Candidate for
Board Member; San Mateo-Foster City School District

• My number one priority is that all of our students continue to receive a high quality education, whether they attend their neighborhood school, a magnet school, or participate in Special Education or the GATE program. I will work to make certain that every child has access to an excellent school and that they have the resources they need to become "active, well-rounded, socially responsible citizens who positively impact today and the future," as stated in our district's Strategic Plan.

  Whether a student is receiving Special Educational Services, is an English Language Learner, is below/at/or above grade level academically, it is important that teachers meet each student where they are and provide them with the instruction, guidance, opportunities, and supports necessary to help them achieve their academic, musical/artistic, physical, social, and emotional potential. Our teachers need ongoing district support in order to function optimally towards meeting these goals. I will work to ensure that they continue to receive this support.

  High quality teachers combined with research based educational methods that have been demonstrated to help children achieve academic proficiency will guide us towards eliminating the academic achievement gap that persists for socioeconomically disadvantaged students, English Language Learners, and students with disabilities. This is a goal that is important to me.

• I will offer collaborative and fair solutions to the increasing student enrollment and equity issues we are facing. I respect that as a result of the prior bond measure's not passing, the district carried out a process that involved as many of our district's stakeholders as possible in order to arrive at a community supported plan to be presented to the school board for their consideration. I attended each of the public board meetings where the specific content of a potential bond was discussed. The board members reached a unanimous vote to place a bond on the ballot this November 2015. Passage of this bond is crucial to making it financially possible for our district to add necessary capacity through additional classrooms, facilities, and buildings.

• I believe that the continuous improvement of two-way communication among all stakeholders - students, parents, teachers and other staff, and the community - and our district administration and school board is essential to the overall quality of our school district. Parent engagement is linked to student academic success, and parent engagement is increased when parents feel there is great communication between home and school and the district. I support ongoing outreach efforts to involve as many people as are interested in communicating with our district administration and the school board.