Editor, Manteca Bulletin,

As election day draws near, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Nancy Teicheira for her 20 years of service as a school board Trustee of the Manteca Unified School District. Nancy is not seeking re-election, due to recent health challenges. I have no doubt that if her body and health were as strong as her spirit and character, she would continue to faithfully serve the best interests of this district. 

There are many reasons why I admire Nancy, but I’ll just highlight a few: Foremost, I am in awe of her dedication to the students, employees, parents, and community members of MUSD and the way she balances their various wants and needs to best benefit the whole. She doesn’t focus solely on teachers, students, classified staff, or the community, but looks at the bigger picture and the interaction between all these integral parts of MUSD. She weighs the needs of Manteca, Lathrop, Weston Ranch, and French Camp to make sure that all areas are well represented and fairly considered. She steadfastly votes her conscience and stand by her convictions, even if she is in the minority. I don’t always agree with her perspective or decisions, but I greatly respect her integrity. She researches out issues and listens to the input of staff and community members. 

   I have attended school board meetings for over 18 years and used to be in Nancy’s area, before the boundaries were changed. When I called her with a concern, question, or issue (as I did on numerous occasions), she always took the time to listen, comment, explain, or promise to find out the answer. I really appreciated that commitment. We developed a friendship and mutual respect so that I continued to call to discuss issues with her, even though she was technically no longer my area representative. I valued our discussions and enjoyed her sense of humor. My admiration for her further deepened when I witnessed how courageously she handled the untimely loss of her teenage son, Daniel, who died in a tragic car accident. With the support of family and friends, but also relying on an inner strength of spirit and faith, she was able to come through a parent’s worst nightmare, all the while upholding her duties as Trustee. That has probably been over 15 years ago, but I’m still amazed by the fortitude she showed. 

When I first attended school board meetings, those many years ago, Nancy and I did not really see eye to eye. We seemed to be on opposite sides, looking at things differently. I was very supportive of the district and saw her as a bit of a troublemaker and viewed her critical comments about the district as unnecessarily negative. I don’t think that her opinion of me was any more favorable. But the more I learned about the school district and how it actually operated, the more I came to understand that Trustees like Nancy are exactly what we need - clear-eyed realists who value MUSD but recognize its flaws and try to improve them. Nancy and I came to find out that we had much more in common than we originally thought. As we learned about and listened to each other, mutual respect grew. I was honored when she invited me to join her and some of her friends for restaurant gatherings after the school board meetings. Over late-night snacks we would “Monday morning quarterback” the school board meetings, debating issues, discussing highlights, and even indulging in a bit of district gossip (just shared among ourselves). It was an eye opening experience for me. I felt like Alice in Wonderland or how a snorkeler feels when he swims below the ocean’s surface and discovers a whole new underwater world. The intricacies and ins and outs of the district were fascinating to me. Of course, nothing confidential was disclosed. 

 Through Nancy, I met her friends Janet, Debbie, Jeff, Ed, and Patti (among others) who all, besides being Republicans, were either current or former district employees who shared a deep commitment to making MUSD the best it could be. Nancy teases me that I am the group’s “token Democrat”. But one of the things I like most is that the discussions gradually evolved from national politics where it was harder to find consensus, to local school issues, where we explored mutual concerns. When things would get overly Republican-oriented, Nancy would tactfully (and teasingly) remind everyone, “There’s a Democrat in our midst”. For a long time, I have theoretically thought it was good for people of different backgrounds, perspectives, or political parties to personally interact. But it wasn’t until meeting Nancy and her friends that I learned first-hand how enlightening and enriching that experience could be. I wish Nancy continued improvements in her health and though I will definitely miss her presence on the school board, I hope she will, health permitting, attend some school board meetings and sit beside me. Those meetings can sometimes use a wickedly good sense of humor.

Karen Pearsall

Manteca