Candidate for
Board Member; Hayward Unified School District

My name is Rick Bartholomew and I have been a Hayward resident for 44 years. I have been a homeowner in Hayward for 28 years. My lovely wife, Jen, and I have been married for 12 wonderful years. Jen is a former elementary school teacher. I have two sons, who both attend Hayward Schools. My youngest attends East Avenue Elementary; my oldest attends Bret Harte Middle school. I have always been and continue to be an involved parent. My philosophy has been that an open relationship with the teacher, the student, and the parent is the true key to a successful education. I have been on many committees at each school. At East Avenue I have been on the School Site Council, I was a safety chairman, became part of a Citizen Emergency Response Team, and was on a nutritional lunch task force and currently I am the PTA's Parliamentarian. At Bret Harte I am currently on a parent task force, am the treasurer of the PTA, am the treasurer of the Band Booster Club and have graduated from the Parent Institute for QualityEducation.

I am also involved in my community. I helped teach my son's seventh grade Faith Formation class at All Saints Church and will be teaching my son's eighth grade class this year. I was chosen to serve on the Budget Advisory Task Force by the District Office. My next involvement is what I believe was the deciding factor for me to run for the Hayward School Board and that was my involvement with the Measure I Bond. When I started getting involved in trying to pass what I thought was a very critical Bond for our schools, I became excited to think this could be the beginning of something big for Hayward, a much needed investment. When Measure I passed with such a strong showing I knew I was part of a forward movement and wanted to continue that movement by being a voice for the parents and teachers as a member of the School Board.