Lynn Mackey. From campaign website.
Cites her experience as an educator; supported by incumbent Karen Sakata
Lynn Mackey, Senior Director of Educational Services for the Contra Costa County Office of Education, announced Tuesday her candidacy for Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools in the June 2018 primary election.
Mackey, a lifelong resident of Contra Costa County and 21-year educator/administrator, has worked closely with the Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools for 21 years, and says that this experience is unique and will serve her well as County Superintendent.
“During my 21 years as a teacher and educator for the Contra Costa County Office of Education, teaching in our county detention facilities, serving as principal in our alternative education schools, and as a Senior Director, I have developed a clear understanding of the distinct role that the County Superintendent plays in terms of providing direct-service programs for students, as well as oversight and support for the 18 school districts in Contra Costa,” said Mackey. “This office needs someone with deep and current experience in education and a clear understanding of the daily work of the County Office of Education in order to effectively serve our students, schools and school districts.”
“Lynn Mackey truly understands the importance of a good education,” said Contra Costa County Superintendent Karen Sakata. “Lynn’s passion is providing access to a great education to the most vulnerable students in our county, whether they have special needs, have faced trauma, or have been involved in the criminal justice system. Lynn knows we cannot let these students fall through the cracks. I am proud to support her for Contra Costa County Superintendent.”
As part of her announcement to run for the office of County Superintendent of Schools, Mackey outlined her areas of focus for when she assumes the role:
- Preparing students for college, career and life, with 21st century programs and services starting with early childhood education.
- Promoting social emotional learning and civil discourse.
- Providing students with safe and supportive classrooms and schools.
- Recruiting and retaining the best teachers possible and providing them with the highest quality training to support them in their professional growth.
- Supporting each of our 18 school districts to be fiscally prudent and accountable, and to provide high quality programs and services to their students.
- Empowering parents and students to have a voice in the educational programs in the County.
The Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools administers all County Office of Education programs and facilitates cooperation among schools, colleges, universities, government and community organizations. She is responsible for monitoring and approving all school district budgets. In addition, she serves as an advocate for education with the legislature and the public.
For more information about Lynn Mackey, visit her website at Lynnmackey.org or email her directly at Lynnforstudents@gmail.com.
Concord library patrons have been trying for years to get the city to replace Concord’s tiny rat trap library, we believe school kids deserve a quality library like they have in WC, Lafayette, and Clayton. Standing in the way has been Concord Councilman Ron Leone. Leone hasn’t lifted a finger to get a new library built even though there is plenty of money available for a library. The council could have demanded the developers of the navy base build one. Voters also passed a half cent sales tax to replace aging infrastructure, money could have been gotten from this revenue source. That’s how PH is financing their new library. Leone instead spearheaded a move to take money from infrastructure tax and give it to the PD to fight gangs. We really don’t even have gangs in Concord, the PD keeps saying we do to keep the PD budget sky high, which it is. Leone has done nothing for children during his time on council, I mean nothing. He has worked behind the scenes to block the building of a library, he’s worked to gut children’s rec programs. He has mostly just been a shill for the PD labor union; he’s voted for huge raises for the officers, supported budget choking enhanced pensions that are basically bankrupting our city, and he has sat back and allowed the PD to featherbed the department (55% of city employees work at PD now), at the expense of programs for Concord’s children. Concord’s “program” for children is this; We want to arrest kids if we can. There is no teen center, no plans for a teen center to keep teens out of trouble, in Concord arresting and jailing teens is the focus. Leone’s record of supporting arresting and jailing teens – as much as possible, his failure to build a library, his disinterest in quality rec programs for kids, these things indicate to me he’d be a disaster running the schools. I’m voting for the lady that is running, she has a terrific record of working to educate kids, Leone focus has been jailing kids and paying the cops who jail the kids huge salaries to do this.