Posted by Julia, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Jul 28, 2012 at 11:08 am

Three incumbent candidates -- if there are no challengers then the election is cancelled? OK, it saves money that can go to the schools, but is it good to have no challengers?

Posted by Not good, a resident of the Amador Estates neighborhood, on Jul 29, 2012 at 7:29 pm

It is not good to run without a challenger. Unfortunately, the wimps who post unanimously (or use made up names) will complain after the elections about the school board on Pleasanton Weekly. Too bad they don't have enough courage to stand for what they believe in and actually declare their candidacy.

Posted by Kathleen Ruegsegger, a resident of the Vintage Hills Elementary School neighborhood, on Jul 29, 2012 at 7:48 pm
Kathleen Ruegsegger is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com

It's difficult to run against an incumbent and for a pretty thankless job that requires many hours of work (if it's being done correctly) and for a stipend of $400 a month. If anyone knows a candidate that would have higher expectations of staff, I hope they are being encouraged to run. I'd like to believe there are many people looking for change and would want to help that candidate(s).

Posted by Nurse Shark, a resident of the Bridle Creek neighborhood, on Jul 29, 2012 at 8:05 pm

How about Stacey? I believe that her time has come!

Posted by Not Fooled, a resident of the Laguna Vista neighborhood, on Jul 30, 2012 at 7:06 am

That's all these posts are full of. Cowardly sorts who don't use their own names and complain about everything. I'm sick of it!

Posted by Unanimously here, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Jul 30, 2012 at 1:08 pm

Hey, "Not good" (is that your real name?) . and since I'm "unanimously" here, maybe you are 'anonymous'. One's under 'u' the other 'a' in the dictionary.

Sorry, just couldn't resist, your 'unanimous' was just too irresistable.

Posted by new blood, a resident of the Pleasanton Heights neighborhood, on Jul 30, 2012 at 10:43 pm

the school board desperately needs new blood. hopefully someone rises up to the challenge and holds these board members accountable. we have the ultimate say-so. our votes. we just need someone to step up.

Posted by Daniel Bradford, a member of the Foothill High School community, on Jul 30, 2012 at 11:40 pm

Hm, I checked and the law requires you to use your full legal name when running for public office. Which excludes the anonymous legion who post here...except for Ms. Ruegsegger, who is wise enough not to seek a job in which her real lack of executive and management experience would be exposed for all to see. Far better to pontificate in the fantasy world of P-Weekly comments than actually roll up your sleeves and do something constructive for your community.

Posted by Kathleen Ruegsegger, a resident of the Vintage Hills Elementary School neighborhood, on Jul 31, 2012 at 12:07 am
Kathleen Ruegsegger is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com

Uh, Daniel--I already served on the PUSD board. I also learned a lot working for the superintendents and boards in Pleasanton and Palo Alto. But, I am a firm believer in current parents serving.

Posted by Not Fooled, a resident of the Laguna Vista neighborhood, on Jul 31, 2012 at 6:50 am

Kathleen is very right. Why do we even need a Board? Parents are smart enough to educate there children on there own. We've homeschooled all seven of are kids and happy we did. School Boards are just another layer of Big Brother imposition on the freedom of parents to educate there children the way they want them.

Posted by Kathleen Ruegsegger, a resident of the Vintage Hills Elementary School neighborhood, on Jul 31, 2012 at 7:57 am
Kathleen Ruegsegger is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com

Of course there should be a board--preferably an effective one.

Posted by Nurse Shark, a resident of the Bridle Creek neighborhood, on Jul 31, 2012 at 8:37 am

Why should there be a board? Just because there's been one for a long time? Very Pavlovian.

Posted by Not Fooled, a resident of the Laguna Vista neighborhood, on Jul 31, 2012 at 8:48 am

Well, if there MUST be a Board, I recommend members who haven't served in slavish kiss-up positions and who are capable of thinking beyond the enslaving confines of a rigid ideology. We've got at least one example of how THAT works. Bow Wow.

Posted by Kathleen Ruegsegger, a resident of the Vintage Hills Elementary School neighborhood, on Jul 31, 2012 at 8:52 am
Kathleen Ruegsegger is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com

What is the problem you think you are solving for here?

Posted by Not Fooled, a resident of the Laguna Vista neighborhood, on Jul 31, 2012 at 9:05 am

What's the grammatical form you think you are using here? Got meaning anyone? Is Staceleen also SteveP and Lib is D? The mystery deepens!

Posted by Kathleen Ruegsegger, a resident of the Vintage Hills Elementary School neighborhood, on Jul 31, 2012 at 9:40 am
Kathleen Ruegsegger is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com

Meaning: I've already served as a board member. I believe current parents are closest to the schools and children. Boards, when effective, perform an amazing balancing act of holding staff accountable while working to ensure the best education for the community's children. And you don't know me very well. Perhaps you wish to serve in that role.

Posted by Stacey, a resident of the Amberwood/Wood Meadows neighborhood, on Jul 31, 2012 at 10:07 am
Stacey is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com

Talk about pontificating... For one so interested in accountability, Mr. Bradford should register for an account on this website. There is an option to provide your full legal name when you register. It is a favor to readers to let them know that your words were in fact written by you and not by an impersonator, which is so easy to do here.

Posted by Serious Mildred, a resident of the Charter Oaks neighborhood, on Jul 31, 2012 at 11:50 am

I'll tell you what we're attempting to solving for here! And what a job she did, too! Whew! As to impersonators, as Staceleen mentions, I refer everyone to the registered Casanova Frankenstein whose posts are indeed written by a real person who has legal status and has done everyone here a great service.

