Experience and Position Statement

By Frank Biehl

Overview of experience and outline of basic positions

Frank Biehl

Governing Board Member, East Side Union High School District

A parent with community roots:

• Frank and his wife Barbara have lived on the East Side for 24 years where their two sons, Brian and Kevin graduated from Evergreen Valley and Mt. Pleasant High Schools. Frank is an investor. Barbara works for the Foothill Community Health Center where she is a dietitian. Brian, with a Masters degree, works for a structural engineering firm in San Francisco. Kevin is a junior at the University of Oklahoma where he is studying meteorology.

• Frank Biehl was elected a Governing Board Member of the East Side Union High School District (ESUHSD) in 2006 and re-elected in 2010. He was selected to serve as President of the Board in 2011 and 2012. Previously he served as Vice President, Audit Committee Chair and Clerk. He is currently Vice Chair of the Audit Committee and Board Representative on the East Side Alliance Advisory Steering Committee.

• In November 2011, the 31 School Boards in the county elected Biehl to a four-year term on the Santa Clara County Committee on School District Organization. He was selected Chair in 2012. The Committee approves boundary changes between school districts and, once a decade, realigns the County School Board trustee areas.

• Biehl presided as President of the Santa Clara County School Board Association for the 2009-10 school year having previously served as Vice President and Co-Chair of the Hoffmann Awards.

• In June 2009, Biehl was selected to Chair the Santa Clara County Ed Coalition, an education advocacy organization, that includes representatives from Association of California School Administrators, California School Employees Association, California Teachers Association, California Federation of Teachers, Parent Teachers Association, Santa Clara County Superintendents Association, Santa Clara County Office of Education, California County Superintendents Educational Services Association, Service Employees International Union and the Santa Clara County School Boards Association.

• In 2013 Biehl was invited to join the Silicon Valley Education Foundation STEM Advisory Board. He is also a member of the San Jose/Santa Clara Chapter of the League of Woman Voters where he serves on the Education Committee.

• In April of 2012, Santa Clara County School Boards reelected Biehl to a third, two-year, term on the California School Board Association (CSBA) Delegate Assembly.

• Biehl has served two terms, 2007-11, as the ESUHSD Representative on the Metropolitan Education District (MetroED). This Board serves as the governing body of a Joint Powers Agreement between six school districts to provide Career Technical Education. Elected President of the MetroED Board in January 2010 Biehl served as Vice President the previous year.

• For his work at MetroED, Biehl was awarded the Outstanding Service to Youth Award from the San Jose Job Corps on December 11, 2009. Californians for Justice awarded Biehl the "2007 Justice Champions Ally Award" in appreciation for his commitment to racial justice and quality education for all students. In May of 2008, the Latino Parent Coalition honored Frank Biehl for his work and leadership with Latino students and parents. Additionally, Biehl has twice, in 2010 and 2013, received the "Amigos de Puente Award" for outstanding contributions to the education development and success of Latino students' pursuit of a college education. The CSBA Masters in Governance certificate was awarded to Biehl in the fall of 2008.

• School administrators are most effective when they actively engage and respond to the concerns of parents. Communities support schools when school officials listen to the community.

• Biehl believes tax dollars are best-spent supporting classroom teachers. Taxpayer dollars should not be wasted on excessive administration.

• He understands that parents, teachers, administrators and students working cooperatively at each school create high academic achievement. Each neighborhood high school is different; centralized, top down, bureaucratic policies do not work.

• The Board's job is to listen to the community, fairly allocate funds, approve academic goals and hold the Superintendent accountable. The Board must demonstrate leadership and set an example by first working cooperatively together.

• He believes that parents have every right to expect that they will be able to send their children to the high school closest to their home. All district schools must be treated equally.

• Biehl believes that with hard work and sensible spending all our district's schools can improve. During his tenure test scores and graduation rates have improved at all schools.

• Past President of the East Hills Little League and a Rotary member, Biehl has served as a Commissioner with the Ethical Campaign Project. He is President of the Valley Ridge Homeowners Association. In addition he was formally a Board member of the American Lung Association of Santa Clara and San Benito counties, member of the Advisory Committee of the Bay Area Air Pollution Control Board and Chairman of Developmental Services for Children.

• After receiving an AA from De Anza College, Biehl transferred to San Jose State University and graduated in 1975 with a BA in Political Science. He attended Lynbrook High School in west San Jose where he was President of the senior class in 1969. Biehl is an Eagle Scout.

• Biehl is a proven senior executive experienced in P&L responsibility, marketing, sales, operations, HR, facilities, finance and administration. During his 12-year tenure as North Coast Medical's Vice-president and General Manager he set up a sheltered workshop for developmentally disabled adults and was twice awarded "Employer of the year" by Hope Rehabilitation. Biehl sold his interest in North Coast in 1996.

• Since selling his business interests, Biehl's activities in community service have included serving as President and CEO of the San Jose Economic Development Corporation, later renamed Silicon Valley Economic Development (SVED). In a turnaround situation he restructured the organization, reduced administrative overhead 40%, balanced the budget and secured a $500,000 grant. While at SVED he championed a unique entrepreneurship training program that helped welfare recipients set up small service related businesses such a house cleaning, gardening or catering as a means to get off welfare and become self-sufficient.

• In 2001, as Vice President of Benetech, a Non-Profit venture combining technology with the social entrepreneurship business model, he prepared the initial business plan for http://www.bookshare.org, a website for the blind and visually impaired utilizing scanned books and automated voice technology.

• In his early career Biehl was a Management Analyst for the Sheriff's Department where he analyzed budget and operational issues for the then $50 million department. In addition to preparing and presenting statistical data he developed a plan to computerize civil processing.

• Biehl worked as a Field Representative for California State Assembly member, Leona Egeland. During his tenure he drafted two bills that were signed into law. Prior to working for the State Legislature, Biehl was an Associate Management Analyst for Santa Clara County Supervisor Rod Diridon.