Candidate for
Board Member; Sacramento City Unified School District

I believe in holding our school district accountable to educating our children and spending responsibly. Sacramento schools need a leader with a fresh, outside perspective dedicated to improving the system from the grassroots level. When making decisions, the school board should always consider the total picture and how its decisions will impact the entire community. Too often, politicians get wrapped up protecting their own turf and political interests rather than doing what is right for our children. A key factor in dragging down our schools is the overgrown bureaucracy of the State Department of Education. So much money is wasted on lavish office buildings and overpaid bureaucrats at the state level that far less money actually reaches the classroom for our children. For example, the State Dept of Education resides in a state-of-the-art $20 million office building, but your child's classroom might have a leaky ceiling, no air conditioning, or out-of-date equipment. California is the 5th largest economy in the world and over 50% of our budget goes to education totaling $62 billion, the most ever spent in this state. So, why are we so far behind the curve and ranked 2nd to last in education compared to the rest of the country?

Based on the level of funding allocated by the California Legislature and Governor each year, this state should have the highest paid teachers, the most technologically advanced classrooms, the most sought after graduates in the country, and every student across America knocking down our doors to move here for their education.

Just imagine a School District where the teachers and students come first and the bureaucrats get the out-of-date buildings, the old computers, and have to borrow from the classrooms and not the other way around! As your Governing Board Member on the Sacramento City Unified School District, I will be your advocate for responsible spending of your tax dollars and a champion for cutting waste so that the majority of education funding is spent on your CHILDREN, NOT the bureaucrats!

Check back often for updates on the campaign, and remember to vote "Stanhope" for Sacramento City Unified School District on Tuesday, Nov. 7th.