Candidate for
Governing Board Member; Fremont Unified School District

"Our schools must graduate students prepared with the critical thinking skills, lifelong learning skills, and technological knowledge necessary to succeed in the 21st century."

In August of this year, I published several proposals to improve the Board's working relationships with the community and fund overdue investments.  The community needs a Board that is responsive to parents, teachers, and students.  My proposals for Board communication and decision-making processes are steps towards having a unified Fremont that is solely focused on giving our children the best possible education.

The public should know my values and my vision for our Board, our District, and our children.  Here are some of the proposals:

• Bimonthly Attendance Area Meetings: Instituting rotating meetings in each attendance area to be attended by one board member and one District administrator.

• Monthly Cable Show: Creating a monthly question and answer cable program hosted by one or two (rotating) board members and district administrators taking input and questions from the community on a specific topic.  

• The Internet: Increasing use of the Internet to communicate with the community for district-wide issues and timely information for parents at each school.

• Formal Decision Making Process:  Proposes that the Board, District staff, and community review and modify the process to be followed for any proposal that would have significant impact on the community.  The resulting process will be posted on the District's web site, presented in overview form at a BOE meeting, and distributed to each school. 

• Financial Lobbyist: Proposes that FUSD hire a financial lobbyist - a funding expert whose job it is to research and lobby for funding available from federal, state, corporate and foundation sources. I guarantee that the Financial Analyst position will more than pay for itself over the course of a year.

• Top-to-Bottom Budget Review:  Proposes to review all increases to the budget after analysis on potential impact to the overall budget, a review of other projects that have previously been cut, and an analysis of where this falls within the overall District priorities. Too often, changes are recommended by staff without referencing the overall context of the change or alternatives for funding. Budget cuts and additions cannot be made in a vacuum without understanding the underlying tradeoffs.