Whose realer? The so-called Stacey (aka Staceleen Rugsinbugger) or Casanova Frankenstein? Ha! That's for only the big pontificator in the sky to decide!

Posted by Stacey, a resident of the Amberwood/Wood Meadows neighborhood, on Jul 31, 2012 at 2:35 pm
Stacey is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com

So what you're saying is that if I were to ask the PW if they could verify that Casanova is who they say they are and not a pseudonym, the answer would be yes? Just like sending a letter to the editor for print, right? I mean, for those so obsessed over the identities of supposedly anonymous contributors who are registered on this website, the level of research skills needed is pretty elementary. You DID provide your full real name when you registered, didn't you?

Posted by Not Fooled, a resident of the Laguna Vista neighborhood, on Aug 1, 2012 at 7:25 am

Wow. Contacting PW editors to learn whether another poster is real or not. Wonder how much time out of the day Staceleen spends doing THAT! Nice life, I guess. Probably beats being a secretary.

Posted by Kathleen Ruegsegger, a resident of the Vintage Hills Elementary School neighborhood, on Aug 1, 2012 at 8:16 am
Kathleen Ruegsegger is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com

First you have to accept that we are two different people. I know a few other posters--met them for coffee even. Beyond that, I don't care what name anyone uses, although my personal view is, to have any integrity, a poster should pick one name and stick to it. In the past I have asked the editors to check if one person is posting under multiple names on one topic when it was obvious, but I've given that up because PW really doesn't have the staff, and I think those posters are pretty obvious to everyone anyway. I had a fairly nice career as a secretary in both the private and public arenas, thanks.

Posted by Not Fooled, a resident of the Laguna Vista neighborhood, on Aug 1, 2012 at 8:52 am

I've found that posters who use their own names (when not posting under other names) tend to have identity problems. So many conversations end up being about an individual poster. It's about me, me, and me (take your pick). Which ends up being pretty boring. A secretary? Yawn. How many times do we have to hear this? And that she contacts editors to 'to ask' about other posters? Well, how nice! An authoritarian, who's afraid of Big Brother mandating that children be strapped into car safety seats, making inquiries into other posters' identities. Like I say, identity problems.

Posted by Kathleen Ruegsegger, a resident of the Vintage Hills Elementary School neighborhood, on Aug 1, 2012 at 10:33 am
Kathleen Ruegsegger is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com

Here's the rule: "You agree not to post comments under multiple names. Postings within a single topic from the same IP address made under different names will be deleted." To clarify, when asked, there is no response about who a person is--posts simply got removed with a note that there were multiple posts by one person. Seems some feel they can pick which rules to follow (multiple postings, not so much).

Posted by Kathleen Ruegsegger, a resident of the Vintage Hills Elementary School neighborhood, on Aug 1, 2012 at 10:37 am
Kathleen Ruegsegger is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com

Anyway, school board members have a difficult job, but I hope others will take on this challenge.

Posted by Hate Big Brother, a resident of the Amberwood/Wood Meadows neighborhood, on Aug 1, 2012 at 11:37 am

Mandated child safety seats in automobiles. Baaaaaad.

Rules to limit people's names. Gooooooood.

Thanks Staceleen for clearing matters up!

Posted by Kathleen Ruegsegger, a resident of the Vintage Hills Elementary School neighborhood, on Aug 1, 2012 at 11:45 am
Kathleen Ruegsegger is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com

Actually, it's just a matter of following all the rules, not just the ones you personally feel are pertinent.

Looking forward to seeing whether we have additional candidate(s) to consider for school board.

Posted by Marie, a resident of the Amberwood/Wood Meadows neighborhood, on Aug 3, 2012 at 9:47 pm

And there is a 4th potential candidate. I see that the registrar of voters has added Sean Kullman to the list.

Posted by Tony, a resident of the The Knolls neighborhood, on Aug 4, 2012 at 9:34 am

If Chris Grant would vacate his seat many would come forward. Chris has no value to the board other than agreeing with staff.

Posted by Arnold, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Aug 8, 2012 at 11:41 pm

The CTA has too much influence over elections and the composition of the school board. The school board and the CTA have too much control over contract approval, the number of school days, the hours teachers can work, and the programs that are cut.

A CTA endorsement of a school board candidate should be a red flag. The CTA endorsement is really just the teachers union funding & electing the people that vote on their contracts.

If that isn't a conflict I don't know what is.

Posted by Arnold, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Aug 9, 2012 at 11:24 am

... and to continue. Any US citizen whose earnings and taxes may be influenced by the President of the United States has no business endorsing either candidate. Or to put it slightly differently, no President of the United States, or candidate for the position, deserves to have any endorsement from any citizen whose earnings or taxes may be affected.

I've done the math, and it all adds up. Honest. Anyone voting for Obama in the next election cycle? Red Flag! Red Flag! Conflict of interest because, hey, your earnings or taxes might be affected.

Down with teachers unions. Down with US citizens. Conflict of interest!

Posted by Julia, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Aug 13, 2012 at 5:21 pm

So, it's happened -- no challengers. No election this fall! All three incumbents move into their next term unopposed.

Posted by Cholo, a resident of Livermore, on Aug 29, 2012 at 7:12 pm

if you follow the rules and trust your tail...you'll simply end up in the right place...

i'm always trying to share bits of wisdom with plutonians...

you're welcome...

Posted by Mark, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Sep 11, 2012 at 2:22 pm

Is it ok for teachers to come to school under the influence? I think NOT... Yet we have this problem in our schools. Our Board of Directors and teachers are aware of this and do NOTHING... Since when is it ok to teach children while on POT!!! Medical card or not?