The Fremont Union High School District Board of Trustees appointed former Cupertino mayor and city council member Rod Sinks as its new trustee, replacing Roy Rocklin, who died March 19 after a long battle with cancer. Sinks will serve until Rocklin’s term expires in 2024.
Sinks, who was sworn in May 16, said that to be effective in his new role, he plans to get to know FUHSD stakeholders, particularly students, parents, teachers and anyone involved in ensuring a holistic educational experience.
FUHSD Superintendent Graham Clark said Sinks’ government experience working with the city of Cupertino, as well as his service on the Clean Air Board and familiarity with the details of the school board position, meant it would be much easier for him to learn the ropes within his truncated term and come prepared with experience.
“I found my public service experience to be most rewarding,” Sinks said in an interview with the Town Crier. “There’s some satisfaction to moving big things and making a difference. I’ve always been somebody interested in trying something different, and I do have a fair amount of experience as a youth leader.”
When instating a new trustee, Clark said the board has 60 days either to appoint a new trustee or to conduct a special election, which would cost the district millions of dollars. The board opted for the lengthy appointment process, with two rounds of interviews to narrow down its selection.
During the second round of interviews, Sinks said trustees were split on their choice for the role, taking approximately four hours to decide and meeting almost until midnight, a process Sinks described as incredibly strenuous.
“The first night, I had one person show up (to offer their support), but a number of the other candidates had lots of people show up,” Sinks said. “So, I began running this like a campaign. Some 50 letters came in on my behalf. I got a letter from (U.S. Rep.) Ro Khanna, which was terrific. I think if I hadn’t gotten anybody to show up, it would have been a lot harder. Sometimes you just need people in the room to show people that you can organize.”
Prioritizing collaboration
Sink said he hopes to use his experience on many public boards to help FUHSD address specific issues, such as the prospect of one language being cut in every school facility across the district.
“I spent the last week (meeting) with each of my fellow trustees one-on-one and the administration and then saw what issues present themselves,” he said. “There’s a tension in general, with declining enrollment at the district. How do you think about maintaining a comprehensive high school with a full set of offerings? I think it’ll be a theme going forward.”
Through serving as chairperson of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and founding Silicon Valley Clean Energy, Sinks has spent a large portion of his career working on sustainability and transportation, according to a FUHSD press release.
Sinks said he hopes to provide support to students in northern Sunnyvale to address their concerns about being able to get to school.
“All we ask, I think, of any elected official is to come to the table, study the issues, listen to constituents and then collaborate with each other,” Sinks said. “I’m looking forward to being part of a group that has a long-standing history of collaboration and working together for the righ
reasons.”
Sinks succeeds the late Rocklin, who was elected to the board in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. Clark described Rocklin, who previously taught science at Lynbrook High School for 11 years, as a thoughtful and committed member of the FUHSD community.
“I always could feel his love and passion, and his classroom experience always brought us wisdom,” said Rosa Kim, president of the board of trustees. “I really miss him because he reminds us we’re all working for our students always.”
