8 Questions for Kim Kenne, Likely New PUSD Board Member

With the unofficial results collected from , Kim Kenne appears to be the likely next board member for Seat 4. 

Like her predecessor, Bob Harrison, Kenne hails from Altadena, and her children have attended Burbank Elementary and Eliot Middle School.

We at Altadena Patch spoke with Kenne to ask about some of her priorities for her upcoming school board term. 

Patch: It looks like the next board's job just got a little more important with the retirement of Edwin Diaz.  What do you think are the most important qualities for the next superintendent to have?

Kenne: We want to continue having a person who can interact with the many different groups and entities and communities that we have in PUSD.

Our community has lots of different types of people, socioeconomic classes, and we need someone who can interact with all the different parts of the community.

A big part of the job is working with all those different people, and being an ambassador.  That's something that [Diaz] really had work on.

I'll really be looking for someone with a strong sense of accountability, and with strong operational planning, and who will organize us for results, with specific concrete goals.

Patch: You're from Altadena and you're inheriting the seat from someone who is from Altadena and is the only person from Altadena on the board.  Do you believe Altadena has its own particular interests, and do you think you should be the one to represent them?

Kenne: Well because of open enrollment and other factors, where people live and where people go to school aren't always the same.  And because we [the board members] are elected at large, our role is really to support all the kids and all the schools. 

I do have the background being from Altadena, having kids go through Burbank and Eliot- Eliot's the only secondary school that does not get any support from the Pasadena Police Department, for example, so there are some subtle differences [between Pasadena schools and Altadena].

Maybe because I am more familiar with those issues, I may end up dealing with them more, but I think all the board members represent all the children and all the schools.

Patch: One of the things that has come up as the media coverage of this election has gone on is the Pasadena Weekly story that suggested that you were going to be aligned with the Ramon Miramontes and Scott Phelps wing of the board.  Do you think there is any truth to that?

Kenne: I've been going to board meetings for 5 or 6 years and speaking at them and about the areas that I feel strongly about.  I figured people know how I feel about the issues. So I was a little resentful at the implication that I was chosen as someone who was going to do what someone else wants. 

I think I'm hopeful and optimistic that the board members all care about the children first.  I'm hoping that even if there have been more personal type issues we can put them aside.  If goes through I may only have a two year term, so I want to focus on getting things done and working together.

Patch: For the last few years the PUSD board has had to focus on  cutting the budget and reducing spending.  Do you believe that will likely continue to be the case during your time on the board, and what can you do to manage it?

Kenne: I'd like to see us get a complete understanding of where the money goes to today so we can have an understanding of what we're cutting or what we need to cut in the future.

I was on the [PUSD] budget committee last year and it was hard to understand what to cut because I didn't really know exactly what we were keeping in.  I guess I'd feel more confident about whatever cuts we are making when I know exactly what our choices mean for what programs we are keeping.

Patch: What do you believe will be the biggest challenges during you term on the board?

Kenne: The budget, of course, is an ongoing challenge and it takes your time and energy away from student achievement and other areas.  You have to make sure that you don't lose track of those things.

Of course, once the school year starts you could think you were going to be focusing on one thing and end up doing something else entirely.

Patch: What do you think can be done to work on the problem of having parents in the district send their kids to private school?

Kenne: Well I think the economy is working in our favor in the moment.

Patch: You mean because its harder for parents to afford to send their kids to private school?

Kenne: Yes.  But I think the main thing is just to continue to work on improving student performance and improving the district.

It's not always about marketing and telling people just about the good things and not mentioning the bad things.  I think people appreciate honesty.

Patch: Anything else you'd like to add?

Kenne: Yes.  I will say that parent participation is something I feel very strongly about.  I think I want to make sure we're implementing it in a strong fashion and not just saying it is a priority and not doing anything about it.