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| Cabrillo education foundation searches for new leader By Lewis Rutherfurd--[ lewis@hmbreview.com ] Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, December 20, 2006 4:34 PM PST The Cabrillo Unified School District education foundation, known as Back to Basics, is looking for a new executive director after little more than a year under the current leadership. The search comes at a time when other means of raising money in the district have sometimes fallen short. "We have gone for our parcel tax five times in my tenure," said John Bayless, superintendent of the Cabrillo Unified School District since 1998. "And have come within a couple of hundred votes each time." The parcel tax initiatives have all failed to reach the required two-thirds majority and this year's efforts were no exception. Despite a sometimes-contentious environment, departing Back to Basics Executive Director Erin Tormey said she was proud of the foundation's progress over the past year. "We've accomplished a lot in a year," said Tormey, who was introduced as the new leader in November of 2005. The foundation organized the first-ever fund-raising event at a San Francisco Giants baseball game, created an endowment fund and presided over its largest-ever distribution of $175,000 to local schools. John Ediger, the chairman of the board for Back to Basics, agrees that good things happened in 2006. "We had the best year ever by far and a lot of that was to do with Erin," Ediger said. He described the changes afoot at Back to Basics as more extensive than a simple search for a new director. "We're just trying to change this to have a bigger impact on schools," Ediger said. "Even though last year was the best ever, I think we could do a lot more." The foundation plans to increase the number of board members from around seven to closer to 15. The board will change strategy to pursue larger grants and focus less on events, add officers and get a new president as well, said Ediger. Among the duties of the new director will be to "manage and develop a comprehensive marketing plan for both the foundation and the local school district," according to the announcement for the position. Melissa Rey, the foundation's community relations liaison, will wear two hats for a while. "I'm going to act as the new executive director until they find a replacement," said Rey. She added that she expects to assume those duties in mid-January. She declined to comment further on the change. "At this point, I think it's kind of a human resource issue and a concern for (the foundation's) board members," said Rey. The foundation uses grant money specifically earmarked for personnel costs to pay directors and staff, Ediger explained. The current grant for those purposes has run out, and that fact has much to do with the sweeping changes. "It's a major transition period," Ediger said. There could be competition for qualified staff. The nearby Menlo Park Atherton Education Foundation is seeking a new executive director as well, and positions are available at the San Francisco Peninsula Public School Educational Foundation. Tormey said she would continue as executive director of Back to Basics into the second week of January. The organization's board of directors plans a Jan. 5 retreat to set policy and priorities for the coming year. Bayless said he had no particular insight into the reasons for the change in leadership at Back to Basics, but noted that local schools could use any additional funding. "I think they are trying to pump up their efforts to address growing needs in the district," he said. |