December 28, 2007

Evergreen SchoolScene

Jane Howard is namedpresident of County Board of Education

The Santa Clara County Board of Education on Wednesday elected its officers for 2008.  Jane Howard, who has served on the board since 2005, was named president, and Craig Mann, a board member since 2006, was named vice president.

Jane Howard is executive director of the Gilroy Visitors Bureau and a past president of the board of the Gilroy Unified School District. She has served on the County Board of Education’s Budget Study Committee, Policy Development Subcommittee, Joint Committee on Child Care, and South County Regional Occupational Program Operations Committee. She has been president of the board of the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce, chair of the South Valley Hospital Board, president of the Leadership Gilroy Education Foundation, and director of the Gilroy Garlic Festival and Rotary Club.  

Newly elected Vice President Craig Mann has worked in private industry throughout most of his career. He has served on the board's Budget Study and Joint Legislative Advisory committees as well as the Joint Policy Development Subcommittee. He was a member and chair of San Jose's Human Rights Commission for three years. His school board experience includes eight years as an East Side Union High School District trustee and two years as a Metropolitan Education District trustee.  

As the elected governing body of the Santa Clara County Office of Education, the board’s seven members approve the budget and set policies that guide the SCCOE in providing administrative, instructional and student services to the county’s 32 public school districts.

In addition to Howard and Mann, current board members are Leon Beauchman, T.N. Ho, Grace Mah, Gary Rummelhoff and Anna Song. More information on all members can be found online at www.sccoe.org.  

The board holds regular meetings on the first and third Wednesday of the month at 5 p.m. in the SCCOE board room. This month, however, the board will hold a special meeting on Dec. 17, from 5-8 p.m. to discuss business related to hiring a new county superintendent.  Meetings in January have been re-scheduled for Jan. 9 and 23.  Thereafter meetings in 2008 are scheduled for: Feb. 6, 20; Mar. 5, 19; Apr. 2, 16; May 7, 21; June 4, 18; July 16; Aug. 13; Sept. 3, 17; Oct. 1, 15; Nov. 5, 19; and Dec. 10.