Four out of five CVESD board members think Doug Luffborough is the man for the job

Photo: New CVESD board member Doug Luffborough

FEB. 18, 2009 UPDATE: Well, I guessed wrong on this one. I felt pretty confident that it must have been Larry Cunningham who voted against Doug Luffborough (see post below), but it turns out it was David Bejarano.

I guess I now have to admit the obvious: I don't know why board members made the decisions they made. I like both David Bejarano and Doug Luffborough, and I trust they will work together well. And it was silly of me to think that Larry Cunningham would ever have the courage to vote against the board majority; it's not how he does business.





ORIGINAL POST:

Reading between the lines here, I'm thinking that Larry Cunningham is the one who voted against the new board member. Poor Larry. He's really missing Pat Judd, who lost both his board seat and his job last year, and who seems to be applying for a job in every school district in southern California. "Pat Judd" is by far the most frequent search term that leads visitors to my site. I suppose Larry also misses Bertha Lopez, and the old Pamela Smith, the one who voted like an obedient right-winger.


Nonprofit director appointed to Chula Vista school board
By Pablo Jaime Sáinz
February 6, 2009
La Prensa

The executive director of a non-profit social services agency has been appointed as the new member of the Chula Vista Elementary School District this week.

Douglas Luffborough III will serve the remaining two years of former board member Bertha Lopez’s term. Lopez was elected to the Sweetwater Union High School District board in November...

The district school board voted 3 to 1 to appoint Luffborough at a special meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 3, after a process where community input was taken into account and after receiving 23 applications for the position...

During his interview and presentation to the board, Luffborough said that he was the best candidate for the job because he has a very special reason to become a board member: His daughter, who is a student at a school in the district.

“She is the first reason why I decided to apply for this seat,” he said. “I want her and all the children in the district to have the best education possible.”

That commitment and passion for his own children’s education is what impressed board member Russell Coronado and led him to vote for Luffborough for the position.

“As a parent myself, I saw that Douglas had the passion needed for this job,” Coronado said. “It’s not only about having the professional experience and the right credentials, it’s about having the love for our kids.”

Days earlier, Coronado said he sent out a massive e-mail to members of the community asking them for their input regarding the school board appointment. He said that having children in the district was one of the factors community members sought in the candidate.

“Since a special election is not being considered, community input at this stage is vital,” read Coronado’s e-mail. “ I believe that it is imperative that we gather as much information prior to the selection of this very important position....I would also encourage you to attend the February 3rd meeting. Along with your input and with collaboration, I believe that we will be able to make a decision that is open, honest and right for our school district and community.”

Board President Pamela Smith said that it was a difficult decision appointing just one person from the seven final candidates.

The other finalists were Pamela Bauer-Fischer, a lawyer; Hector Espinoza, a school administrator; Beatrice Fernandez, a resource teacher and parent coordinator; Carol Green, an instructional assistant; Mary Anne Stro, an educational consultant; and David Wallace, a business owner...

Luffborough said that he had a rough time growing up.

He said he was homeless during his senior year in high school, that his father was absent from his early life, and that his family struggled financially...