Shirley Issel (2010)
Director, Board of Education
2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Berkeley, CA 94704
Voicemail: (510) 644-6550
shirley_issel@berkeley.k12.ca.us

Candidates Statement from 2006 ballot:
.The Berkeley Unified School District has come a long way since I was elected to the Board of Education eight years ago. In 1998, our public schools were in administrative and financial crisis. I ran to turn that situation around - and here are some of the key changes I've helped to make. Policy, not politics, now guides our actions. The district's budget that was seriously out of balance is now "in the black." Our high school has outstanding, stable leadership after years of administrative turn-over. Funding has increased in the critical areas of maintenance and safety. I have partnered with Mayor Tom Bates and the Berkeley Alliance to bring substantial new resources to serving students. I have worked hard to achieve these positive changes. I pledge to continue to use my skills as a professional social worker and leader in education reform to build on the substantial progress we have made and push forward on critical improvements—specifically improvements in teaching and learning through a greater emphasis on staff training and accountability and improved support for students with learning barriers. Together, we will continue to improve the quality of education for every student in the Berkeley Public Schools. 

-- Shirley Issel