The Mayor's Blue-Ribbon Commission on School Excellence presented a critical look at the district Thursday and said its findings should serve as a call to action.

"We are not going to let this report sit on a shelf," Mayor Christopher Cabaldon said as he and his task force released the commission's first report at a press conference.

Longtime school board member Irene Eklund, who is seeking re-election Tuesday, said she supports the commission's effort but questions the timing of the report's unveiling. She and seven others are vying for three seats on the five-member board next week.

"I will accept criticism, Eklund said. "I will not accept it when it is mean-spirited and politicized."

Washington Unified struggles with low student test scores, aging campuses and students challenged by socioeconomic and language barriers. Many students cannot read, write, spell or do math at the appropriate grade level.

"You have to expect some initial anxiety and defensiveness," Cabaldon said of the school board's reaction. "It's a tough report. It's truth-telling in its tone."

Cabaldon handpicked the 12-member commission of community, business and education leaders last summer and gave it until Nov. 1 to recommend ways to improve the school system.

Commission members said Thursday that the scope of their review has become so comprehensive that they need more time to suggest changes and will report back with those recommendations by March 1.

School board President Ardeene Westvik, who is not up for re-election, said she is concerned about the "commission pointing fingers" without a history of the district.

From July to October, commission members met with school staff, parents and community representatives. They visited schools, observed teachers and administrators and took note of student services, the amount of parent involvement and campus conditions.

Members developed questionnaires for parents and school personnel to answer anonymously.

But out of 600 surveys given to employees, only 60 were returned. Eighty-seven percent of those employees rated the school board's performance as "non-effective."

Commission members also attended the interim superintendent's "state of the district" forum and held its own public meeting as well. Both sessions were sparsely attended.

Commission Chairman Wes Beers said the report is "not a criticism for the sake of criticism," but that everyone must take responsibility for educating children.

For the district to improve, Beers said, the community must force the school board to operate differently.

"The school board is not providing the leadership and unifying direction necessary for the individual schools to carry out their mission," the report says.

The board frequently crosses the line between policy-making and management, getting involved in such day-to-day issues as teacher interviews, according to the report.

Eklund denied that the board "micromanages."

The report also notes that the district has had three superintendents within the past five years, with Dennis Kelleher leaving the superintendent's post in September. The job is temporarily held by Patrick Campbell, and board members said they will search for a permanent superintendent after the election.

The district has lost 15 percent of the teachers it employed last year, the report said. Board members attribute the losses to such factors as the many teacher positions created by class-size reduction programs and the strong economy.

The report challenges parents to become more involved and says the district did not let parents know about student progress, the consequences of failure or strategies for intervention.

Board Vice President David Farmer said the district has never written off students as incapable, as the report suggests. "We are committed to bringing the level of education to highest capacity," he said.

Len Strickland, a commission member and West Sacramento Chamber of Commerce official, said he was surprised to learn the district has no formal strategy for achieving overall goals.

He also was startled to see it operates without a capital improvement plan as part of its budget. Voters last year approved a $17.5 million bond to pay for the renovation of school buildings, and commissioners questioned how the campuses became so deteriorated in the first place.

Strickland said businesses are willing to get involved in schools, but the district must ask for help. He said he would like to see businesses adopt schools, offer their expertise in tutoring or mentoring, or provide financial help.

Calbaldon's effort with the commission mirrors an endeavor by the late Sacramento Mayor Joe Serna Jr., who organized a campaign to reform the Sacramento City Unified School District four years ago. A Serna commission studied the schools and backed a slate of candidates who won seats on the school board. Subsequent reforms have contributed to celebrated gains in math and reading.

Cabaldon said he had not endorsed any school board candidates.

While some others on the West Sacramento City Council back their mayor's efforts, Councilman Jim Cahill said it's unlikely this report, however well-intentioned, presents any major breakthroughs.

"The school board should be given the opportunity to do what they were elected to do," Cahill said. "We should not usurp their authority."

Cabaldon said that in the coming weeks the commission will share its report with the City Council, teachers, Chamber of Commerce, school board and parents. It then will host community forums to develop strategies to meet the district's challenges.