Jordan Narrowly Wins Election
As County Schools Superintendent
By Jan Nguyen
and Sherri Day

Sheila Jordan won a tight race over Cheryl Hightower in the bid for Alameda County Schools Superintendent Tuesday.

With all of the votes counted, Jordan had 51.5 percent of the vote to Hightower's 48.4 percent.

“I said right from the beginning, I have accomplished shining a light on an under-represented organzation,” said Jordan. “Win or lose, I expect to be gracioius.”

The election for Alameda County Superintendent of Schools usually gets lost in the shadow of much bigger political campaigns.

But this election the low-profile job, which has paid up to $121,000 a year, generated controversy that brought the political contest considerable notice.

Tuesday's election was a runoff between the top two vote getters in the June primary - former Oakland City Council Member Jordan and incumbent superintendent Hightower.

Hightower had been favored to win the primary outright, because Jordan's campaign was in a hiatus due to heart surgery she had in March. But in an unexpected twist, Jordan out polled Hightower, forcing a runoff.

Hightower then filed suit to bar Jordan from describing herself as a “teacher” on this November's ballot.

Hightower succeeded, and Jordan, a former Oakland city councilwoman, changed her designation of “teacher-administraton” to “educator.”

Another uproar came a month before the election when Hightower employees in her office helped publish a newspaper insert that included a letter signed by her and a photograph.

Jordan accused Hightower of abusing an incumbent's resources, saying state regulations prohibit the use of public funds for mass mailings with photos or signatures of elected officials.

Jordan's main issue in the election was the size and effectiveness of the Alameda County Office of Education. Jordan, who was a teacher with the Mount Diablo Unified School District for 22 years, said she wanted to reduce the bureaucracy of the agency.

“Alameda County is a wasted layer of government,” Jordan said. “It's very invisible and

ineffective.”

Jordan called Hightower an “educrat” who “very much defends the status quo.”

Hightower's campaign manager said her candidate had more experience in administration than Jordan. Jordan held an administrative-type position for only a year, the campaign manager said, and had not handled a multi-million budget.

The controversy over the superintendent's seat began long before the election campaign, when Hightower replaced former Superintendent August Scornaienchi after he retired November 30.

Critics said that Scornaienchi stepped down a year before his term was due to expire so Hightower, who had worked at the education office for 13 years, could be appointedto the top post by the County Board of Education and gain an incumbent's advantage.

Hightower became the first woman to hold the superintendent's position in the 145 years the office has been in existence.

The superintendent acts as an intermediary between the California Department of Education and 18 public school districts in Alameda County.

The office represents 9,300 teachers and 210,000 students and serves three community colleges with nearly 55,000 students.

The superintendent heads the Alameda County Office of Education, which assists districts in managing their budgets, provides teacher training, and educates students not enrolled in public schools.