Candidate for
Board Member; San Mateo Union High School District

Peter's long held interest in education (five years teaching high school economics as a Junior Achievement business volunteer) culminated in his election in 2001 to the Board of the San Mateo Union High School District, where he is now the Board President. He successfully advocated for a more rigorous curriculum, an accountable professional development program, and opened advanced placement classes to any student. Combined these broke years of academic stagnation, significantly raising all schools' scores. Half the District's six high schools now meet the state's standard of 800 on the Academic Performance Index (API) and the number of college level advanced placement test taken has risen 69% in the last four years.

He has championed the difficult decisions necessary to ensure financial stability and rebuild the District's reserve fund. In 2006, he was the only Board member to vote against a disastrous budget and call for an immediate hiring and spending freeze. In addition, when it became clear that best practices were not being followed, he demanded the restructuring of the implementation plan for Measure M, a $298 million bond issue taxpayers approved to complete the modernization of the District. Peter led the District's enactment of a Project Stabilization Agreement, which ensures labor peace and increases the opportunities for local workers.

His county school board colleagues elected him president of the San Mateo County School Boards Association as well as to three terms in the California School Boards Association's (CSBA) policy making body, the Delegate Assembly.

In 2007 he organized and now directs the California Charter Schools Association's Oakland Charter School Collaborative. Working to improve operating conditions for the 34 charter schools serving Oakland's neediest students, he has cooperated with Oakland Unified to develop a more transparent approval and evaluation system, founded the first charter high school athletic league, and obtained a federal grant to improve emergency preparedness.

From 2000-2006 he was Gibson & Associate's lead evaluator for economic development, housing, and education projects in Oakland funded through the Community Development Block Grant. Peter previously was a director with the Institute for the Future, a leading strategic planning consulting firm serving U.S. and international corporations.

He earlier organized the California Health Care Institute, was Vice President for The Economist of London's Business International, and held senior level positions with Syntex and Hewlett-Packard. He also served as commercial attaché in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China. Peter began his career as a staff investigator for the U.S. House of Representative's oversight subcommittee on housing, labor, and antipoverty programs. His MA in international affairs is from The George Washington University and his BA in political science is from the University of Oregon.

Education Publications

"Proposition 82: Not a Good Idea," San Mateo County Times, June 1, 2006

"Proposition 82: Preschool for All--Good Question, Wrong Answer," California Parents for Educational Choice, May 2006

"Teachers Still Key to Improving Schools," San Francisco Chronicle, November 21, 2005

"Tenure Is Just Part of the Problem," Orange County Register, November 3, 2005

"Tenure, Seniority, and Pay: How CTA Policies Hurt California Children and Good Teachers," California Parents for Educational Choice Foundation, October 2005

"Charter High School Is a Right Answer," San Mateo Daily Journal, September 27, 2004.

"Where Teachers Educate Their Own Children," San Francisco Chronicle, September 21, 2004

"A Choice for Our Children," San Mateo Daily Journal, July 6, 2004

"Fix Education Problems by Weakening Teachers' Union," San Mateo County Times, October 16, 2003

"High Schools Are Sinking" San Mateo County Times, March 4, 2003

"Sacred Cows Perpetuate Education's High Cost," San Francisco Chronicle, January 9, 2003

"State Budget Favors Schools," Los Angeles Daily News, September 23, 2002

"Falling STAR," Orange County Register, September 6, 2002

"Exit Exam Adds No Value to Diploma," San Jose Mercury News, November 26, 2001

"Toward an Education System for the Knowledge Economy," Ten-Year Forecast, Institute for the Future, 2000

"Citizens Asked to Willingly Suspend Their Belief," San Jose Business Journal, December 1, 2000

"Ignore Bellows of Education's Sacred Cows," San Francisco Business Times, October 27, 2000

"Public Education Is an Unreformed Monopoly," San Francisco Chronicle, October 19, 2000