Families in Area 7 are in desperate need of secondary schools. The impact of this issue is far reaching and negatively impacts families in a variety of ways, including the logistics of getting children to and from school, wasted time in traffic, wasted time for students waiting before and after bus rides, and the high cost of transportation. The overcrowded secondary schools lead to inadequate parking, extreme traffic congestion at the school sites, and students being offloaded to various secondary schools. 

I will continue to advocate for secondary schools in South Rancho Cordova, which can also serve Rancho Murieta, Sloughhouse and other portions of Area 7. The addition of these new schools can alleviate overcrowding at existing secondary schools, which benefits all Area 7 families. I will continue to advocate for better transportation solutions for families so that students are not forced to wait at the school for extreme lengths of time before and after school.

The 2023 CAASPP scores for our district indicate that only 40.99% of students met the state standard for math and that only 51.96% of students met the state standard for English. We need to focus our resources and instruction time on high quality, evidence-based curriculum that helps students thrive in core subjects and provides them with a quality education. I want to see our district focus more on education excellence in math, reading, English, science, and vocational opportunities for all our students.

I will demand fiscal responsibility and transparency with the spending of taxpayer dollars. For far too long, the school board has voted to give the superintendent a raise, despite failures in leadership. Meanwhile, our paraeducators, who work with our most vulnerable student population, start at an hourly wage that is less than fast food workers. I will support competitive wages for teachers and support staff so that we can attract the most qualified educators and paraeducators to best support our students. I will advocate for fiscal accountability and request the fiscal impact be included in presentations to the public. Taxpayers deserve transparency from the district regarding the spending of their tax dollars.

I will advocate for complete transparency with parents regarding curriculum, instructional materials, and policies. There needs to be more opportunities for parent input, and opportunities to preview proposed curriculum at each school site to provide opportunities and access for all parents to be partners in their child's education. The district needs to provide clear and open communication with parents and recognize the importance of parent involvement in their child’s education. 

I will make safety a priority for our students and staff. I will advocate for school resource officers to be on-site at every secondary school. In addition to safety and security, issues such as vaping, smoking, and vandalism in bathrooms could be more properly addressed with the help of on-site school resource officers. School resource officers can help to better address violence and bullying within our schools. I will advocate for all schools to have a more secure safety plan and more resources to prioritize student safety.