Working to Improve San Jose's Neighborhood Schools

By Dave Cortese

As mayor of San Jose, Dave Cortese plans to focus on four key education initiatives--student achievement, at-risk youth, school safety and the arts. He will take the best existing programs in our public schools and enhance and expand them with city support.

Through his school board involvement, Dave realized that the City has historically not taken an active role in requiring developers and school districts to build new schools as new housing tracks are built. As mayor of San Jose, Dave will work to ensure that no major development occurs without first addressing the impact it will have on our schools. Development should not occur unless classroom needs have been met.

He was also instrumental in initiating more than 20 homework centers in his district, serving on the Mayor's Gang Prevention Task Force and supporting academic achievement through effective and innovative plans.

Later as a councilman, he worked to create new cutting-edge partnerships between the city and the East Side Union High School District, which led to new grant money for the district. He also supported the Teacher Homebuyer Program with budget votes and serves as the sole councilmember appointed to the City's Housing Advisory Commission.

As mayor of San Jose, Dave plans to focus on four key education initiatives--student achievement, at-risk youth, school safety and the arts. He will take the best existing programs in our public schools and enhance and expand them with city support.

Student Achievement

Intensive six-week programs such as the Jose Valdes Math Institute have proven track records of success, but they are starving from lack of resources. As mayor of San Jose, Dave pledges to find the funding to ensure every high school student will have a legitimate chance of being at or above grade level by the time they're sophomores in high school.

At-Risk Youth

Dave has witnessed firsthand how transformational mentoring programs can effectively turn lives around and has secured city grant money for them as a councilman. Yet many of these programs are struggling due to lack of funds. The city doesn't need new programs; rather, the city needs the best, most effective programs in the city to be funded, expanded and enhanced. As mayor of San Jose, Dave will ensure that city resources are redeployed and focused on expanding the programs that really work.

School Safety

There is no excuse for the city of San Jose, the "Safest Large City in America," to have an increasing rate of juvenile crime. This endangers our youth and families as well as our teachers and other school personnel. As mayor of San Jose, Dave will restore The Mayor's Gang Prevention task force as one of the most visible and effective programs at City Hall. He will also expand and replicate programs like the Weed and Seed program, which is a safety-focused partnership with schools, neighborhoods, the city and the federal government.

The Arts

The arts are a fundamental part of our education, and for that matter, our entire western civilization. If we don't teach children about the arts at a young age, they won't appreciate the arts as adults and the arts will not be a citywide priority. As mayor of San Jose, Dave pledges to make the arts and arts education a major city priority.