Priorities

I was first elected to the Menlo Park City School District Board in 2020 as the pandemic was receding. I helped navigate the children’s return to classrooms. Since then, we’ve experienced global unrest and natural disasters that have threatened to disrupt our learning. Through it all, our board and administration have kept our eyes on our top priority: our students.

These are three of my top priorities:

RECRUITING AND RETAINING TEACHERS

The top threat to quality education in our district and our country is the ever-shrinking teacher pipeline. Teachers must be compensated commensurate with the crucial work they do for our children and society. We must give teachers the support they deserve, so they stay in the profession and inspire others to join this most vital career. Everyone’s future depends on it.

CREATING SAFE AND HEALTHY LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

We've seen how the pandemic, forest fires, storms, and heat waves have disrupted – and continue to disrupt – learning for our students. Tragically, we know school violence can occur, too. Ensuring school safety and upgrading our classrooms to meet modern standards is one of my top priorities. I have worked on our facilities master plan and am advocating for our upcoming school bond measure to ensure our children have classrooms that enable them to concentrate on learning. I am the strongest voice on the board pushing for new, electric HVAC systems so that our schools reduce our carbon emissions. For more information on the bond campaign, please visit https://www.safeschools4mp.org/

CLOSING THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP

Despite concerted and considered efforts, an achievement gap persists between wealthier students and low-income students. We must reconsider, reassert, and reaffirm our strategies for closing that gap until we make more significant progress. I remain committed to equitable access to quality education, and believe strongly that investment in early childhood education is the most effective way to close the achievement gap. 

Serving on the school board is a great privilege. It is also an opportunity to reinforce our public education system, at a time when public institutions are under attack. I do not feel much agency over issues outside this district, but in this corner of the universe, as part of this school board, I effectively use my position to fight for our community and our children, and will continue to do so.