Candidate for
Governing Board Member; Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District

Accomplishments during 9 months on the board: Supported expansion of our world language program Supported STEM and SCROC Encouraged budgetary restraint while emphasizing infrastructure improvements Demanded that our students remain competitive in math and science Ensured Bridge to Algebra program will allow as many children as possible to take 8th grade algebra and be best prepared for the SAT/ACT and entrance to top colleges

How I got involved: I first became involved in my childrens' schools as a parent with finance and communication expertise, and then tackled district-wide issues, speaking up to help rid PVPUSD of ineffective administrators in 2013, and then bringing to the district's attention problems with Common Core math implementation in 2014. My efforts earned the board's respect and that of a PVPUSD parent and staff community that needed more accountability and courage from our leaders. I have provided both.

How I see PVPUSD: Our new superintendent has assembled a strong leadership team, but we have more work to do. PVPUSD's strengths are in its on-the-ground teachers and the support network of PEF and the PTAs and booster clubs at each school site. Some of these school-specific groups are extremely successful and have created a "can-do" culture that is impressive and contagious, one that should last regardless of the particular parents directing them. Our students themselves are highly motivated, both in the classroom and through their myriad of extracurricular activities. All three of our high schools do a fabulous job of allowing all students to succeed; different leadership styles, and different school cultures, can all lead to success in the classroom and we show that in Palos Verdes. However, we have weaknesses and we must use our strengths to stand up to outside forces imposing their weak views upon us, not understanding that one-size-fits-all education does not work in our high achieving community. I will serve this four-year term studiously, and, as I have for the last nine months, I serve without a political agenda.