The Sunnyvale School District would like to welcome the newest board member, Bridget Watson, to the board as well as the newly re-elected members Jeff Arnett and Michelle Maginot! They will serve a four-year term from 2018 to 2022.
Members of the board of education serve as liaisons between the Sunnyvale School District, our schools, and the community. They focus their efforts on representing the people of the district, providing leadership in the establishment of policies and guiding the governing of the school district in a manner consistent with the goals and purposes of the community and in accordance with the State Education Code.
The powers and duties of the Board include governance, executive, and judicial functions. Among its many duties, the Board adopts the annual budget and approves all expenditures; establishes district policy; authorizes employment of personnel; approves curriculum, textbooks, and courses of study; and makes decisions on all contracts.
Bridget Watson
Bridget is a dedicated community volunteer and teacher who has served thousands of hours in the district. From 2012-2016 she taught second and third grade at Fairwood Explorer School, SSD’s Program of Choice that focuses on project-based learning and parent participation. Bridget earned her bachelors and masters degrees in English from San Francisco State University and later obtained her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from National University. She also holds a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)/Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) certificate to work with English Language Learners from Notre Dame de Namur. Bridget is the mother of two teenaged sons, both of whom attended Sunnyvale School District.
Jeff Arnett
Jeff Arnett was first elected to the Sunnyvale School District Board of Education in December 2003. He was a social studies teacher for Tracy Unified School District before accepting his current position as Assistant Principal for Campbell Union High School District. He served on the City of Sunnyvale’s Parks and Recreation Commission from January 2001 to January 2005. He earned an administrative credential from the University of San Francisco and a masters in Education from the University of Phoenix. Mr. Arnett also holds a bachelors degree in International Relations and Affairs from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Michelle Maginot
Michelle Maginot has been a Sunnyvale resident for more than 30 years. She attended Cumberland Elementary School, Sunnyvale Middle School, and Fremont High School. She has three students in the district. She received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Brigham Young University. While in college, she interned at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington D.C in the Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs. She has been an active participant as a Project Cornerstone ABC reader, leading hour-long lessons on various topics around social-emotional well-being.
Her hope as a board member is to continue the great work of the board and administration and continue to work to remove the barriers which prevent some of our students from receiving the high-quality education our schools provide. Her top issues include closing the opportunity/achievement gap, meaningful use of technology in the classroom, and social-emotional learning.
The newly elected board members will be sworn in at the December 11 board meeting. Also at the December 11 meeting, the District will be bidding farewell to outgoing board member Anita Herrmann.
Anita was first elected to the board in 2005. She most recently served as the Vice President of the 2014-2015 school board. Prior to that, she served as President and Clerk. She is currently on the Facilities and Finance and Wellness subcommittees.
She served as co-chair on both Measure B campaigns as well as the Measure G campaign to raise funds for our schools. For several years, Anita volunteered with the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program at Sunnyvale Middle School and has helped several students over the years through Reading Partners at Vargas and San Miguel elementary schools.
She served as PTA President at Cherry Chase and SMS, as well as other positions. Anita earned an M.S. in Electrical Engineering with a math minor from Georgia Tech. She earned a B.A. in Architecture and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University. She attended public schools in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Florida.
Thank you, Anita, for your 13 years of dedicated service!
