CANDIDATE PROFILE: Jeanne DeVincenzi

By Jesse Duarte
STAFF WRITER

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Jeanne DeVincenzi said that as a school boardmember she would work to make sure every St. Helena student gets the same high-quality education her three daughters are enjoying.

“I’m all about positive change,” said DeVincenzi, who’s seeking Trustee Carolyn Martini’s seat in the Feb. 23 recall election.

DeVincenzi, a business attorney, is president of the St. Helena Elementary School Site Council. She serves on the RLS Middle School Site Council and on the board of the St. Helena Public Schools Foundation Endowment Trust. She was previously a member of the Parent Teacher Group for the primary and elementary schools.

DeVincenzi said that while her three daughters are thriving in St. Helena’s public schools system, “it’s heartbreaking to me when I see the children who aren’t.”

She said she’s afraid special education students aren’t getting the education they deserve — not because of a lack of talented teachers, but because of high-level program decisions the district has made.

Students who aren’t college-bound also need more support, she said. The district needs to find a way to keep the International Baccalaureate program in place and still give those kids the tools they need to succeed, she said.

DeVincenzi is worried that at-risk students aren’t being served as well as they were when the Madrone continuation school operated on the high school campus.

She also wants to make sure English language learners are provided with enough resources.

“We need to reach out to the Hispanic community and see what their concerns are,” she said.

DeVincenzi said that in addition to her keen interest in education, her legal knowledge could come in handy when the board deals with contracts and litigation.

“I could read the legal briefs and have a dialogue with the district’s attorneys,” she said.

More communication

A lot of the district’s problems are due to lack of communication, said DeVincenzi.

“When the recall succeeds, I think you will see much better communication,” she said. “The public will be encouraged to speak more, and their comments will be answered.”

Communication will also be more effective because the recall candidates are “incredibly engaged in our schools,” and understand the important issues, said DeVincenzi.

Right now some parents, students and teachers fear retaliation if they speak their minds, she said.

“That culture has to stop, 100 percent,” said DeVincenzi. “We see that problem, acknowledge it, and want to change it.”

“We also need a board that will direct the district rather than allow the superintendent to direct it,” said DeVincenzi. “Superintendents are in charge of day-to-day operations, but they need some direction.”

More oversight

Given the possibility that the state will take away St. Helena’s Basic Aid status — it’s already done away with the name in favor of the ominous term “excess revenue” — the board needs to come up with a plan to do more with less.

That means looking at the district’s financial priorities, said DeVincenzi.

“I’m concerned that there are some programs that are not being funded and there are some segments of our student population that are not being served as well as they could be,” she said. “We need to ask some tough questions about where our dollars should be spent.”

DeVincenzi believes the recall was sparked in April when the board appointed Robert Haley as superintendent, instead of hiring him on an interim basis and conducting an outside search for other candidates.

“That caused a lot of parents and community members to start talking,” said DeVincenzi. “People shared the experiences and concerns that they had, and it seemed that a lot of those stories weren’t isolated experiences — they were part of a pattern.”

The recall could have been avoided if trustees had taken the community’s advice on the Haley appointment, drafted his contract differently, or even explained their position more effectively, said DeVincenzi.

“Time and time again, instead of listening to people’s questions and comments and keeping an open mind, the board has dug in and continued on its path,” she said.

DeVincenzi said that if she doesn’t win Martini’s seat, she would run for one of the three seats that are available in November 2010.