Ensuring that our schools are safe for all students is a high priority for me as a school board member. I will continue to support the district’s current work in equity and diversity to ensure it is implemented to protect teachers and school staff and promote dignity and belonging in our students. We know that good teachers influence students in incredible ways. We know that when families and students also feel connected to their teachers and school, students will achieve more often.

Safe schools are enhanced by modern buildings and technology. I support funding for facilities that will secure our schools. I support technology in our classrooms to equip teachers with the best teaching tools for their students.

The State of California funds public schools with the local control funding formula which takes into account the daily average attendance of its students. I believe true local control means more of this funding and decision-making to how it is spent is done at the school sites with the stakeholders who are closest to the students and who understand their community intimately. While there are expenditures that absolutely make sense at a district level, such as curriculum purchases and classroom technology, more decisions should be made by the schools themselves. The school site council at every school already makes collaborative budgetary decisions. I will continue to work to send more money to school sites while tackling the problem of declining enrollment.

The best way to combat declining enrollment is to attract more families to our schools from within and outside our district. The only way to do that is for the District to offer the best educational programs in our schools. This is truly where we excel as a school district. One example is the Dual Language Immersion Programs in both Spanish and Mandarin offered in kindergarten.

The middle schools offer a range of electives such as music, multimedia arts, Spanish, and leadership. There are maker spaces to provide a specialized place for hands-on learning projects. We have robust music and sports programs in New Haven middle schools.

At Logan, students take classes that prepare them for both college and their career. We boast a strong partnership with the Mission Valley Regional Occupational Program putting classes like culinary arts, autoshop, and photography, right in Logan. There are multiple foreign languages taught including Spanish, Mandarin, and Punjabi. Logan also offers AP classes as well as specialized programs in Puente and ICL.

As a Trustee, I will be a major champion for our schools across the county to support the District's efforts to market our schools. I will work to ensure we retain families in our district, particularly in the critical middle school years. I will ensure that we have policies that require equitable access to exceptional education for all students in the New Haven Unified School District.