My Priorities

Focus on What Our Students Need

Students are the reason the school board exists! The district's job is to focus on the academic and socio-emotional success of its students. I commit to focusing on what students need, and listening to student perspectives and feedback. As a board member, I will only vote in support of a policy if I truly believe it will benefit the students of Newark Unified.

Improve Teacher/Staff Recruitment and Retention

We need to keep great teachers in our district! NUSD has been losing educators and staff due to a combination of school instability and competition from surrounding districts. I will challenge district staff to find innovative ways to attract and retain excellent staff. Potential strategies include advertising open positions on sites like LinkedIn and Indeed (not just EdJoin), building stronger relationships with teacher education programs, exploring the possibility of providing health insurance for NUSD teachers, and offering recruitment and/or retention bonuses to compete with neighboring districts.

Seek Innovative Ways to Raise District Revenue

NUSD students deserve a learning environment with outstanding academic and extracurricular opportunities. One way to strengthen this is to increase total district revenue. I commit to being creative and constantly suggesting potential new revenue streams for the district. Average Daily Attendance (ADA) has not yet rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. Grant money is available, but not always secured. The district rents out some of its facilities, but perhaps there is additional rental revenue to be found. Additional corporate partnerships could increase yearly donations. I commit to focusing on these topics from Day 1. 

Honor the Importance of Language Acquisition

Many public comments this year expressed frustration that the Dual Language Immersion (DLI) and Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL) programs were not being sufficiently valued or supported by the school board. Sadly, the DLI program was recently suspended for this year, despite having significant support from the Schilling community. I am committed to highlighting the importance of these excellent elementary programs, and to doing everything in my power to ensure that teachers and students feel supported in creating learning environments that promote intellectual curiosity and language acquisition. 

Support the NUSD Bond (Measure O) That Will Appear on the Ballot 

There will be an NUSD bond measure on the ballot this November called Measure O. This bond will provide much needed funding to upgrade aging infrastructure across the entire district, and will NOT raise taxes. While campaigning, I will strongly endorse this bond measure.

Continue to Invest in College and Career Pathways

NUSD already has several strong programs to prepare students for college and career: the Puente program, the partnership with Mission Valley ROP, and dual enrollment with Ohlone College, to name just a few. I will prioritize these programs and seek to expand them as much as possible.

Rebuild a Positive Culture in School Board Meetings

The Newark community is deeply invested in its schools, as shown by the impressive level of community participation at school board meetings. I commit to maintaining a calm and respectful environment by actively appreciating and welcoming all public comment, no matter the issue. I also commit to taking community input seriously, recognizing that a lack of action on community priorities contributes to a sense that the school board is not listening to its constituents.

Facilitate Community Input by Resolving Translation Issues

Translation has become a contested issue at board meetings. This should not be a difficult issue. Community members have the right to express their opinions, no matter their primary language, and the district has an obligation to translate meetings in a way that is accessible. If translation issues continue, I will work to resolve them immediately.