Candidate for
Board Member; Sequoia Union High School District

During the last 4 years

Achievement:

At Woodside, the school improved a phenomenal 28 points in one year and in the next moved to a 10 out of 10 on the Academic Performance Index! Woodside has been at the forefront of using test data to assess the needs of their students and, together with its excellent programs and beautiful new buildings, has become one of the most highly sought after schools in the district.

Menlo Atherton was recently rated #128 in Newsweek's top high schools in the country, moving it into the top 4% of all schools in the nation, as measured by advanced placement and international baccalaureate testing and graduation rates. MA's Advanced Placement classes have produced some of the top students in the county.

Carlmont can boast the largest growth in population of all the schools, fueled in part by the return of private school students. Carlmont is instituting a state of the art biotech program and has partnered with Canada College to bring college courses to its campus.

Sequoia High School was awarded the prestigious International Baccalaureate Program, a rigorous program offering college level courses to juniors and seniors with an international perspective. With the highest number of English language learners in the district, Sequoia has reinforced English skills throughout the curriculum.

Redwood High has a new, dynamic principal who understands the needs of these students. The "garden" has been enhanced and serves as important part of the school's curriculum. A record number of students received diplomas this year.

Facilities Bond

The voter's demonstrated their confidence in the district by passing an 88 million dollar bond measure to upgrade, modernize, repair and renovate all of our high schools with over a 2/3 vote. Before our very eyes, our public schools are being transformed into revitalized institutions of learning that are the envy of districts everywhere. Most projects are on time and on budget.

Superintendent of Schools

Perhaps the most visible of all our accomplishments has been the hiring of Dr. Pat Gemma as our new Superintendent. Parents, community members and teachers have been impressed with his leadership skills and collaborative approach. We believe he is the perfect educational leader for our district and has already made an impact in the community with his personal skills and charm.

Budget

Like all school districts, we are experiencing difficult challenges with state funding. However we have been able to maintain strong reserves with a minimum of staff reductions and cuts to programs. Strong fiscal management and strategic spending have proved to be prudent. Our board was very active in the fight to keep local property tax and helped fend off the Tax Grab from the State that would have forced budget cuts of up to 25% in our district.

We can't take credit for all the hard work of the Principals and staff in the schools, but we were responsible for creating the environment that values creative thinking, high standards for academics, discipline and increased respect for the school community. Specific accomplishments include the following:

Increased funding for a 9th grade literacy program to address incoming freshmen achieving below grade level.

Improved articulation between our elementary districts and the high schools so that we now share test scores before students arrive at our campuses.

Hired excellent principals and stabilized administrative staffing.

Funded college readiness and advising for 9th graders

Envisioned and approved a "high tech high" for the Sequoia High campus to provide additional choices for parents

Increased collaboration with City/County and community agencies. This has allowed us to build a bigger and better theater at MA, create a Wellness Center on the Sequoia campus and expand library services at Carlmont.

Increased participation of board members in community events.

Secured a partnership with Canada College to provide enrichment, support and more choices for our students on campus and in our Adult Education programs.

Our new partnership with U.C. Berkeley will focus on teacher training.

Established a policy to create early identification and intervention of students at risk of not graduating due to insufficient credits.

Early dissemination of information about the district and its schools to middle school parents so they can make wise choices of where to send their children.

Encouraged our schools to provide more personalized learning environments such as small learning communities.

Initiated Parent Institutes to increase parent participation

Increased the number of A/P (Advanced Placement) classes

Reduced dropout rate district-wide

Test scores keep going up!