School Board Candidates Square Off In Debate

The three candidates running for two vacant seats on the San Carlos School Board sounded off on variety of topics such as whether the district should attempt to build another school in order to alleviate increasing enrollment concerns.

Incumbent Seth Rosenblatt  and Adam Rak agreed that the district should investigate the feasibility of adding another school campus, while candidate Peter Tzifas said the community should given an opportunity to chime in on the issue.

Rak and Rosenblatt frequently agreed on the issues put forth during the moderated debate held Thursday morning at Heather Elementary.

Tzifas often appeared the odd man out during the debate, and as much as acknowledged his position in his closing comments when he invited the crowd of about 20 people to stand in the shoes of a person who is on the outside looking in.

"It's a character builder," he said.

Voters will be asked to select two of the three candidates for two open spaces on the school board in the November election. Those elected will serve a four year term.

Rosenblatt, who served as the board's vice president, is running for re-election while Rak and Tzifas are running to replace current president Tom Quiggle who will not run again.

More spots on the school board may open up depending on the outcome of the fall elections held on November 8, as two current members are running for separate positions on other regulatory boards.

Should those positions become available, the remaining school board members will have the option of either appointing new members, or holding an election to fill the vacancies.

In regards to the issue of the new school, Rosenblatt said the district should consider working with the city on collaborating and effort between the two entities to come up with a solution that could benefit both.

He floated the idea of perhaps a land swap between the city and school district, or perhaps constructing a building that could serve as a school during class hours and community center afterwards.

Rosenblatt sits on a committee that features two members of the school board and two members of the city council that is intended to facilitate discussion on such issues.

Rak, who works professionally as a high tech executive, echoed the need for the school district to work with the city in order to further develop what a new school in San Carlos should look like.

Tzifas, an engineer construction manager, said that the school district should engage in master planning with both residents and the community in order to find a plan that works best for all.

"We should get the community involved. Because it is going to be expensive," said Tzifas.

As the debate progressed, a rift between the two newest candidates was exposed when approaching the issue of technology in the classroom.

Rak, who has worked for Symantec, said that he endorses utilizing technological advancements in order to prepare students for life in the the 21st century, as well as competing on a global level.

But Tzifas said that though he doesn't oppose the use of technology, he believes a priority should be teaching students a traditional skill set so they can succeed without developing a dependency on devices.

"I don't think we need to take away basic fundamental instruction by adding something else," said Tzifas.

Ultimately though, there was agreement among all candidates that the most important asset the district had in maintaining a quality education environment for students was teachers.

In order to retain those teachers, Rosenblatt suggested that the district find a way to offer financial incentives to teachers who regularly lead the highest performing classes.

And Tzifas said that he believes utilizing community volunteers to their maximum potential could help offset some of the stresses teachers feel with an increased workload, as school budget and staffing reductions have become increasingly common due to the state government's ongoing financial crisis.

Rak said that he believes the involvement of the local residents is an element that helps brings quality teachers to join the school district.

"I think that it is a great community we have here in San Carlos," he said. "There is funding from the community, and that helps attract teachers."

Thursday's debate was put on by the San Carlos Education Foundation, which helps raise money for the school district.