Candidate for
Member, Governing Board; San Lorenzo Unified School District

As a mother of three children in the San Lorenzo Unified School District, I feel that I have three vested interests in San Lorenzo Unified School District. I have been a member of Hesperian's Site Representative Council for three years. I have been involved in decision making for improvement plans, budgets, grants and character development. The partnership between the school and community members has been a strong one that has led Hesperian to continued improvement. As president of the PTA for two years, I spear-headed a $75,000 playground project that involved intensive fund-raising, and grant-writing for this community built playground. We had 200 parents and community members come out on a Saturday and build a new playground for the students of Hesperian. These experiences have shown me the importance of the partnership between the community and schools.

I also volunteer at local Channel 28, developing a kids' show which teaches children all aspects of multimedia. This show has been a great experience for myself as well as the students involved. I have volunteered for most of my life. I was raised with the values of community service.

Through personal observation of my oldest son in the eLearning program, I was able to see the value of technology in my children's future. I would love to see this project expand throughout the district. The world around our children is ever changing and we need to be aware of needed educational reform.

We know that parents are a child's first teacher and need to continue in that role as our children move through school. I feel that parents should be an active part of the decisions made for our children. It is important for school board members to keep an open ear to the community and staff to make the best informed decisions possible for tomorrow's adults of San Lorenzo.