Letter: A comparison of the two candidates running for school board
To the editor,
– I am a public school (SLO High School and Cal Poly) graduate. My children and grandson attend public schools, and I am a retired public university faculty (SDSU). I care about educating our next generation and I want school board trustees who value effective education. It is important for students to have a welcoming and safe environment first, above politics or partisanship. I have prepared a comparison of the candidates below using publicly available information.
Angela Hollander has volunteered in our schools for 20+ years in the following capacities: PreK-12, Superintendent’s Parent Council and School Site Councils, and she currently volunteers twice a week at the PRHS College and Career Center. Hollander established the “Raising a Reader” early childhood literacy program at SLOCOE, which after 20 years, has 29 programs throughout the county. She established the kindergarten transition program (Georgia Brown) as the SLO School Readiness Coordinator and currently manages PRHS Scholarship and College/Career Center programs.
Kenney Enney was appointed by outgoing trustees to the PRJUSD board in October. He served for two months. Enney has said, “Paso High is sick and scares me.” During his short time on the board, he spent time on the false allegation that ‘Furrys’ (sic) were using litter boxes in the high school bathrooms. Additionally, he tried to force the district into sending a letter to all parents alleging that students may have had access to porn via the district website, despite the fact that the website in question, which is intended to prevent suicide, does not contain porn, and was in fact not even accessed by a single student. He says he “does not trust the school staff at all.”
Hollander managed scholarships for The Community Foundation, SLO County for 13 years and was a Neonatal Intensive Care nurse for 20+ years. Additionally, she has her masters in public and private management and has publicly stated she is a fiscal conservative and will make decisions from an informed financial perspective, something our community should value in a school board member, given our history.
Enney spent 23 years in the US Marine Corps. He claims to be a “local college teacher” but after checking Cal Poly, Hancock, Cuesta, Hartnell, and CSU Monterey Bay, I have been unable to verify where he holds a faculty position.
Hollander believes party politics have no place on the school board. She made a point not to seek or accept an endorsement from either political party and has been focused on finding collaborative solutions to the issues the district faces with low performance on standardized tests.
Despite filing with the clerk that he is non-partisan, Enney has strong partisan affiliations with and endorsements from the local-level Republican Party. The State Republican Party is sending robocalls on his behalf. He published a video of himself speaking at a “New California State” secessionist group meeting.
Enney’s solutions appear to be focused on breaking up the high school and breaking up the district. In addition, he encourages community members to file lawsuits against the district.
Hollander, on the other hand, cares about making the school district better by setting specific goals and standards, then holding the Superintendent accountable for reaching these goals. According to Dr. Julian Crocker, former SLO County Superintendent of Schools and PRJUSD Superintendent, “She will be an advocate for all students. Angela will do her homework, vote fairly on issues and encourage citizen involvement.”
I look forward to the March 22 League of Women Voters/AAUW-sponsored candidate forum to hear more. For now, I heartily endorse and support Angela Hollander for the PRJUSD Trustee in the upcoming special election.
Cynthia Lewis, PhD
Marine Biologist, retired
Templeton
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