Candidate for
Member of the State Assembly; District 23

Joe Coto is an educator whose primary commitment has always been to the advancement of the most disadvantaged students and their families.  He has spent half of his professional life as Superintendent of Schools in two of Northern California's most challenging districts: Oakland Unified School District and East Side Union High School District.  In recognition of his contributions as superintendent of East Side Union High School District, the Association of California School Administrators named him the 2003 Superintendent of the Year. 

Joe compares the role of a large city superintendent to that of a Chief Executive Officer of a large corporation, as many of the challenges are similar.  As the Chief Executive Officer of the 24,000 student school district, Joe Coto brought about significant advances in student achievement: 

Students completing the requirements for admission to the University ofCalifornia rose nearly 50%

Graduation rate improved by 10%

College enrollment increased by 10%

The dropout rate dropped 10%

Joe began his career as a Social Studies teacher in the Oakland Unified School District, where he experienced first hand the influence of public policy on education.  He was motivated to run for public office.  While serving on the Oakland City Council, he was asked to fill the position of Superintendent of Oakland Unified School District.  In 1988 he moved his family to San Jose to become the superintendent of East Side Union High School District. 

During his fourteen year tenure as Superintendent, Joe Coto used his leadership and experience to craft policies that reached beyond the East Side Union High School District.  Joe organized the East Side Consortium of school districts which led to the approval of SB 1051, the Voluntary Integration Program.  Since its inception, the program has netted over $80 million for participating districts and contributed to increased diversity and integration in East San Jose schools.

Joe understands that schools are integrally woven into the tapestry of their communities and cannot be successful without the support of the residents and of the business community.  In addition to his commitment to excellence in education, Joe Coto has continued to serve the community by serving as Chair of the Mexican Plaza Cultural Arts Center in San Jose and President of the Latino Democratic Forum.  He has served on the boards of Joint Venture Silicon Valley and on the Catholic Council to investigate abuse within the Roman Catholic Church. 

A healthy community is one that is built on the strengths of all its residents.  Joe Coto has demonstrated, through a life of service and commitment, that he will empower and defend the people of East San Jose to maintain the building blocks of a strong and healthy community:  jobs, quality education, and affordable housing.