February 10, 2006

East Side trustees to extend new interim
superintendent’s contract

Many welcome Bob Nunez’s leadership in
troubled high school district

By Sheila Sanchez
Editor

The East Side Union High School District board of trustees will consider extending interim superintendent Bob Nunez’s contract until June of 2007 during next week’s meeting.

The 54-year-old Nunez replaced former district Superintendent Esperanza Zendejas in the summer of 2005 when the board of trustees appointed him on an interim basis to serve through June of 2006.

Needs stability
J. Manuel Herrera, president of the board of trustees, said the district has not initiated a full search for a permanent superintendent because it needs a period of stability and consolidation of positions after difficult years under Zendejas’ tenure. Her term was marked by financial problems, criticism of her leadership style and a high school’s effort to split from the district to become a charter.

Zendejas quit last July after only working in the 24,000-student east San Jose district for less than two years.

Bob Nunez

Herrera said Nunez is serving effectively and that the district is refocusing its efforts, which has “lessened the urgency for any full search for a regular superintendent.”

A decision on Nunez’s contract is expected at 6 p.m. on Feb. 9 during the regularly scheduled monthly meeting of the board of trustees at district headquarters, 830 North Capitol Avenue.

The board will also consider removing the word interim from Nunez’s title. He’s earning $125,000 a year as interim superintendent. If the board names him superintendent he will make $225,000 a year.

Hired in 2004
In May of 2004, the board of trustees hired Nunez to lead its human resources department. When the district lost Zendejas, he applied for the interim position. Two of the nearly 10 applicants were interviewed and Nunez was selected to serve as interim superintendent.

“This is an exceptional district with exceptional people,” Nunez said. “If they were to offer me that (superintendent’s position) it would be a great opportunity.”

A majority of board members believe Nunez has guided the district during a difficult school year. They praise him for working effectively with district employees and other constituents and school board members who have different personalities and leadership styles.

“So far it’s working,” Herrera said. “I think the district is making progress in a partnership of the board with the interim superintendent. There’s much that remains to be done, but clearly there is a sense that things are moving in the right direction.”

Financial struggle
The top issue the board is struggling with is its financial future. It’s also in the midst of negotiating labor contracts with its employees, the outcome of such negotiations will determine whether the district can maintain fiscal stability, Herrera said.

In June of 2005, the trustees passed a balanced budget of $200 million that prevented layoffs and service reductions expected because of a multimillion-dollar shortfall. Trustees face substantial-spending cuts in the future as they balance rising costs without enough funding.

At the moment, the district has a temporary reprieve from its financial crisis because it used $12 million in one-time funds that resulted from the sale of land. The reprieve also came because the teacher’s union and the clerical employees made concessions in class sizes and cost of living adjustments and health and fringe benefits, Herrera said.

“The district is achieving all victories and genuine success when you look at our API scores. Last year, all schools made significant progress. This year, all but Yerba Buena and Oak Grove high schools were just short of meeting their target goal. Our schools are making progress every year,” Herrera said.

Nunez said if the board extends his contract he would focus on continuing to improve the district schools’ climate, remain student focused, be fiscally sound, improve student achievement and increase the number of students who graduate and go on to college.

“I believe that in the last seven months I’ve demonstrated a skill set that they feel they would like to continue at the district,” Nunez said.

Support for Nunez
Board member Lan Nguyen said the board has been consulting with all district stakeholders, such as the East Side Teachers Association and the California School Employees Association, to support Nunez.

“He has performed an excellent job as our interim superintendent,” Nguyen noted, explaining that after Nunez’s one-year extension, the board can permanently make him the district’s superintendent or terminate his contract earlier than usual.

“The district needs stability at this time,” he said. “We look forward to improving student performance and create a working environment for the kids and the staff.”

Nguyen was hopeful that through Nunez, the district could resolve all its issues. He said morale has improved in the district. The board still has not approved the teachers’ contract. “We’re making great progress,” he said.

Don McKell, president of the East Side Teachers Association, said he supported the trustees extending his contract.

“Bob Nunez has brought a much needed breath of fresh air to the district,” McKell said, adding that Nunez should be praised to come in on the heels of Zendejas and has demonstrated a capacity to listen to a lot of people before making decisions.

McKell went as far as to say that he would support Nunez becoming the permanent superintendent.

Filiberto Zamora, president of local chapter of the California School Employees Association, declined to comment saying the union is going through labor negotiations.

“We want to keep a good relationship with the district administration in general so we don’t hinder anything that could possibly come to the table and maintain a good faith relationship while we go through the process,” he said.

The CSEA represents about 700 non-credential and non-administrative employees in the district. The union has been in negotiations with the district for more than a year.

“His relationship has changed the direction of negotiations,” Zamora said. “We’ve had a good rapport with him. It’s a completely different style than the previous superintendent. He has helped our organization by stopping the layoffs. That was a big step toward mending our bridges.”

Nunez is married and has two grown children. He’s been in the South Bay Area for two years. He lives in Milpitas, while his family still resides in Orange County.

“I found this community inviting and welcoming,” he said. “I’m excited and eager and my goal is to assist all those students to be college bound.”