has also helped to build the internal capacity of the board, which has freed up staff time to focus more on serving clients.
During the day, Shanthi works for the Women Donors Network, a national network of progressive women donors, in membership and programs. She develops skills-building programs for WDN’s members and does a wide range of donor cultivation and stewardship activities.
Shanthi has lived in Oakland since 2002, and has lived in District 6 since she bought her home in 2009.