Tom Panas

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Tom Panas

Prior offices

West Contra Costa Unified School District school board At-large

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Report an officeholder change

Personal

Profession

Accountant

Contact

Personal website

Tom Panas represents an at-large seat on the West Contra Costa Unified School District school board in California. Panas won the seat in the at-large general election on November 8, 2016.

In addition to choosing two new board members, citizens of the West Contra Costa Unified School District voted on whether the district should extend its funding measure for eight more years. The candidates running in this race discussed the measure in a candidate forum on September 29, 2016. Those in favor of passing the measure said it was necessary after a forensic financial audit revealed the district had misspent construction bond funds, leaving little funding left to complete renovations. Those opposed to extending the measure suggested the district instead look to private funding sources.

The controversy surrounding the district's misspent bond funds led to the resignation of former superintendent Bruce Harter and the hiring of new superintendent Matthew Duffy. In an effort to regain community members' trust, board member Valerie Cuevas proposed limiting campaign contributions to $1,000 for school board elections. Cuevas said such limits would help the voters have faith in the district again, but other board members and school board candidates disagreed.

The district was also involved in other funding conflicts. In June 2016, the district had to amend its spending plan for state funds after a complaint filed with the California Department of Education revealed $4.3 million had been omitted from a fund earmarked for services for high need students. In March 2016, the district settled a lawsuit with the California Charter Schools Association that alleged the district had not shared previous bond money with its charter school students.

See also: What was at stake in the West Contra Costa Unified Board of Education election?

Biography

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Panas is a retired accountant. Prior to retiring, he worked as a certified public accountant (CPA), as a chief financial officer (CFO), and as a product manager. He serves as treasurer and board member of the Friends of the El Cerrito Library and the steering committee of the El Cerrito Community Garden. Panas has also served on the El Cerrito Historical Society since 2000. In recognition for his service to El Cerrito, Panas' name was added to the city's Wall of Fame in 2014.

Elections

2016

See also: West Contra Costa Unified School District elections (2016)

Two of the five seats on the West Contra Costa Unified School District Board of Education were up for at-large general election on November 8, 2016. No incumbents filed to run for re-election, guaranteeing two new members joined the board. Former candidates Mister Phillips, Antonio Álvarez Medrano, and Ayana Kirkland Young and newcomers Don Gosney, Tom Panas, Miriam "Stephanie" Sequeira, and Carlos Taboada ran for the seats. Phillips and Panas were elected to the board.

Results

West Contra Costa Unified School District, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Mister Phillips	22.63%	28,018
Tom Panas	18.57%	22,990
Miriam Sequeira	15.98%	19,777
Ayana Kirkland Young	12.55%	15,529
Antonio Álvarez Medrano	12.08%	14,954
Carlos Taboada	11.05%	13,683
Don Gosney	6.84%	8,468
Write-in votes	0.29%	363
Total Votes		123,782
Source: Contra Costa County , "Presidential General Election Official Results - Final," accessed December 7, 2016

Funding

See also: Campaign finance in the West Contra Costa Unified School District election

Panas reported $132,906.95 in contributions and $115,084.92 in expenditures to the Contra Costa County Elections Division, which left his campaign with $17,822.03 on hand as of October 31, 2016.

Endorsements

Panas was endorsed by the following organizations and elected officials:

• East Bay Times
• CCSA Advocates
• Education Matters
• Students for Education Reform Action Network (SFER AN) of West Contra Costa
• The BlackBoard of WCC
• Retired U.S. Congressman George Miller (D)
• El Cerrito Mayor Pro-Tem Janet Abelson
• El Cerrito City Council member Jan Bridges
• El Cerrito City Council member Mark Friedman
• El Cerrito City Council member Gabe Quinto
• Hercules Vice Mayor Myrna de Vera
• Hercules City Council member Chris Kelley
• Hercules City Council member Sherry McCoy
• Stege Sanitary District Board Director Al Miller

Panas was endorsed by a number of community members. Click here to see a list of his supporters.

Campaign themes

2016

Candidate website

Panas highlighted the following issues on his campaign website:

“	I Stand For: • Unlocking ALL Students’ Potential Our students are amazing. They deserve to know that when they graduate a WCCUSD school, they are prepared for their future lives, whether in college or career. They deserve to be able to make any dream they have for themselves come true. We should figure out what’s working in our schools and replicate it, and figure out what could be working better and come up with plans to address it. • Improved Financial Oversight We have to use our District’s dollars to make sure our students and teachers have what they need to succeed. With a $300 Million budget we need a Board member like me who really understands the District budget and fiscal decisions we make. I know how to go line by line in a budget and make sure our resources are actually translating into the best possible education for our kids. • Support for Students, Teachers, Parents, and the Community We are a stronger District when we work together, united. I will engage all groups in ongoing, authentic, in-depth conversations about the on-the-ground experiences in our schools. From what I’ve already heard, we need to clarify the district’s practices around suspensions, give teachers support for working with students contending with trauma, and so much more. • A More Open, Responsive District I’m concerned about the transparency and accountability in how we interact with our teachers, our schools, our parents, and with the public. One focus could be working to increase teacher voice in everything from how we select curriculum to how we assess our students. We also need to make sure that parents and youth have opportunities to know what decisions are being made and be at the table shaping those decisions as partners. • Safe and Supportive Schools There are many different dimensions to safety. This is not just about safe playgrounds and earthquake-safe buildings; we have to ensure that our schools provide a secure, supportive environment for our kids, This includes putting enough resources behind trauma-informed supports, restorative justice, counselors, and full-service wraparound supports like health clinics.	”
—Tom Panas (2016)

Priorities

Panas listed the following as his top three priorities, according to Voter's Edge California.

“	A great school for every child Engaging parents, teachers, students and the community Improved academic performance	”
—Tom Panas (2016)

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Tom Panas West Contra Costa Unified School District. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Tom Panas - Google News

See also

• West Contra Costa Unified School District, California
• West Contra Costa Unified School District elections (2016)

External links

• West Contra Costa Unified School District

• Office website
• Campaign website
• Campaign Facebook page