Attorney argues for leadership post

By: JENNIFER KABBANY - Staff Writer | Friday, October 6, 2006 11:02 PM PDT ∞

Editor's note: Eighth in a series focusing on 12 candidates seeking three seats on the Temecula Valley Unified School District board. The election is Nov. 7.

TEMECULA ---- Students are attorney Michael Cochrane's clients.

The Temecula lawyer specializes in defending students and their families in courtrooms and in mediating with officials on their behalf. Often, those students have special needs or disabilities.

Cochrane said he wants the Temecula Valley Unified School District to be able to take advantage of his background in education law. He also said he wants to get involved in the community.

For those reasons and more, Cochrane said he chose to be a candidate for the Temecula district board. He is one of 12 candidates in the running for three seats up for grabs in the election Nov. 7.

"I always had the pull between going into education or the law," said Cochrane, 37.

After Cochrane finished law school, he entered a teacher credentialing program. He taught in the Vista Unified School District for one year, where he said he gained a teacher's view.

"I learned what a lot of the problems are, in special education in particular, " Cochrane said. "I can relate to what teachers are going through, especially the young teachers."

Cochrane is single and has no children. He moved to Temecula about 17 months ago. All three of his siblings have careers in education, and he said their passion for the field has influenced him.

With Temecula his home now, he said he wants to get involved. One of his goals, if elected, is to work to identify and eliminate wasteful spending within the district's $200 million budget, he said.

For example, he said believes the district could save $800,000 each year by hiring a general counsel to handle its special education litigation, which he said he was told would cost as much as $1 million this year. Also, he said contracts the district does ratify for attorneys are not negotiated.

"All you see is the tip of the iceberg," Cochrane said of district finances. "It's likely systematic."

School board watchdog Helen Robinson said she believes Cochrane would make a good trustee.

"He is fiscally conservative and he is very forthcoming," Robinson said. "I know he knows the law and the Brown Act, and I know he knows how to look up the law."

Cochrane said he was troubled to learn of a 2005 county civil grand jury report that chided district leaders for improper personnel practices and a failure to comply with some state policies and laws.

He said he can provide the education and experience necessary for solid leadership.

Another one of his goals, if elected, is to work to ensure through programs or other means that students understand the negative effects of bullying and other types of harassment, he said.

Kathleen Edwards, a student advocate who with Cochrane formed the nonprofit Education Advocacy for Children, said she has seen him donate time to families who could not afford to pay.

"I think he would be a very good addition to any school board," she said. "He is a very intelligent, very even-tempered person. He is good at thinking through a situation thoroughly before making a decision, and he knows education from a lot of angles."

Trustees oversee the 29-campus district and its annual budget. They serve four-year terms, earn a stipend of $750 a month and may also enroll in the district's health insurance plan.

Running against Cochrane are the three incumbents: small-business owner Bob Brown, retired aerospace software engineer Ken Ray and certified public accountant Rick Shafer.

The other challengers are: Donna Block, a special education teacher; Bill Sanz, a water treatment engineer; Ed Dominguez, a U.S. Border Patrol senior patrol agent; Vincent O'Neal, a fire captain with the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection; Kent Perry, an applications system analyst; Sally Hernandez, an instructional assistant; Susan Elliott, a PTA president and substitute teacher; and Kristi Rutz-Robbins, a historian.

"As an attorney, I can only help one student at a time," Cochrane said. "As a school board member, I can help all the students in the district on a broader scale."

Contact staff writer Jennifer Kabbany at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2625, or jkabbany@californian.com.

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