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Dennis Popalardo
Dennis Popalardo was a candidate for an at-large seat on the Alameda Unified School District school board in California. Popalardo was defeated in the at-large general election on November 8, 2016.
The 2016 election was Popalardo's first time running for office. Though he identified as a Democrat, the school board seat was nonpartisan.[1] Popalardo participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 school board candidate survey. Click here to read his responses.
Biography
Popalardo has worked as an attorney and partner with Boxer & Gerson since 2005. He serves on the board of directors for Kids' Chance California. Popalardo earned a bachelor's degree in politics from Fairfield University in 1989 and a J.D. from Pepperdine University in 1992. He and his wife have one son, and he attends public school.[1]
Elections
2016
Three of the five seats on the Alameda Unified School District Board of Education were up for at-large general election on November 8, 2016. Incumbent Gray Harris faced five challengers in the race—Ardella Dailey, Matt Hettich, Anne McKereghan, Dennis Popalardo, and Jennifer Williams.[2] Harris won re-election and Williams and Dailey won the other two seats.[3]
Results
| Alameda Unified School District, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Jennifer Williams |
23.10% | 17,006 |
| Gray Harris Incumbent |
21.38% | 15,741 |
| Ardella Dailey |
17.92% | 13,189 |
| Anne McKereghan | 14.39% | 10,597 |
| Matt Hettich | 11.91% | 8,765 |
| Dennis Popalardo | 11.06% | 8,144 |
| Write-in votes | 0.24% | 175 |
| Total Votes | 73,617 | |
| Source: Alameda County Registrar of Voters, "General Election (Certified Results) - November 08, 2016," accessed November 30, 2016 | ||
Funding
Popalardo reported $20,520.00 in contributions and $20,520.00 in expenditures to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters, which left his campaign with a $0.00 balance on hand in the election.[4]
Endorsements
Popalardo was endorsed by the community organization Evolve.[5]
Campaign themes
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Dennis Popalardo participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on October 20, 2016:
| “ | In addition to delivering a balanced budget, I want to attract and retain the best teachers and classified employees by improving pay and compensation. My goals also include maintaining our system of neighborhood schools and small class sizes, so that teachers and students have a strong learning environment. I also want to ensure there is equity for all students in the District, regardless of socioeconomic background. Further, I would like to increase and expand innovative programs, such as magnet schools and career and technical education, along with increasing the use of, and access to, technology in classrooms. Lastly, I want to work with our State representatives to increase education spending by the State, which is currently inadequate.[6][7] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in California. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| “ | I found it difficult to rank these issues, as I believe they are all important.[7] | ” |
| —Dennis Popalardo (October 20, 2016) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer nine questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. We currently have 5 charter schools serving Alameda students and I don't believe there is a need for more. My preference is for any new schools to be in the School District. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. To the extent possible, I believe that educational decisions should be made at the local level. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. I believe there are many important student attributes that are not measured by standardized tests, such as creativity, critical thinking and integrity. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| I support having consistent educational standards. However, i believe that we should be constantly improving the standards through regular review. Also, we need to make sure that teachers are properly trained on the standards. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| No. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| As a last resort, when student and/or teacher safety is at risk. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Parent involvement Research has shown that students with involved parents are more successful in the classroom. |
Political philosophy
Popalardo described the following as his political philosophy.
| “ | I am a progressive Democrat. In addition to delivering a balanced budget, I want to attract and retain the best teachers and classified employees through better pay and compensation. My goals also include maintaining our system of neighborhood schools and small class sizes, so that teachers and students have a strong learning environment. I also want to ensure there is equity for all students in the District, regardless of socioeconomic background. Further, I would like to increase and expand innovative programs, such as magnet schools and career and technical education programs, along with increasing the use of, and access to, technology in classrooms. I also want to work with our State representatives to increase education spending by the State, which is currently inadequate. I'm running for school board because I’m a parent, and like most parents, I care about the quality of our schools. I’m also running because I love my adopted home of Alameda. I believe that one of things that makes our city such an attractive place to live, as evidenced by home prices and rents, is our wonderful schools. Historically, our schools have done well, but I think we can do even better.[7] | ” |
| —Dennis Popalardo (October 20, 2016)[1] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Dennis Popalardo Alameda Unified School District. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ballotpedia's Biographical Information Submission Form, "Dennis Popalardo's responses," October 20, 2016
- ↑ Alameda County California, "Candidate List," accessed August 13, 2016
- ↑ Alameda County, "General Election (Unofficial Results) - November 08, 2016," accessed November 9, 2016
- ↑ Alameda County Registrar of Voters, "County of Alameda Public Portal for Campaign Finance Disclosure," accessed February 7, 2017
- ↑ Evolve, "Endorsements: November 8, 2016 General Election," accessed October 12, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "Dennis Popalardo's responses," October 20, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2016 Alameda Unified School District Elections | |
| Alameda County, California | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Gray Harris • Ardella Dailey • Matt Hettich • Anne McKereghan • Dennis Popalardo • Jennifer Williams |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
