Frequently Asked Questions

 I am running for school board because I believe in the power of public education and every student deserves the best education in the safest environment. My goal is to improve and enhance our schools, not dismantle them. As a parent, national efforts to undermine public schools and implement policies that do not benefit students, teachers, or parents are deeply concerning to me. The CUSD school board must foster a collaborative relationship with the teachers, parents, and the community it serves, not a divisive one.  I am committed to being a stabilizing, collaborative presence that will work to keep CUSD a great place to educate our students.    

An effective Board benefits from a wide-variety of skill sets and experience. First off, I’m a parent. I have two daughters at CUSD and I’ve been very invested in their school site as a PTA member and classroom volunteer. As a working mom, my 25+ year career in business ethics has been dedicated to helping companies follow the law while maintaining high ethical standards. This is also critical in an educational setting. I hire and train employees, manage vendors, review contracts, manage budgets and supervise staff. All of this is directly applicable to serving on the CUSD school board. I have regularly attended and spoke at many school board meetings and am looking forward to the opportunity to serve all students and families.

I support diverse ideas and perspectives in our schools and libraries. Students must have age-appropriate access to a wide range of books and curricula enabling them to develop a global perspective. 

This summer, I read several “banned books.” Some content was difficult to read, but each story reflected someone’s truth. It is important for students to find experiences to identify with in the material they read to inspire their desire to learn. In an age where controversial content is easily accessible online, censoring books and curricula in our schools and libraries does not seem like the right approach. 

I trust our educators to make professional decisions about what is appropriate for their classrooms and libraries. They are experts in education and should be empowered to guide student learning. That said, parents should be free to discuss any concerns about content with their teachers and school sites.  

My top priorities are community, safety and academic excellence. School board members must collaborate with educators, parents, and the community.  I also want to make sure that schools are physically and mentally safe by addressing bullying, harassment and discrimination while fostering respect for differences. As a Mom’s Demand Action, Gun Sense Candidate, I will continue to prioritize safety on campus through counselors, partnerships with law enforcement, access controls and safety education.

I also believe that public education should evolve through innovation. Students need real-world opportunities to meet their learning needs. This includes providing strong support for teachers, ensuring engaging and relevant curricula, addressing disparities in student achievement through targeted interventions, and encouraging parental involvement. 

Attendance is crucial for closing academic achievement gaps. On a positive note, absenteeism at CUSD decreased over the last two years. Student surveys and research shows that mental health concerns contribute to absenteeism, with symptoms of depression higher among females and minority groups. The data also shows that increasing students' sense of connection and belonging drives attendance improvements. 

I support initiatives like rigorous attendance tracking, early intervention to address the root causes of absenteeism, consistent communication with parents and working with families to remove any barriers to attendance. Additionally, we must continue to build positive school climates where students feel connected to staff and peers through check-ins, mentorship and other incentives. I will prioritize mental health and academic support services to address emotional and learning challenges that keep kids away from school. We worked hard to get kids back to normal post-Covid and we must continue that momentum.

Various socio-economic factors influence declining enrollment. In order for schools to thrive we must retain current students and attract new families through innovation, positive school climates and better marketing of CUSD programs. 

Public schools are fixed sites based on residency, but families today have increasing choices. As education evolves, we must innovate from within and study how we can be more flexible with curricula or extracurriculars within our school sites while keeping tax dollars in the district. 

Increasing concerns about physical and mental safety also drive families to consider alternatives. Ensuring positive school climates where students feel connected and parents are satisfied with outcomes when they raise issues to administrators is important. 

CUSD already has many great programs. We must make it easier for families to find information and promote success stories like the Career Technical Education program which strengthens community relationships and gives students real-work experience. 

My focus will be on student-centered spending so that resources directly benefit classrooms – everything from textbooks and supplies to technology and extra-curricular activities. While maintaining a budget reserve is a good defense against potential shortfalls, I believe in spending reserves on thoughtful investment that meet the current needs of students.

