Candidate for
Board Member; Sweetwater Union High School District; Seat 5

Honest, Responsive Leadership for a Brighter Future for our Children!

Student Accountability

Each student must be provided with a challenging instructional curriculum which is germane and adequately prepares every student to enter the work force and/or postsecondary education.

District Accountability

Ed Herrera believes that a school board must be honest, open, and responsive to all stakeholders in the education of our children.

Today, four out of five of the incumbent Sweetwater School Board members have sought higher office either before or during their tenure (i.e. Mayor, City Council, and State Assembly). We need school board members that are less concerned with their political title and more concerned about providing progressive quality education continuity for our students. Our district should not be used as a political stepping stone and the our school board members should not rely on the shoulders of our students to elevate them to higher office. Ed Herrera believes that one should never leave a job until the job is done. At SUHSD, 6 out of 17 schools are not meeting state standards and older schools have been consistently placed on the federal government list of needed improvement. The job is not done, and Ed Herrera will make sure our school board places our students' education first.

If our school district is more accountable to students and parents, it does not have to put an even greater financial burden on communities and households that struggle to secure, food, shelter, and financial support to encourage students to continue their education.

Our school board members have accepted special interest contractor campaign contributions by the thousands and in return, hire those contractors. Our School board has become the best school board money can buy. That is not right and that needs to change. We need school board members that answer to students and parents and not to those who contribute the most money to their campaigns. Let us put the public schools back in the hands of the public. Ed Herrera will not be a rubberstamp for special interest contractor campaign contributors and allow our students and school district to suffer.

District office employees and personnel are overwhelmed with a heavy workload. There is a profound fear of repercussions if employees speak out against the School Board in the form of the inability of professional advancement within the district. Top level administrators filter the individual concerns that some employees, including teachers, may have and present the state of the district as complacent to the school board. Ed Herrera believes it is the responsibility of the school board to perform individual assessments on employee conditions and work personally with district employees to ensure fair and responsive leadership that values the contributions of our staff, faculty, and employees to the advancement of our students' education.

Student Motivation and Encouragement

Ed Herrera is the son of a first generation Mexican immigrant father and second generation latina/filipina mother. Herrera believes what students need is motivation. Students need to feel empowered and given the resources to accomplish what they aspire. Ed Herrera grew up in a home where at times he and his siblings went without needing and other times went witout anything. Herrera understands the value of having a mother who left her job to take care of her children and a father who worked twice as long, and twice as hard to support his children's education. Unfortunately, many parents cannot stay home and life depends on two incomes. For their children at school, there must be encouraging and caring community to turn to. Ed Herrera will form the first district-wide mentorship program, work with community organizations to promote the availability of such services, provide mentorship program options where students can choose a mentoring unit which they feel they relates to their life experience. Most importantly, Ed Herrera will be at our schools and talk to our students to provide a motivation that can only be achieved through individuals with shared experiences as Ed Herrera is an immediate product of our current education system and community.

Examinations and Assessments

Examinations and/or assessments must accurately serve as a measurement of a student’s knowledge and overall learning skills. Accurate examinations and/or assessments effectively demonstrate actual learning proficiency. Such assessments must be representative and respectful of the ethnic and cultural diversity of the people of the State of California. Most importantly, results of examinations and/or assessments must be evaluated in an effective and time-efficient manner so as to evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum and implement appropriate changes, if necessary.

Student Health

Although the main objective of public instruction is to educate students, our school board must understand the importance of the physical and psychological well-being of its students. While securing quality educators in our school district is important, our school board must also understand that there are many physical and psychological learning barriers which can prevent a student from acquiring the quality education he or she deserves. Such health problems can significantly impact school attendance and overall academic performance. We must therefore, adequately provide health services that assist students in their learning experience at Sweetwater Unified High School District.

The Student Condition: Understanding Socio-Economic Mediums and its Impact on Education

Ed Herrera believes that all students should be driven by their goals, aspirations, and dreams and not bound by their socio-economic conditions. The responsibility of the school district is to provide the fundamental learning skills and knowledge to students in order to equip them for the future. However, many students are deterred by those conditions and must confront mental, physical, emotional, and economic obstacles which affect academic performance. Our school board must make a greater effort to work with our U.S. Members of Congress and State Legislators, to tackle issues of poverty and other socio-economic hardships which students and their families confront in modern America. We must acknowledge the socio-economic inequity of our communities. When someone asks a parent how satisfied they are by the performance of the school district and the response that they are given is: "It depends who you talk to, then we have a problem and that is something we cannot ignore. As school board member, Ed Herrera, in addition to fighting to secure educational opportunity for all, will propose the establishment of a District Committee that will involve Sweetwater communities in addressing socio-economic conditions.

School Facilities

School facilities are a vital entity of our education system. It is important, especially in our district that we keep up with our ever-growing communities and provide adequate class rooms to reduce class size, increase campus safety, equip students with new technological learning instruments, and provide a welcoming learning environment. Facilities must be well-maintained, clean, and large enough to accommodate all students.

State and Federal Public Education Advocacy

Our school board must be visible in our communities, classrooms, and our schools. However, they must be even more visible on in Sacramento, Capitol Hill, the U.S. Department of Education, and the White House. Our government must understand the value of public education. School board members must work with our elected and appointed government officials to ensure that educating California and the United States of America is always a priority. If elected, Ed Herrera will continue his work of fighting for education and Ed Herrera will continue to work with our State Legislators and U.S. Members of Congress to improve our public education system, kindergarten through higher education.

Instilling Public Trust in Our School District

Public oversight of our local government is essential to the preservation of democracy. This includes our school districts. Board members are entrusted to uphold the United States Constitution and provide the highest quality of education to every student regardless of race, color, ethnicity, sex, gender, or creed. We need an open school board and district administration that we can trust. The school board must make an effort to effectively instill confidence in our district by working with honestly and integrity, in order to bring about greater student, teacher, and parent involvement.

Language Proficiency

Our School District must make a whole-hearted effort to ensure that all students are given the oppertunity to become proficient in the English language by the time they recieve their high school diploma. Ed Herrera will fight for after school english learning classes for all students.

Federal Grants for Military Families

If elected, Ed Herrera will work with our U.S. government in order to secure federal grants for military families based in San Diego whose children attend Sweetwater Union High School District Schools, in order to assist military families with costs pertaining to the costs of their child(ren)'s education. This would also include adult schooling. Currently, the Chula Vista Elementry School system functions under this program however, SUHSD has not yet made the effort.

Diversity

Our school district must work to ensure that all student regardless of their background, receive quality public education. We must work even harder to address the individual needs of each student. We must ensure that we create a safe learning environment through which diversity is appreciated and there is mutual respect for shared experiences and one another, free of hatred and hostility.