The Gavilan College School Board had some big shoes to fill following the recent death of late trustee Mike Davenport, whose March 2 passing left a vacancy on the college’s seven-person school board.
As Board President Laura Perry noted, a pool of three “high caliber” candidates with impressive careers and backgrounds answered the call.
With a motion made by Trustee Walt Glines and seconded by Trustee Tony Ruiz, the board unanimously voted in favor during a special meeting Wednesday to appoint Jonathan Brusco: A Morgan Hill resident of three years, 7th-grade history teacher at Harker Middle School in San Jose, classical pianist, Taekwondo coach and certified black belt with 20 years of experience instructing and competing in the martial arts.
Brusco is also the author of “The Papal Key,” a 2008 independently published mystery fiction novel that shakes the “debate between faith and science.” Brusco is currently working on his second book titled “Tiny Dancer,” according to Amazon.com.
A self-described educator who is passionate about making a “direct impact on people every day,” Brusco holds two separate education credentials and a masters in philosophy from San Jose State University. He earned two bachelor degrees from the University of San Francisco, where he double majored in philosophy and politics.
Brusco worked as a philosophy professor and graduate assistant at San Jose State University for two years before moving in August 2009 to San Jose’s Harker School, where he now teaches history, serves as the yearbook adviser, is a member of the Faculty Development Council and runs a documentary film club. Brusco also served as a team member in 2009 for WASC, an accreditation organization that reviews schools with in-person visits to help envision and achieve high-quality learning environments.
“I got into education to help others – I didn’t get into it to get rich,” noted Brusco during his interview. “I love being an educator. This is what I’ve dedicated my life to. Community colleges educate the vast majority of people who live in this district and county.”
As clearly highlighted in his letter of intent to the school board, Brusco – recently appointed by District 1 Supervisor Mike Wasserman as Commissioner to the Santa Clara County Citizens’ Advisory Commission on Elections – isn’t one to sit on the sidelines.
“As someone who has always had a passion for all things political, I made a promise to myself that I would become an advocate in my community,” wrote Brusco in his letter of intent. “I’ve always believed that our local issues are of crucial importance, and it seems that most citizens take those issues for granted.”
Wanting to make a difference in children’s lives drove him to become a teacher, said Brusco.
As for what compelled him to step up and apply for the board’s vacant position, Brusco said his term on the Morgan Hill Library Arts and Culture Commission expired this month. A window of availability in his schedule opened up at the right time.
“I was tossing around what to do next,” he said.
Not only that, Brusco seeks to join the board because “I believe in the importance of education and realize that the community college is the widest reaching, accessible and affordable education for most people in the South Valley.”
During his interview, Brusco touched on the importance of career counseling and helping students look into trade schools, as “not everybody will wind up going through four years of college.”
“Neither of my parents are college educated,” he continued. “My father is a truck driver and my mom owns a ballet school. I see a lot of value in that.”
After teaching at San Jose State University and noticing a lack of college readiness in a number of his students – particularly in the area of writing comprehension – Brusco wants to focus on making sure community college students have access to coursework that will best prepare and equip them for moving on to a four-year university.
When asked how long he sees himself serving on the board, Brusco said he plans to run for re-election when his seat opens up in November.
“Keeping it local is probably what I’ll be doing for at least several years,” he said. “This is my home. I don’t plan on going anywhere.”
At the conclusion of his interview, Brusco asked the board if there were any particular qualities they were looking for in the new candidate.
“Perfection,” joked Trustee Tom Breen.
Two other candidates were interviewed Wednesday evening. This included Morgan Hill resident Sam Verona, the retired executive of a defense contractor company that served the federal intelligence sector, and Scotsman Roger Hay, a corporate retiree with 30 years of finance experience who is now the managing partner of his own investment company.
Hay, who worked alongside Davenport at the Morgan Hill Cigar Company, stepped up as the company’s CEO when Davenport passed away.
Davenport served on Gavilan’s Board of Education since 2008. The Morgan Hill resident and father of two passed away March 2 at San Jose Regional Medical Center following a tragic Feb. 20 accident when he fell off his RV at a gas station that left Davenport in a medically induced coma for two weeks.
The Michael Ross Davenport Memorial Fund has been established at the Bank of the West at 206 Tennant Station in Morgan Hill, with proceeds to be donated to charities supported by Davenport. This includes the Rotary International Foundation, the Special Olympics and the Gavilan College Educational Foundation.
