Raushenbush Announcement: Eager to Serve Another Term on School Board
On Monday, October 31, 2011, PCA received the following information from Richard Raushenbush:
Current School Board Vice President Announces Run for Re-election
Richard Raushenbush, current School Board Vice President and Piedmont resident since 1995, announced his decision to run for re-election and picked up his candidacy papers at City Hall last week. His announcement at the September 14th School Board meeting was met with enthusiasm by fellow School Board members. In a note to friends and colleagues, Raushenbush conveyed his reasons for wanting to run for re-election:
“I want to promote the best possible public education for our community’s children. Our schools are among the best in the nation despite deep and ongoing cuts in State funding. I think we have
accomplished a significant amount in the past four years. In my second term, I would like to build upon and focus our school system’s efforts on:*Ensuring the Quality of Our Children’s Education: Over the past four years, the School District has focused on using data to assess student learning and has worked to improve the teacher evaluation process. The District is now working to ensure identification and sharing of best teaching practices to promote student learning. I want to ensure that these efforts continue.
*Providing Strong Fiscal Oversight: State funding has declined 20% since the 2007-08 year. It has not yet been restored. The Board has faced many difficult budget choices and it will continue to do so. Through community support and employee concessions, Piedmont has weathered this storm better than most. As State funding stabilizes, the Board’s goal is to set a sustainable budget model that controls costs without sacrificing quality.
*Finishing the Seismic Retrofit Program: Piedmont has successfully constructed or renovated Havens, PHS, Ellen Driscoll Auditorium, Wildwood, PMS and the Maintenance Building. Beach School is underway and scheduled for completion by the start of next school year. Based upon my professional training, I have provided, and will continue to provide, a rigorous review of the many professional and construction contracts involved in improving the seismic safety of our schools.
*Planning Ahead: I believe that prudent stewardship of our community assets requires looking ahead to meet future needs. The School District is working with the City on ways to set aside funds to preserve the community’s athletic facilities, including but not limited to future replacement of the Witter Field artificial turf and track.
I believe I can continue to help the School Board address these and other issues over the next four years. My four years of service have given me a more knowledgeable perspective of our educational programs and school system. I bring an analytical approach to decision-making, and am not afraid to address difficult issues with the Board.”
Raushenbush grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, where he attended public schools. He graduated from Harvard University and University of Virginia School of Law, and spent 21 years as an attorney and partner at Latham & Watkins, an international law firm, practicing environmental law. Drawn by an interest in renewable energy, he then became General Counsel to a solar energy start-up. Now, he is a partner in a law firm founded with his wife, Barbara Giuffre.
The Raushenbush family moved to Piedmont in 1995 for the schools. Their two sons attended Beach, PMS and PHS. Their daughter attended Havens and is now a student at PMS in 6th grade. Before his current term on the School Board, Raushenbush was President of the Seismic Bond Measure’s Citizens Oversight Committee.
