Responsible Management

As a Trustee on the Board of Education I will serve my fiduciary responsibility over Public Money, Public Resources and Public Trust. The Board of Education for FUSD oversees around $500 million in its annual budget, which serves over 30,000 students at 40+ school sites supported by the work of 3,600 staff members.

  • I will leverage my professional and educational background (including an MBA), my non-profit experience (12 years as Treasurer), and my time on the FUSD Superintendent’s Budget Advisory Task Force to ensure FUSD’s financial stability while sustaining and improving our educational offerings.
  • With declining enrollments and cuts in the California State Budget, FUSD is looking at budget cuts in the upcoming years. I will advocate for any necessary cuts to be made responsibly and thoughtfully, with minimal impact to staffing, student success, and student wellbeing.
  • I will advocate at the federal, state, and city level for education funds and ensure that we leverage inter-agency cooperation to FUSD’s benefit.

My Top Priorities are:

Student Success

Our district is known for its excellent academic outcomes, but some students are still being left behind: 8% of FUSD students do not graduate, with that number even higher in marginalized and historically disadvantaged groups. Also, narrow definitions of success reduce the options that students can imagine for their own futures.

To ensure every student at FUSD can be successful, we need to:

  • Support diverse pathways to student success: four year universities, community college, vocational training, career technical education, fine arts, performing arts, and sports.
  • Invest in an enriching classroom experience for ALL classes (CP, Honors, Accelerated, AP, Special Education, etc.)
  • Find innovative and modern ways to enable more students to take advanced classes.
  • Fully resource Special Education classrooms, and use existing relationships with legislators to push the Federal Government to fully fund IDEA.
  • Support the passage of bond Measure M and Prop 2 to meet the needs listed in the Long Range Plan (LRP) for rebuilding school infrastructure.

Student Wellbeing

Student wellbeing starts with students feeling supported and safe. However, according to the 2022-2023 California Healthy Kids Survey, 30% of FUSD junior high and high school students reported feeling ‘so sad or hopeless every day for two weeks or more that [they] stopped doing some usual activities’ in the last 12 months.

To support our students’ wellbeing, we need to:

  • Improve mental health resources available to FUSD students by working with educators, students, staff, and parents to find solutions.
  • Hire culturally competent mental health professionals who understand the needs of our diverse district, which is 93% BIPOC and includes LGBTQ+ students. Offer a culturally responsive learning environment, for example with diverse books.
  • Cultivate a collaborative working environment for students. Learning to collaborate will take students a long way in their professional careers.
  • Foster an environment that reduces student burnout.
  • Ensure healthy food options are offered to FUSD students through the Universal Meals Program. Learning healthy food habits drives lifelong wellbeing.

Recruit & Retain the Best Talent

High quality educators and staff create a high quality environment for student success. I have heard stories of great teachers who can no longer afford to live in the area, many of whom grew up here and attended our Fremont schools. This is not a sustainable situation.

In order to recruit and retain the best talent at FUSD, we need to:

  • Provide competitive salaries and benefits so that our teachers and staff are able to thrive and raise their own families right here in Fremont.
  • Fully fund classrooms, libraries, and facilities so that teachers and staff do not need to spend their own money or crowdsource for basic supplies.
  • Create an environment where teachers and staff are encouraged to be creative and to bring forth their best. Successful, creative teachers develop successful, creative students.
  • Always strive for FUSD to be a Great Place to Work. Help our teachers and staff achieve their professional career aspirations at FUSD.