Susy Struble is a longtime PUSD volunteer with a background in tech. She’s one of three candidates running in the uncontested Board of Education race.
How long have you lived in Piedmont?
15 years
What you do for work, either in or out of your home?
I’m a mother of two boys in the PUSD system, along with one amazing Collie-Bernese Mountain dog, and the wife of an artist.
I’ve worked for over twenty years in the tech industry at companies like Mozilla, Sun Microsystems, and several start-ups, with positions from chief of staff to managerial roles in public policy and engineering. The problem I’ve chased over my 20 years of work in the tech industry is how to best incorporate public interest needs in software development. I would bring deep experience in community engagement, operations, and innovation to the Board of Education as it guides PUSD through the upcoming years.
If you have children, do they attend, or have they attended, Piedmont schools? If so, which ones?
Both my boys started kindergarten at Wildwood. One is now a seventh grader at PMS and the other is a ninth grader at PHS.
Have you worked or volunteered in Piedmont schools (or elsewhere) previously? If so, in what capacity(ies)?
As so many PUSD parents do, I’ve volunteered in innumerable ways through our years in the district: in the classroom, on the playground, in the lunchroom, coaching baseball, leading class camping trips, managing Wildwood parent communications, chaperoning dances, running grade-level Piedmont Parents Network meetings, and showing up for PUSD committee and school board meetings.
In addition, I’ve jumped into school matters whenever I felt I could contribute, such as bringing many of our town’s parent affinity groups together to draft a recommended ‘playbook’ for handling challenging student behavior, speaking up for improved resources for kids who think and learn differently, and helping the District Technology Advisory Committee update policies and practices to reflect the opportunities and risks of AI.
What does public education mean to you?
High-quality public education enables kids to learn with their peers who live around the corner and to build relationships that will shape them deeply. It’s fundamental to a strong, healthy community. This, in turn, supports the very foundation of a functioning democracy — it’s that significant. I’m grateful to live in a town that truly understands and supports the immeasurable value of public education and PUSD.
What motivated you to run for office?
PUSD has strong foundations to build upon, but the past few years have presented real challenges – and, of course, there will be more. Trust needs investment and rebuilding across our school communities. The continued commitment of the Piedmont community to PUSD and the work of current and recent Board members have granted us what I think is a period of practical optimism. We’re well positioned to make meaningful progress on several important fronts, including ensuring that PUSD continues to attract talented teachers; developing a comprehensive, resourced approach to student wellness and community building that recognizes the links to academic achievement; and addressing the needs of our diverse student body.
I have experience shaping organizational structures, processes, culture and norms to help companies understand user needs while also bringing in creativity and insights from other stakeholders. I’m eager to bring this expertise to the PUSD school board.
What are your qualifications to be on the School Board? Any special skills or experience the voters should know about?
In addition to the skills and experiences mentioned earlier, I’ve also served on the boards of several non-profits and technology consortia, giving me a solid understanding of the proper role and functioning of boards. While I have confidence in my skills and knowledge, I always approach problems by recognizing that there is often someone with more expertise or direct experience. My instinct is to seek out and connect with those individuals. I’m adept at bringing different voices and perspectives to the table.
What do you see as the most challenging issues currently facing the school district?
Ensuring the District’s long-term financial stability is an ongoing challenge and always the top priority. Being able to offer competitive salaries and benefits is essential to attracting and retaining amazing teachers. We don’t have a great school if we don’t have great teachers.
I’m optimistic that Piedmonters will support Measure P.
Looking ahead, Piedmont’s existing flat parcel tax will also need renewal in a few years. That tax has been renewed nine times, and I hope we see a tenth renewal. To achieve this, the school board must continue to guide PUSD in a way that reinforces the district’s value to the city and builds trust across our school communities. I’m confident we can do this.
What do you see as strengths of the Piedmont schools?
The parents and teachers and the kids we serve – often very literally.
What will be your top priority as a Board member?
Ensuring the District’s long-term financial stability.
Do you see yourself being especially involved in any particular school issue or program, whether or not it’s your top priority?
I have areas of personal interest, like generative AI and education; creative ways to foster a healthy, inclusive school community; and building learning opportunities for critical thinking and community building around “big questions and issues” in ways that could bring in more Piedmonters – students, parents, and townspeople.
