Incumbents compete for district seat

Challenger Thomas Nuris is running unopposed for the District 2 seat at the same time.

Both candidates point to their lengthy track records of success as elected officials in making their case that they are the right choice to lead the county’s only public college district.

“I believe I have been a very positive force in this college district,” said Holober, who was first elected to the board in 1997, following his time on the Millbrae Elementary School District Board of Trustees.

Holober pointed to his work as a collaborator and unifier on the board, serving as a conduit to assure the community’s best interest is considered when working with the district’s administration.

Meanwhile, Mohr, who was elected to the board in 2013, leaned heavily on his expertise stemming from decades of experience in education and administration.

“I think you have got to have someone on the board who is insisting we are results oriented,” said Mohr, who is the only member of the board with experience working as an educator.

Mohr started as a teacher and eventually worked his way through administration to eventually serving as the San Mateo Union High School District superintendent. Following his retirement, Mohr was hired in 2007 as the president of Cañada College, where he served for four years.

Banking on his work at school sites, Mohr said he brought to the district a dogged commitment to analyzing data as part of a larger effort to improve performance. And while acknowledging the effort has paid dividends, Mohr said he believes there is much more work to be done.

“I believe the question remains — are we as good as we are capable of being? Are we able to fulfill our mission? I think you’ve got to be very tough-minded about that,” he said.

To further illustrate his point, Mohr nodded to the hearty budget managed by the district generated through the wealth of local property revenue generated by escalating land value in San Mateo County.

With deep pockets and a charge to serve all comers, Mohr suggested the district should be doing more to build enrollment, develop a rich program slate and assure the community colleges are graduating students to compete in the local job market.

To achieve those goals, he relied on the strategic plan which claims to have played an essential role in crafting.

For his part, Holober recognized Mohr’s accomplishments in assuring students are held to a high standard, while also taking credit for helping fortify the budget by which those efforts are possible.

Amidst the Great Recession, Holober advocated for pursuing a parcel tax designed to stabilize the school system’s financial structure during lean times when many districts were required to cut staff and programs.

“We made it through with no layoffs, furloughs and benefit cuts,” said Holober.

The tax generated about $7 million annually and provided the safety net necessary, said Holober who added he convinced fellow officials to not extend the tax after its limited term expired.

Looking toward the district’s financial future, Holober said he also pushed for trimming antiquated programs and establishing those which will draw students to the district and increase enrollment in an effort to run a more efficient operation.

“We do have to add more programs to bring more students to our campus who are pursuing degrees,” he said.

The district’s teacher housing program has also been a financial asset as well, in that the rents paid by tenants can generate revenue and also serve as a staff recruitment and retention mechanism, said Holober.

He credited Chancellor Ron Galatolo for pursuing the vision of building the district’s housing, which has been a model for many other local school systems now considering similar initiatives.

Holober said the innovative idea is consistent with Galatolo’s approach to administration, which is to seek out enterprising initiatives, occasionally drawing his focus away from education.

“With Ron, you get incredible energy and creativity but there certainly needs to be a little bit of reining in on certain aspects,” he said.

Mohr expressed a similar sentiment.

“There are all kinds of enterprises that he likes to bring forward over a period of time and all of that I think needs to be judged much more carefully with regards to what is our basic purpose here and how does the enterprise matter relate? Can they go hand in glove? Yes. But you need to be careful,” he said.

In general, Mohr applied that same singular educational focus toward his vision for the district and the push to assure goals are met and progressively pushed higher.

“When you are a wealthy district and you have very capable people and you can spend money because you’ve got it, it’s very easy to get complacent,” he said.

Holober, meanwhile, said he hopes to extend his stay on the board and continue pursuing his mission of serving the local community.

“Leadership is a tightrope walk,” he said. “You have to work closely with administrators and stakeholders, and we have to be independent and realize we answer to voters and not the administration.”

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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