Candidate for
Board Member; Cabrillo Unified School District

My name is Jolanda Schreurs. My family is Dutch and that's why I have a name that's so difficult to spell and pronounce. My mother grew up in Indonesia, daughter of a school principal; she became a home economics teacher. My father grew up in the Netherlands, son of a carpenter & home-decorating store owner; my dad was the first in his family to go to college and then university. My parents immigrated to NY in the 1950’s; to study at Columbia Univ, NY where he completed his doctorate in physical chemistry.

My childhood was spent in Corning, a small town in upstate NY, where glass is king and science drives innovations in glass products such as optical wave guides, Pyrex, catalytic converters, flat panel displays, etc. I still remember being in 5^th grade when we were given demonstrations by scientists of optical fibers and photochromic lenses. Corning has the world’s best glass museum… full of technological wonders, demonstrations of factory automation and robotics, an awesome glassblowing facility, spectacular glass art, a history of glass from the worldst largest telescopic mirror (and one of my brother’s mirror blanks!!). I’m proud of the town that helped shaped me.

As a young student, I moved to Ithaca NY. I studied at the the College of Life Sciences & Agriculture at Cornell Univ. My core courses of study were human biology, biochemistry, neurobiology, but I also enjoyed courses in systems biology, a discipline founded by E.O Wilson, and courses in phytochemistry- i.e.,plant chemistry, entomology, and surprise, the history of art. I received my B.S., Biology in 1978.

In 1985, I received my PhD in Pharmacology from Stanford University. Pharmacology is a discipline which seeks to undertand how drugs work both molecularly, cellularly, and in the organism. As a pharmacologist, I did basic research. I purified natural molecules, tested to see how they behaved, what made them tick, what cells in the body they affected, what the molecular details were, etc. Please note, that a pharmacologist is not the same as a pharmacist, who is licensed to sell medicinal drugs to humans. These two professions are very different.

In the years following, I’ve worked as a scientist, project manager, and department supervisor, for a number of Bay Area biotechnologycompanies including DNAX, Cetus, Chiron, and Axys Pharmaceutics. My work centered on basic research as well as, the development of drugs that stimulate the immune system to fight cancer and infectious diseases. I’ve managed collaborations with leading companies and Institutions such as Amgen, Pharmacia and the NIH and worked with clinicians developing drugs for FDA approval.

Nearly 7 years ago, I refocussed my priorities, with the decision that I needed to be an active full-time participant in my sons' lives and educations. Today, my boys are happily attending HMBHS (9^th grade) and Farallone View Elementary (5^th grade). They have had successful years in the Cabrillo schools and have had wonderful teachers; my husband and I continue to value our public schools on this very personal level.

In 1996, with this new focus, I evaluated the situation of our local public schools, only to discover that the needs were great and the resources very limited. I connected with a core group of parents who were dedicated to educational issues. Joining these individuals, I have worked ever since to advance public education on the Coastside.

In 1996, I co-chaired the successful $35,000,000 Facilities Bond Measure K campaign and received special recognition for this from the Governing Board together with Dwight Wilson and Roy Salume, who are also candidates for school board this Nov 5th. Monies from this bond were used to renovate and modernize the elementary schools, build a new Arts & Sciences building at HMBHS and remodel the remainder of the high school.

Between 1997-1999, I was the PTA President at Farallone View Elementary School. Together, with a wonderful group of parents, the principal and a teacher rep, we improved accountability, worked to enhance communications between home & school, managed a plethora of fundraising and service programs, added new programs; cobbled together resources to purchase new equipment; worked to forge partnerships, relationships, and strong foundations between the schools and members of our community. As PTA liason to the Site Council, I helped reviewed Site plans, curricular changes, and suggested new initiatives for the following year. And as the PTA representative, I always tried to keep in mind the concerns of parents and to follow the Objects of the National PTA.

At the Cunha Middle School, I joined the Site Council,and served as Chairperson and then Secretary. We successfully promoted a change in the science curriculum and implemented improvements and new equipment purchases for the computer technology center. We reviewed Site plans, curricular changes, and suggested new initiatives for the following year. I supported teachers in their requests and participated in the first year’s efforts to fund a Healthy Start program. I assisted in coordinating the Cunha Science Fair and initiated a new chess club.

Both in the past, and currently, I chair or sit on a variety of committees, and have regularly attended School Board, Site Council, Ed Fund, GATE, PTA President/Sup't meetings. My current involvement is with the parcel tax committee and Back-to-Basics/Operation Band-Aid

In 1999, I co-chaired the Measure C committee, together with Lew Cohen (a parent of children at Hatch school); this committee was the working group that sought passage of a parcel tax intended to provide funding for educational programs- including reduced class sizes, and literacy programs. This measure received a 54% Yes vote, a majority, but given the supermajority required by law, still not sufficient to achieve passage. I did not give up. In 2002, I was intimately involved with a second attempt to pass a parcel tax; with a 61.7% Yes vote. This was still not sufficient to pass. I did not give up. I spearheaded Operation Band-Aid together with Dwight Wilson and members of Back-to-Basics raising over $300,000 in 3 months, dollars meant to tide the district over, a temporary Band-Aid which would pay for teachers, literacy programs, counselors. These locally raised monies permitted the district to receive additional state funds as well as, matching funds from Noyce.

I am currently part of yet a third group which is seeking once again to pass a parcel tax in 2003. What are we doing differently? We have two parcel tax efforts under our belts; we have 6 months to prepare, we have a mission to involve the many different entities on the Coast, we are gathering a cadre of volunteers. We must succeed. This school district needs local resources to make up for the horrifically low levels of funding that we receive from the State.

If elected, I will bring to this position a variety of talents: honesty, objectivity, analytical skills, a focus on prospective planning, and a basic research scientist's willingness to explore ideas and concepts and implement change. I also like to solve problems, synthesize solutions, and believe in creative new ways of thinking. I welcome change, but change must always be based on a stable framework. I believe that improving K-12 education requires consistency and incremental steps applied year-after-year. For students, the learning process is cumulative and incremental, acquisition of basic knowledge and skills is like a wave, it moves dynamically forward.

My past record speaks to my ability to accomplish significant goals and facilitate improvements in our local Coastside schools. My commitment to excellence will continue to drive my future vision and goals.

I seek your support and respectfully ask for your vote on November 5^th.