PRIORITIES

As we work to protect the academic excellence and progress we have made during my tenure on the School Board, I also pledge to continue improving in areas where we must make more progress. In every decision that I make, I will consider the diverse needs of our students and the speed with which the job and career market is changing; we must equip students with the versatility and ability to adapt to those changes as much as possible. Simultaneously, we must also instill in them a sense of civic responsibility and ensure that students graduate with critical thinking skills that will enable them to contribute to the world they will inhabit as adults. I will serve as a mentor to newer board members and do my best to share my institutional knowledge and decision-making skills to protect our amazing schools. In my last term, I will focus on:

Thoughtfully and comprehensively addressing the use of AI/screens/technology in our schools, following a research-based, inclusive, collaborative process

Promoting educational tools to ensure media literacy or techno-literacy among our students, so students have the tools to analyze, recognize bias and misinformation and be thoughtful, critical consumers of information

Continuing our district’s progress towards closing the achievement/opportunity/equity gap by supporting and expanding programs and initiatives that engage all students and improving specialized programs, e.g., the District’s English Language Development (ELD) programs. This includes promoting culturally relevant and inquiry-based curriculum, implementing the social justice standards that our district has adopted along with the American cultures/ethnic studies requirement that we have adopted as well

Ensuring that all students continue to receive the highest quality instruction in reading, writing and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)

Enhancing cross-curricular opportunities to help students explore career paths and better prepare them either for college or jobs right after graduation, ensuring that they graduate with academic skills and the ability to think critically, collaborate and contribute positively to an increasingly complex world

Ensuring that the addition of Transitional Kindergarten is successful and aligned with the existing K-12 system so that students leave pre-school and TK ready for kindergarten

Continuing to explore all options to increase the availability of childcare for all who need it

Strengthening the District’s communications and interactions with District families and the public, so in real time the community can weigh in on District decisions while ensuring that discourse is constructive, inclusive, and respectful to all

Continuing to support and monitor modernization of school facilities to ensure that SMMUSD has learning spaces and facilities that are safe and supportive of high-quality learning

Continuing- the necessary work to complete a fair and equitable unification process