It’s been a while since I’ve posted an education blog, so here’s a two-fer.

One of the more interesting things to come out of the Hayward school trustees’ appointment of Sergio Saenz, a higher education student outreach specialist, on Thursday evening was the issue of the board’s physical makeup.

Trustees were torn over two candidates, Saenz and Lisa Glover-Gardin, to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Myrna Truehill. Board president Grant Peterson made it a point that he preferred Glover-Gardin, an African-American woman, because it would balance out a board made up of three white men and one Latin woman.

How important is the physical makeup of a governing board, especially when it comes to representing such a diverse community as Hayward? With four of the five seats up for election next year, will gender/ethnicity play a role in how you will vote? Lastly, for this topic anyway, what are your thoughts on the appointment itself?

During the candidate interviews, trustees asked: What are some of the main issues facing the district today?

Communication/public relations, low morale, declining enrollment and student achievement were a few of the issues repeatedly brought up by candidates. I’m unsure where I’m going with this, but I’d like to know what is the main issue you feel is plaguing Hayward schools (yes, we know about the Web site) and what should be done to alleviate the problem? Maybe we’ll log all your comments and ask school officials and trustees to answer them before the upcoming school year.