By Paul Kaminski
contributing writer
Paul Kaminski for TUSD School Board
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This year's election for the Tehachapi Unified School District governing board is like no other election in its history. Because of how necessary map redistricting was handled, none of the four trustees whose terms expire can run for reelection. This means the four elected this November will be brand new trustees. I am the only candidate with educational administration experience, which will be vital for the new board to have.
I am a candidate in Area 6, which is basically everything north of Valley Blvd., east of Mountain View Rd., including Sand Canyon. My name is Paul Kaminski; the information following is a description of me and why voters in Area 6 should vote for me.
I graduated from CSU-Sacramento in 1978 with a degree in business administration. After years in warehouse and retail management, I started teaching 6th grade in 1995 at Golden Hills Elementary School in Tehachapi. Eleven years later I had taught 3rd and 4th grades plus one year as a reading specialist. The rest of my time with TUSD was spent as a vice principal at Jaconsen Middle School, principal at Cummings Valley and JMS, interim superintendent and secondary academic coach.
The current board rarely has full discussions on important items. This is not how a transparent board wanting to make an informed decision on important matters behaves. Rarely do they respond or direct the superintendent to respond to issues brought up in public comment. That is not serving the public nor is it following their own board policy. In a meeting with the Kern County Committee on School District Organization in June, one of the committee members, after listening to the TUSD presentation and public comment on the proposal to reduce the number of trustees, declared the district sounded like a "government for the government by the government." This committee of seven listened well, all shared their thoughts and the proposal lost by a 5 to 2 vote. That type of thoroughness is how the TUSD governing board needs to serve our community.
If elected, I would bring integrity, knowledge, experience and transparency to the governing board. As interim superintendent I gained experience with the Kern County Superintendent of Schools office, setting board agendas, working with the city of Tehachapi, the Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Tehachapi Economic Development Council, the Salvation Army and others. I have also been on the TUSD negotiating team for four years, and as interim superintendent, oversaw a restructuring of the teacher's salary schedule that gave 80 teachers a well-deserved 12.5% raise that made the district's salary schedule much closer in line with most Kern County districts. I am involved in the community as a past president and now president-elect of the Rotary Club of Tehachapi. Since 1997 I have been a member of the Kern County Officials Association, officiating in basketball, baseball, and football, with the latter sport the only one I am currently active in. Please vote for me, Paul Kaminski, for TUSD governing board trustee on Nov. 8.
