Candidate for
Trustee; Santa Clara Unified School District; Trustee Area 2

"I'm passionate about education. Our children are precious and our schools are a vital community resource. Santa Clara is a great place to live, and I want to give back to our community by serving on the school board."

Our district needs earlier intervention for struggling students and more opportunities for students who are ready for a challenge. Research shows that the achievement gap is present at the very start of standardized testing by 2nd/3rd grade, and that the gap, once established, persists through time.

Data from our own district show that readiness groupings by subject for reading/language arts and math, coupled with frequent assessments, direct instruction, teacher collaboration, and re-groupings when needed produces remarkable results. 'Readiness groupings' means that students are grouped to work with other students with the same level of knowledge in English/Language Arts and Math. Our own Title 1 (low income) school, Bracher elementary, has been successful using the above methods in eliminating the achievement gap, and obtained an API score of 894 this year, which shows phenomenal growth. We have good teachers and good students; we just need better instructional tools and teacher and parent support. We need to use instructional methods that work to close the achievement gap and propagate those methods throughout our school district.

We need to support and retain good teachers and staff, and keep budget cuts away from the classroom.

We need administration accountability, fiscal responsibility, and transparency in governance.

The next school board will hire the next superintendent, who will guide our school district for the next 5 to 10 years. The past 2 times our district has hired a new superintendent, and the superintendent has been promoted from within. I believe that we should cast a wide net, and perform a nationwide search for our next superintendent, considering candidates from within the district as well as candidates from throughout the U.S.

The district faces budgetary problems at the same time the district enrollment is growing. The next board will decide on the district's long range plan - which schools to close or open, and what facilities to build. I believe in parent and community input in the district's long range plan.