How will you support diversity and inclusion within the district?
This is a whole community thing, on all of us. I’ll continue to support diversity and inclusion in ‘small’ ways that matter – like making new friends and talking to my kids about intent versus impact – and I hope readers will as well.
I will ensure the District is accountable to its commitments. The District is executing PUSD’s strategic plan and priorities within the framework of the law and various Board policies, including the Racial Equity Policy.
I will ensure that student and teacher needs remain central to the District’s investments. I will advise on any changes to structure, processes, culture, or norms that can help the District be more responsive. A more developed PUSD Alumni Network will be an invaluable resource for identifying gaps and strengths.
Lastly, our work must be driven by two principles:
- All kids want to be good, but they often lack the skills and knowledge to do this in all situations.
- Your kid is my kid, and my kid is your kid.
Teacher recruitment and retention has been a challenge for Piedmont in recent years. What should Piedmont do to improve this situation?
This is a pressing issue for the current board, administration, and teachers. While some plans are already in place, I need to familiarize myself with them. Since I don’t yet have that information, I’ll share my initial thoughts.
Salary and Benefits: New teachers need to feel confident that they can afford to live in the Bay Area on their starting salary and benefits package, and they need to see a viable financial future if they stay with the district long-term—potentially for their entire careers
Teacher Experience: I would analyze the teacher experience, from the district’s first contact with a candidate to a teacher’s eventual departure. I’d gather as much data as possible, including feedback from teachers who declined job offers and those who left the district. I’d examine everything—from professional development opportunities to workplace culture and teachers’ relationships with the parent community, while also considering how experiences might differ across different demographics.
This comprehensive analysis would help the district identify gaps, areas for improvement, and set priorities
PUSD’s budget depends on state and local funding. What would you do to ensure our funding is robust?
Changing anything at the state level is difficult and will take time, and we certainly can’t do it alone. I need to understand the policy landscape and players better to make an informed suggestion, but I do think we should have a mid-to-long-term plan for engaging legislators and ensuring we’re heard as Piedmont. We have rallied the Piedmont community before to help at the state level, but we need to keep at it. Federal funding matters too, and this presidential election will have direct impacts there.
There may be creative ideas in the broader Piedmont community, and we should create a space for such discussion.
Until state funding improves, we’ll have to continue supporting the District through local taxes – such as by approving Measure P this election cycle and the flat parcel tax when it comes up in two years. We’ll also have to continue relying on donations directly to the school and through the Piedmont Education Foundation.
Declining enrollment is a problem for Piedmont and school districts throughout California. How should PUSD address this issue?
PUSD should address the root causes where possible, such as parents opting for private schools or choosing not to move to Piedmont. The district is already gathering valuable insights through interviews to better understand why this happens.
We should ensure that Piedmont remains a desirable place for young families by demonstrating that it is a town and school community that will care for their children as if they were its own.
Additionally, we need to support the development of affordable housing. The city is working hard to enable both affordable and market-rate housing, which will be welcoming to diverse young families. Removing barriers for new families to move to Piedmont will benefit the entire community.
Lastly, we will continue the interdistrict transfer program to address enrollment gaps when they arise.
School Board members must navigate a wide range of parent opinions and demands. How will you handle those pressures?
First, by knowing that every opinion and demand is coming from a parent’s bone-deep feeling of what’s best for their kid(s), based on their own knowledge and experiences and, sometimes, much additional research.
I will listen and learn – from everyone, equally. If you listen long enough, you will find commonality across differences with which to work.
I will strive to always “close the loop” with parents. I will keep my senses open for where conflict and tension could be eased through improved structures, processes, culture or norms.
However, I’d like to ask a question back to the parent community. Board members are your fellow parents, volunteering to step into the firing line and be the public face of terrible trade-offs that should never be made in public education in the wealthiest nation in the world.
How will you handle the pressure of being a parent in a district that’s operating at remarkably high levels under a wildly dysfunctional public education system, populated by imperfect humans who love your kids and want the best for them – and for all PUSD kids for generations to come?
Do you have a website to share with voters? If so, please add URL below.
https://www.susy4piedmontschools.com/
Is there anything else you’d like to share with voters about your candidacy?
Nope! That’s already a lot of words! Dear reader, I look forward to meeting you, if we haven’t met already.