Why I'm running for School Board

I'm motivated by wanting the best schools for the children of this community as I know all of you do.  My three children have benefited from the excellent schools in this great city that feels like a small town. Many of your children are attending or have attended our schools as well.  I enjoy giving back and working to keep our district's standards high.

A little about my background:  before becoming a member of the school board, I was a director of SPEF, on the board and president of the South Pasadena Chinese American Club,  a director of the Pasadena Dance Theater and a member of the Public Safety Commission. Since being a member of the school board, I have been a liaison of every school in the district,  have been a member of the Program Review Board and  am presently president of the board –my second time in the last three years…it's been a busy and gratifying 5-1/2 years!

As a member of the school board, I've worked hard to build and nurture excellence in all facets of our children's lives.  While it is extremely important to keep the bar high for academic achievement, we must not lose sight of the whole child and stay focused on wellness and safety as well.

It's a very exciting time at SPUSD

Some key interests of mine:

1. Strengthening English, math and science; last year we hired two new high school science teachers. We did the same this year.  We need to be creative and proactive in finding opportunities to expand on our core subjects.
2. Providing healthy choices for students and an attractive, nutritious food program. Michelle Curry is our new Director of Child Nutrition who will work with parents to come up with menus suited to the needs of our community.
3. Overseeing the middle school construction. We need to have confidence that the construction will be efficient and timely. We are aiming for a March 2008 completion date. This project includes 18 renovated classrooms.
4. We need to carefully monitor the track and field project and ensure that baseball field is restored. The budget is being scrutinized so that intelligent choices can be made. The project is on schedule to complete and we are planning our last two football games at home. The baseball field renovation will begin shortly to ensure that the season can begin on time in February.
5. We must provide communication to community in a variety of ways to ensure that all of our stakeholders are reached. I currently post a President's Report on the district website after each meeting. Our Superintendent is doing the same as well.   I have also started to submit my reports to the Review. A newsletter from district staff has made its debut and was mailed to our families.  The district provides the school board meetings on DVD and on cable for the community to view.
6. We are continuing regular audits of the District budget so there are no surprise overages.  Budget information must remain transparent and be regularly communicated with stakeholders.
7. Special Needs, Gate, and all other parent groups must have a voice and must be heard so that meet the community's needs in these areas.  The district GATE Advisory Committee meets on a regular schedule and will address the community's concern.
8. The Coalition for Youth is exploring issues of healthy choices for our young people and their families. We want to educate families on the indicators of potential problem areas for young people and provide a forum for support for families to discuss issues of concern regarding behavior issues with our young people.

And these are just a few of our current board's concerns.

I have had the honor of serving you on the school board for the past 5-1/2 years