I am currently serving on the Reed Union School District Board of Trustees and I’m running to retain my seat as the incumbent in the upcoming election on November 3, 2020. As a Board Trustee, I am committed to supporting our District to provide an exceptional academic and social-emotional education for all RUSD students. I believe that all children deserve an excellent education and should receive the necessary support and resources to thrive in an inclusive and equitable educational environment.

My priority is to act in the best interest of all of our students and to listen to the needs of our parents, educators, residents and local businesses in order to make the best decisions for our District and our community. Now more than ever we need stability, adaptability and collaboration as we navigate these uncertain times, and I am hopeful that you will elect me to continue to serve you for another 4 years.

When I joined the board, I certainly did not anticipate that much of my experience this year would be dictated by COVID-19.  School boards are responsible for establishing the long-term vision for the school, setting direction for the Superintendent, providing organizational oversight, and reviewing and adopting policies, curriculum and budget, to name a few. Under COVID we are providing the same functions, but under different guidelines and principles that are continuously changing at the state, county and district levels. As a board incumbent, I have been actively involved with reviewing new policies, developing new guidelines and principles, and facilitating the steps to reopen our schools during this pandemic.

More specifically, I attended the Marin Office of Education seminars on returning to site-based instruction and provided feedback on the various models to safely return to schools that RUSD created over the summer. I helped draft the Continuity of Education Plan that was approved by the Board in July 2020. I voted to approve the Phases for Reopening plan that was also adopted by RUSD in August 2020.  I reviewed CA Senate Bill 98 and Assembly Bill 77 to provide direction for our Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan (LeCAP) that will replace the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) for the 2020-21 school year.

I was in favor of initiating the waiver process with Marin Public Health, although as a Board member I am respectful that we were split on this decision with 3 in favor / 2 opposed.  There are members of our community who will not be able to return to in-person instruction for health and safety reasons, and we must strive to provide an equitable learning environment for all students, whether in-person or remote.  That said, the data supports that students are best served when learning in-person with their peers for their social, emotional, and mental health - American Academy of Pediatrics – Guidance for Reopening Schools. 

Additionally, our Protocols for Safely Returning to School follow the health and safety guidelines as prescribed by the CDC and Marin Public Health, and we have approved a split cohort model upon the return to school to further ensure the safety of our students, educators and staff.  We need adaptability and collaboration to move to the next Phase and I am hopeful we will get there.  I recently acted to revive our board Communications Committee to broaden the dialog with parents and the community moving forward.

These are very challenging times for our schools and for our community. As a current Board incumbent, I have been actively reviewing and responding to the new policies that are affecting our district, and I have been watching the changes that are unfolding at the state and county levels in real-time, so that we can prepare and swiftly move forward when we have the approvals to do so. I humbly serve you and seek your vote to retain my seat on the RUSD School Board this November.