July 15, 2004

SJUSD’s Rummelhoff to make run for county education board

By Lorraine Gabbert
Staff Writer

This November, San Jose Unified School District President Gary Rummelhoff will bid the board a fond farewell and throw his hat into the ring to vie for a seat on Santa Clara County’s Board of Education.

Vice Mayor Pat Dando, who has known Rummelhoff for more than 10 years, initially approached him to run for the SJUSD board. “I worked with him on his first campaign and was very pleased when he won,” voices Dando. “And he has not been a disappointment.” Dando says that although she saw Rummelhoff as one of those people who would be good at making policy decisions, he surpassed even her expectations.

“His greatest strengths are his passion for educating all of our children, his understanding of the value of working together with parents, teachers, administrators and children in providing the best education possible and his uncanny ability to listen and cut to the heart of the issues in a calming way,” Dando says. “There is no greater passion than when you’re dealing with children’s education, and it takes someone like Gary to provide direction during these emotional dialogues.”

"Gary's delivered on every promise he's made to help improve district test scores, bring a voice of moderation to the school board, to bring people with different views together," says San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce CEO Jim Cunneen. "He's been a great leader and collaborator on the school board and has also been a fierce advocate for Almaden Valley schools. During my State Assembly years, Gary was one of my key advisors. I would rely on his advice regarding the Sacramento education bills and found his advice to be balanced, right-to-the-point and extremely helpful."

Filing for county board trustee
Within the next two weeks, Rummelhoff will officially file for a position as county board trustee for Area 4, which includes San Jose Unified and a small portion of Orchard and East Side Union High School districts. He looks to succeed incumbent Alex Bantis. “I think there is a need for the county office to work more closely with the local school districts, and that is the perspective that I hope to bring [to the election],” says Rummelhoff.

The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) champions public education and provides instructional, administrative, business and technical support services for Santa Clara County’s 32 school districts. It also offers specialized instructional programs such as Head Start, Environmental Education, regional occupational programs, special education, alternative schools and migrant education.

“The Santa Clara County Office of Education can be a real resource to local school districts,” says Rummelhoff, “but judging from my eight years on the board of San Jose Unified, I think it can do a lot more than it has done. I believe that I can take the experience that I’ve had at the local school board to the county, and work with leadership there to bring a different perspective and a better direction to the board.”

Rummelhoff earned his bachelor of science degree in accounting from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and his MBA. from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Formerly a licensed CPA, he began his professional career in public accounting at KPMG. Before joining United Way Silicon Valley, he held senior financial positions at several high tech companies in Silicon Valley, such as Analog Devices, Logistix, Advantest and @pos.com.

Focus on financials
Representing Trustee Area 5, (which includes the area served by Allen, Graystone, Los Alamitos, Randol, Simonds and Williams elementary schools; Bret Harte, Castillero and Steinbeck middle schools; and Leland High School), Rummelhoff was first elected to the board of trustees for San Jose Unified School District in 1996 and is currently completing his second term as president. While on the board, his primary focus has been on the district’s fiscal matters, academic accountability, quality management, public engagement and team leadership. He prides himself in having assisted in passing two bond issues to refurbish aging schools and establishing strong community relations.

Besides guiding the SJUSD, Rummelhoff has been an active leader in state and regional educational efforts. As a delegate to the California School Board Association (CSBA), he chaired its Urban Council, and served on its Legislative Committee as government relations chair. He has also acted as district representative to the Santa Clara County School Board Association (SCCSBA) for the past seven years and been an active participant in alternative education programs and the County Superintendent’s Blue Ribbon Task Force.

“I feel that I have accomplished what I set out to with the San Jose Unified School District (SJUSD),” contends Rummelhoff. “I have a real interest in education, and I would be working on a different set of problems on the county board. As I’m wrapping up my second term as president of the SJUSD Board, and recently completed a year as president of the County Association for School Boards, I think that my experience would make me a great representative for our district with the county office.”

