Candidate for school board says she brings out the best in other people
By Joann Groff joann@theacorn.com

Betsy Connolly

Besty Connolly, one of eight Conejo Valley Unified School District school board candidates, is quick to point out her best quality.

"I have a proven track record of being able to work with a variety of people and recognizing people's strengths and capitalizing on them," said Connolly, 55. "That's my best quality. I bring out the best in other people."

This trait will come in handy if she's elected, Connolly said, because of some of the personality clashes that have surfaced among school board members in the last few years.

"When I first became involved with the school district and started going to meetings, I was so impressed by the cooperative, congenial, efficient, getreal-work-done attitude of the board," Connolly said.

"In the last three years, I saw that falling apart. I think that it's clear that a number of people on the board don't like or respect one another, and that has translated into less good work getting done," she said.

After Connolly and her husband, Patrick, graduated from college in Colorado, they moved to Simi Valley; she was an equine veterinarian and he, a smallanimal veterinarian. The couple moved to Thousand Oaks in 1989.

Connolly has two children, a college-aged son and grown daughter, both of whom attended Wildwood Elementary School, Redwood Middle School and Thousand Oaks High School. She started volunteering when her daughter began kindergarten at Wildwood.

"That was my first introduction to the hidden world of schools," Connolly said.

She went on to serve as parent-teacher association president at Wildwood and also got involved on the school site council. She eventually became the school's district advisory committee (DAC) representative, and when her kids graduated from the school, she became a memberatlarge and then the DAC chair.

"During that two-year term (from 2005 to 2007), I was exposed to district business as well," Connolly said. "I made reports to the school board and got a real inside look at a lot of district issues and concerns. I got to know a lot of active parents and administrators. It was a great inside experience for me."

When her daughter and son took up the clarinet and trumpet, respectively, Connolly got involved in fundraising for the instrumental music program.

She started the band booster organization at Redwood and served in all capacities, including president, for the TOHS Band booster club.

While on DAC, Connolly served on the homework committee, which created the district's homework policy, and on the facilities committee, which was given the task of developing school closure criteria.

"I have enormous affection and respect for the district," Connolly said. "But I think some things have happened in the last few years that have been real challenges. I felt obligated to at least offer to help make things better."

Connolly said she's signed up for school board training classes through the county and thinks that all members should embrace training.

"I am a huge fan of following the rules of the meeting and sticking to them," she said.

Connolly retired from her private practice before her children entered middle school, and in 2002 she began a second career as a college instructor. She now teaches equine and zoology courses at Pierce and Moorpark colleges.

For more information, visit www.electbetsy.com.