Susan Lovenburg, who was elected to the Davis school board in 2007, has announced that she will seek another term in the Nov. 6 election.

“Despite the difficult economic times in which I have served, my commitment to public education is unwavering,” Lovenburg said. “I would like to build on the knowledge and experience I have gained to continue serving Davis students.”

She added, with something of a smile, “I have learned that it takes two years to get a clue about this job, and probably 10 years to get any good (at it). I’d like the opportunity to get good.”

Two seats on the Davis school board will be at stake in the November election — those held by Lovenburg and trustee Richard Harris, who announced earlier this month that he will not seek another term. The candidate filing period will run from July 16 to Aug. 10; since one of the incumbents is not running, the filing period will then be automatically extended to Aug. 15.

Lovenburg acknowledged that she is seeking a second term at a time when California school districts —including Davis — are dealing with unprecedented financial problems due to the steady erosion in state funding for schools during the past five years.

“Obviously fiscal solvency is our primary concern,” Lovenburg said. “In addition to my personal advocacy for adequate funding for public education and state fiscal reforms, the school board continues to pursue local solutions in the form of community donations, employee concessions and a possible parcel tax (on the November ballot). This after we reduced expenditures by $3.5 million this year.”

“There is no one silver bullet” when it comes to solving the school district’s financial dilemma, she said. “It will take everyone working together to bridge the shortfall in state funding.”

“Should I be elected to a second term, my goals are to continue to develop a strong governance team with the superintendent and my board colleagues; to move on the sale of the district’s surplus properties to help meet the district’s facility needs; to explore opportunities for shared services with the city of Davis, Yolo County, and other school districts; to evaluate the GATE program for its effectiveness in meeting the needs of our students and to continue to press for equitable learning opportunities for all students.”

As a trustee, Lovenburg worked with volunteers to develop an interactive website to help community members understand the Davis school district’s budget situation— www.districtdollars.org.

As a member of the school board’s policy subcommittee, she worked closely with fellow trustee Sheila Allen to develop fundraising and homework policy recommendations to ensure equitable opportunities for all students.

As the school board’s liaison with the Davis Bridge Educational Foundation, she supported that organization’s partnership with the school district to improve academic achievement among low-income Davis students.

Lovenburg is serving this year as school board president. She is also a five-year member and past president of the Yolo County School Boards Association, and a member of the delegate assembly of the California School Boards Association.

A 15-year resident of Davis, Lovenburg has daughters attending Emerson Junior High and Davis High schools. Her eldest daughter recently graduated from UC San Diego.

A longtime parent volunteer prior to her election to the school board (she was the top vote-getter in that 2007 race), Lovenburg is a member of Soroptimist International of Davis, a board member with Yolo CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), and a co-founder of Saving California Communities, a group of Yolo community members who advocate for state governance and budget reform.

Since March 2011, Lovenburg has been Sacramento partnerships coordinator for California Forward, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to identify common sense steps Californians can take to make government work. Lovenburg was recently appointed director of the California Forward Partnership for Economic Prosperity.

Lovenburg holds a bachelor of science degree from Cornell University, and a master of library science from Syracuse University. She also completed the California School Boards Association Master in Governance program in 2011.

— Reach Jeff Hudson at [email protected] or (530) 747-8055. 

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