For Rummelhoff, this is a one-way door. “I would be disappointed if I didn’t end up at the county office,” he shares. Regardless of the outcome of the county race, he will be leaving his position as president of the SJUSD Board of Education.

Favors Leslie Reynolds
However, he takes comfort in the fact that a candidate he believes in has expressed interest in running for School Board Trustee for Almaden Valley in November. That person is Almaden Valley resident Leslie Reynolds, an active parent volunteer at Williams Elementary School serving as PTA vice president for four years, and president of its School Site Council. She is also on the PTA board of managers for Santa Clara County, and has interacted with the SJUSD Board through positions on the PTA Council, Bond Oversight Committee and Budget Advisory Committee.

“I think Leslie would be a great representative for Almaden Valley,” declares Rummelhoff. “She has worked on the district-level with many of the topics we’re dealing with and is very well-grounded on district issues.”

“I feel very passionately about what’s going on at our schools, how it affects the employees of the schools, and how it affects our children,” says Reynolds. “I understand that the Almaden community has high expectations for their students, and I can see what their needs are and how we fit into the district. I’m concerned with student achievement, quality facilities and public engagement. I think that our district does a pretty good job of communicating with the parents, but they can go a little bit farther, and that’s where I see myself—as a bridge between the two groups, and the voice of the Almaden community to the school district.”

Outgoing SJUSD Superintendent Dr. Linda Murray has worked closely with Rummelhoff since the mid 90s, and in the process, they have become good friends as well as co-workers.

Dr. Murray’s praise
“I think his vision matches mine in that we need to ensure an equal educational opportunity for the diverse student population we serve,” she says. “Gary has been very focused on closing the achievement gap and making sure that we’re directing our financial resources toward that goal. He has great acumen in the finance area, so he’s helped us think through some critical budget issues. His leadership and expertise in the areas of finance and management have really helped us to move forward. He believes in quality management and the ideals of the Baldridge program, such as working towards continuous improvement and being data driven and customer-focused.”

This year, the San Jose Unified School District was a finalist for the national Malcolm Baldridge Award for Quality Management. The district also won two equivalent state awards for excellence in management, based upon the Baldridge criteria.

“Gary had a lot to do with that,” notes Dr. Murray, “because he believes that good business and good management go hand in hand, and the same principals apply, no matter if you’re in the public sector in business or in education.”

Gary, and his wife, Jean, have resided in Almaden Valley for 17 years and have two children currently attending Leland High School and Bret Harte Middle School. The Rummelhoffs have remained active in their local community from supporting the swim team at Shadow Brook Cabana Club, to donating a wood-fired pizza party for Leland High School’s Blue and Gold silent auction, to cycling to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis. Rummelhoff can be found most mornings working out at AVAC, where he has been a member for years.

Community involvement
Rummelhoff began his involvement in community and public service when he led a team of volunteers preparing income tax returns for low-income and disadvantaged individuals. He has served on the board of the Almaden Valley Counseling Service, co-founded and is currently president of the Leland Foundation for Educational Excellence, and on the Board of the Shadow Brook Homeowners Association. He also is currently vice president of operations and CFO at United Way Silicon Valley, a position he has held since March 2002.

“His retiring will be a great loss for the children of San Jose Unified, but if he continues on at the county level, I know he will bring the same care for public education, professionalism and collaboration to the county that he was so successful with at San Jose Unified,” says Dando.

“Gary’s done an extraordinary job of being a board member who not only represents the interests of his own [Almaden Valley] community, but also represents the interests of all students in San Jose Unified,” says Dr. Murray.

“He has a very global perspective. He cares about all kids, whether they’re downtown or in Almaden. He’s been a great leader, and has helped build a team with all of the board members, as well as myself, so we could make great strides. I think he will take those skills with him, and be a wonderful addition to the County Board of Education.”