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Longtime educators Reb Monaco and Ed Schmidt are vying for the District 4 seat on the San Benito County Board of Education.
District 4 covers southeast Hollister, Ridgemark, Tres Pinos and Paicines all the way to the southern county line.
Reb Monaco, 82, is looking to stay on the San Benito County Board of Education. Winning the District 4 seat in 2018, he is currently serving his second term on the board. Before becoming a board member, Monaco previously served two terms as the District 4 San Benito County Supervisor. Monaco has lived in District 4 for 54 years and has more than 50 years of education experience at all grade levels.
BenitoLink: Why are you running?
Monaco: I am an incumbent, serving two terms on the San Benito County Board of Education. I have over 50 years of education experience as a teacher at all grade levels from K-12 through post-secondary education. I specialized in special education teaching, and have several teaching credentials, including a Master’s degree in education. I am also a lifelong member of the California Teachers Association, and past president of our local chapter.
If elected, what will be your top priorities?
As a county education board member my top priorities are to serve all students in our county, making sure they have access to the best education which they deserve.
What are the biggest educational challenges students face and what is your plan for addressing those challenges?
I feel that the biggest challenge that we as a county board of education face is declining enrollment, as most school districts in our country are experiencing. Also, many students in our county are experiencing difficulty with reading and math. Our test scores, countywide, have shown improvement but are lower than we like. Our board and county staff are working with districts and our own county programs to address these issues with a variety of programs, while also carefully tracking the success.
Ed Schmidt, 60, is a retired educator who worked for 34 years in education. Schmidt taught Spanish for 25 years at Hollister, Merced and Napa high schools and served as an assistant principal for both Hollister and Salinas high schools for nine years. Having lived in his district for 25 years, Schmidt has served as board president for the Tres Pinos Water District for 19 years and as a board member for the Tres Pinos Union Elementary School District for 15 years, serving 11 years as the board president.
BenitoLink: Why are you running?
Schmidt: As a young person, I was involved in 4-H, which instilled in me a sense of community service. As an officer, I enjoyed guiding our club towards our goals and objectives. While I was a leader in high school athletics and clubs, this obligation to serve became more entrenched.
As a recent retiree, I have the time to commit to new leadership challenges. The opportunity to serve on a board at the county level is one I find in line with my desire to serve our students. Though I have enjoyed serving on the board at our local school, serving at the county level would be a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with other board members and our newly elected county superintendent of schools. I believe our county has been on a positive trajectory and I would like to help that continue. At the same time, we continue to face challenges. I feel my various forms of experience would be valuable in meeting discussions and workshops with the goal of improving student achievement.
If elected, what will be your top priorities?
One priority is to continue the growth created under our current superintendent. There have been many positive areas of growth that should continue through future evaluation, critique, and slight modifications.
Another priority is to improve the condition of rural schools that currently are facing many challenges such as decreasing enrollment, funding for services, and the need for continued collaboration with and support from the county office of education.
The final top priority is to facilitate a smooth transition of leadership as our current superintendent ends her term and our future superintendent starts hers.
What are the biggest educational challenges students face and what is your plan for addressing those challenges?
First of all, let’s be clear that our goal at any level of our educational system in San Benito County is to assist students in overcoming challenges. If an initiative does not center on that goal, the county office of education should scrap the initiative or modify it so that it does center on student achievement.
Many of our students face challenges with basic skills. As a high school employee, I noticed many deficiencies. Finding academic and emotional support for administrators and teachers to utilize to decrease potential gaps in learning should be an area of improvement led by collaboration of all levels and facets of education. Our board should create policies and professional development opportunities that lead to the creation of all types of support for our students.
Stronger initial instruction and interventions for those students who have yet to become proficient in targeted skills and clear learning objectives should be two actions marching hand in hand. Professional development for all employees in our schools should focus on these areas of instruction. Though there are other needs to address, stronger initial instruction and interventions should remain central to our mission as a county board of education. Our board should create policies and professional development opportunities that lead to the creation of improved initial instruction and intervention as an essential part of instruction. The development of learning targets and backwards planning is another priority that the board’s policies should foster and assist.
The BenitoLink Internship Program is a paid, skill-building program that prepares local youth for a professional career. This program is supported by Monterey Peninsula Foundation AT&T Golf Tour and Taylor Farms.
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