Dear Neighbor

By Efrain Aceves

Open Letter to the Whittier City School District Community

I hope to obtain your endorsement and support in this important race.

I am a life-long resident of Whittier and would like to continue making a meaningful contribution to the school district that started my academic career. With your help, I will fulfill my goal of continuing to serve the students attending the same schools and classrooms my children attend and that I attended when I was a child.

Having attended UCLA for my undergraduate studies, as well as for my law degree, I firmly believe that in order for our students to succeed, they must continue to be challenged by innovative teachers and a rigorous curriculum. As such, during my tenure I have made sure that our teachers are 100% Highly Qualified per No Child Left Behind Standards.

If re-elected to the Whittier City School District Board, I pledge to continue the progress our schools have made by working closely with teachers, parents, and community groups.

During my four years in office, our school district has grown approximately 80 points on the California Program Index. We have made sure to focus on all of our students and continue to stress the importance of differentiated instruction. I am proud to say that in this same time the percentage of identified GATE students over the past two years has gone up from 5% to 8%. I am also keenly aware of the importance of providing a quality special education program and will continue to ensure that our special education students are given the resources they need to succeed!

We also offer Full Day Kindergarten at each elementary school and are relying on survey driven data to address the needs of our students and teachers. Furthermore, during my tenure we created two Technology Academies, Mill School and Technology Academy and Edwards Middle School. We are also planning a third academy, a Science Academy at Daniel Phelan School.

Further, despite statewide budget cuts our district continues to look for ways to bring money in order to preserve enrichment programs that our students benefit from. Three years ago we were awarded the After School Education and Safety Program Grant for $1,239,000 per years for all 11 school sites. More recently, we received the 21st Century Grant, which provides the district with $483,500 per year for five years for Dexter, Edwards, Jackson and Sorensen. Lastly in conjunction with CSU Dominguez Hills, we just received the California Mathematics and Science Partnership Grant for $900,000.

Again, I humbly request your support and vote on November 3, 2009. With your help, I will continue to challenge our schools and help make all of them exemplary models that the community can all be proud of.

Sincerely,

Efrain Aceves, Deputy District Attorney