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School board names Pollock as new president
The president of the school board runs meetings and signs documents, but has no executive authority over the decisionmaking process. "Decisions are made through deliberations and consensus of the five-member panel," said Pollock, who's been on the board since 1994. "I didn't actually intend to serve on the board this long," said Pollock, who, after earlier announcing that he would not seek reelection last year, decided to stay on because no one stepped up to replace him. During his tenure as a school representative Pollock has been an active member of many professional associations that look out for the interests of school districts and students. He served as president of the Ventura County School Boards Association and as an officer of the California School Board Association. He now works full time for the state association as senior director of program development. "The experience gives me a more global perspective on things and I understand how policies at the state and federal levels affect us locally," said Pollock. According to the newly appointed president, over the past 13 years Moorpark students have made steady advancement in academic test scores, especially those pupils who come from low-income families or are English learners. Those students are closing the achievement gap, in contrast to the trend in much of the state where similar subpopulations are still falling behind in core academic subjects, Pollock said. Pollock does not support the culture of high-stakes testing that is imposed by the state and federal government. "It's important that we hold students accountable for learning, and that we provide teachers with diagnostic data to inform instruction, but the state and federal governments have carried it to an unnecessary extreme," he said. The local school district is successful, he said, because trustees are united in their goals. Board members, school administrators, teachers and staff work together to promote collaboration at all levels, Pollock said. The district and school sites have developed a culture of respect for teachers, enabling MUSD to recruit and retain some of the finest teachers anywhere, according to Pollock. Other significant accomplishments at the district include the implementation of distinct instructional programs at the district's six elementary schools and the restructuring of the district's grade configuration so that all primary schools serve students from kindergarten through fifth grade. The community's support for a $33-million bond measure in 2002 also helped the district to update campuses and programs offered at all schools, Pollock said. "Our schools look much better- both inside and out- than they did five years ago. This is mostly due to the bond and the effective pre-planning of the district's facilities department and architects," he said. Since he spends a great deal of time traveling around the state for work, Pollock said the biggest challenge for him as a trustee this past year has been to stay in touch with the community's day-to-day school concerns. "David is a big-picture thinker and, at the same time, is personable and approachable. We are very fortunate to have David Pollock's expertise and leadership on the Moorpark Unified Board of Education," said District Superintendent Ellen Smith. Pollock has lived in Moorpark since 1989. His two children, now 20 and 22 years old, attended local schools from kindergarten through high school. Before he worked for the California School Board Association, Pollock spent 18 years at Rocketdyne, where he was manager of market planning. Prior to that, Pollock, a licensed commercial pilot, worked for the Flying Tigers cargo airline. He was also a flight instructor at Santa Monica Airport. He holds a bachelor's degree from Pepperdine University and an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA. |
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