Why I'm running
I have spent years engaging with and working to improve San Jose Unified schools. It started in 2022 when my oldest child entered kindergarten and I started substitute teaching at Hoover to help mitigate the inequities in staffing that existed there. What I saw in the classroom gave me concern about how the district was fulfilling its responsibility to our students. Relying on apps and programs delivered on laptops in the hands of each student was not producing meaningful learning.
I committed to improving our neighborhood schools, so in the years since, I’ve been very active at Trace bringing additional resources and programming to our school community (after school enrichment, folklórico, crosswalk improvements, funding for recess support, funding for science camp).
In my role as PTO president, I’ve also sat with our principal monthly to identify problems on campus and to help find solutions: issues such as scheduling, food service, crossing guards, funding allocations, and bathroom access. In all of these, we would use the resources available to us to help ensure the comfort and success of students and staff at Trace, but it often felt like what we were responding to were problems created by district policies and priorities. In all of this, our trustee was absent and seemed unwilling or disinterested in learning more about what was happening at our school sites.
I won't settle for being represented by politicians more interested in political careers than the operation of our schools, and neither should you.
Why We Need New Representation
A school district is only as strong as its community. The district should engage parents in the “why” of decisions, clarify policy tradeoffs, and listen to the opinions of an empowered public. With a responsive district, every SJUSD family can see themselves as educational decision-makers, not just consumers of what the district provides. The current trustees have failed to meaningfully engage, as they did in the recent closure of five schools and their inaction in response to a scathing grand jury report. The community feels that their input and engagement is not valued, and the school board needs change.
See our board's current record of dysfunction.
How I'd Govern
As a school board member, I would connect parents to the experts and information that guide policy decisions to make the process more transparent on all sides. The current system best serves families who already have institutional knowledge and confidence that their voices matter. Many don’t have the time or energy to effectively advocate. Others focus only on their individual child or specific school. Very few believe their participation and engagement in the district at large makes a difference.
Our city, and our district, bring together students, parents, educators, and administrators from vastly different backgrounds. Half of the students in the district are English learners, foster youth, or eligible for free/reduced-price meals. At the same time, the average home price in San Jose is $1.4 million. Despite the enormous wealth in the area, schools struggle to address our students’ unique challenges.
Help me amplify our voices. Our district should serve our schools. Our schools should serve every student. That starts with a school board that listens.