I support offering competitive salaries for teachers and support staff, with a focus on positions that have a direct impact on students. Reducing class sizes is also a priority for me as it will improve classroom quality and was identified as a key concern in last year's CUSD Stakeholder Survey.

First of all, yes, I agree with the implementation of the DEI plan and unfortunately, I think the plan was and continues to be misrepresented by the “politicization” of what it means to be inclusive. Every company I’ve worked in for the last 25 years, has had a deliberate inclusion plan, training or volunteer employee resource group to promote collaboration and understanding. The Forward Together Plan is a multi-year effort that that will supplement CUSD’s efforts to help students develop critical thinking skills and a global perspective. 

Evaluating the effectiveness is complex, but in a nutshell, it needs to be a multi-pronged approach between qualitative data and culture-oriented data such as student satisfaction levels with school connectedness. Examples of success indicators should be improvements in academic targets and attendance rates combined with declining levels of reported bullying and harassment or overall improved satisfaction levels with school culture. Even though all of the plans and information is available on the district’s website, I see a lot of room for improvement on how we can measure and proactively communicate about these efforts.

School safety is one of my top priorities so I would not want students unable to communicate with parents or guardians in the case of an emergency, health reason or to arrange for family-life logistics. That said, I think we have all seen the distracting effects of cellphones at school, in our offices and in the cars surrounding us on the highway. I think cellphones should not be used during instructional time unless the teacher has a very specific reason for it and that students should be provided with all necessary technology for instruction by CUSD.

Collaboration starts with a good-faith willingness to participate! When friends, neighbors and political candidates refuse to engage or participate in public debates, it deprives the community of information needed to find common ground. My graduate studies in conflict resolution taught me the importance of listening and asking questions, rather than just sharing my own opinions.   I share personal experiences when relevant and stay curious about others' perspectives. I believe we all have something in common, but we must approach our differences valuing connection and the greater good. 

These are deeply personal matters that require balancing a student’s right to express themselves on their own terms with the role of parental involvement. While parents should be informed about significant changes that affect their child's well-being, some students may need time or support before discussing these issues. Teachers should not be placed in the position of managing personal family matters, which could lead to unpredictable outcomes and loss of trust. 

Currently in California, forced disclosure policies may conflict with the laws that protect students’ rights to privacy and safety. I will always follow the law and will not support policies that could lead to litigation or emotional harm to students. I believe taxpayer dollars are better spent in the classroom, not the courtroom. Schools should provide trained counselors that help students explore their identity safely and work with them to involve their parents in a supportive way.

  Both of my daughters attended TK at CUSD and I was pleased with the opportunity they had to do so. As a working parent, they had already been enrolled in private pre-schools which set them up for a successful transition into the TK program. The opportunity to attend our local public school also resulted in a significant cost saving for our family, even with aftercare they attended through CEF’s Kids Care program. I also recognize that every family is unique and a child’s readiness to attend TK is a personal decision, so I respect the choice to enroll or not depending on their development. 

I support universal TK while recognizing the need to ensure that we set the program up for success. This means ensuring that CUSD receives adequate funding from the state to provide appropriate facilities, highly qualified teachers and small enough classroom ratios that best support early education. 

This is a complex education issue requiring both short-term and long-term strategies to address disparities in student achievement.

I grew up in a dual-language family - my parents obtained advanced degrees as non-native English speakers. Their success was tied to their command of the English language. This should be the priority – make sure that non-English speakers get the early intervention they need to achieve English proficiency and understand the instructional terms they need to know in order to learn. 

Additionally, we must provide support for educators by providing instructional materials that support ESL instruction and the requisite professional development for multi-lingual support. This also necessitates inclusive learning approaches that reflect the diverse backgrounds and experiences of all students.

Provided that funding can be managed, implementing more dual-immersion programs and resources will also enable long-term success. We can set ESL students up for success by tailoring instructional approaches to their needs.