A bulletin board filled with various handwritten notes, drawings, and colorful paper notes pinned with push pins, some overlapping each other.
A bulletin board filled with various handwritten notes, drawings, and colorful paper notes pinned with push pins, some overlapping each other.

Priorities

  • Test scores aren’t the only measure of a child’s success, but academic results matter. When data show students falling behind, our responsibility is to understand why and respond.

    • Early literacy and mathematics

    • Evidence-based instruction and targeted intervention

    • Support for English learners and students with disabilities

    • Advanced opportunities for students ready for greater challenges

    • Career and Technical Education

    • College and career readiness

    Teachers should have useful and timely student data and the resources necessary to respond. When schools or programs are producing exceptional progress, we should understand what is working and determine where successful practices can be replicated. Our goal should be continuous improvement — every school, every classroom and every student.

  • Declining enrollment affects more than district finances. It affects staffing, programs, facilities and the resources available to students. We should understand why families leave, what attracts them to other educational options and what we can do better.

    • Understand enrollment trends school by school.

    • Listen to families and understand why some choose other options.

    • Expand attractive academic, STEM, arts, career technical education and specialized programs where there is demonstrated demand.

    • Strengthen communication with families and make enrollment and transfer processes easier to navigate.

    • Address chronic absenteeism and student disengagement early.

    • Carefully align facilities and staffing with changing enrollment while protecting classroom instruction.

    We shouldn’t simply manage declining enrollment. We should give families compelling reasons to choose San Juan Unified.

  • Students receiving special education services and their families deserve timely services, qualified professionals, appropriate staffing and a district that treats parents as partners.

    I support advocating for stronger state and federal special-education funding while ensuring existing district resources are used responsibly and effectively.

    • Recruit and retain special education teachers, paraeducators and specialized professionals.

    • Address persistent staffing gaps.

    • Provide employees with appropriate training, resources and support.

    • Improve communication and partnership with parents throughout the IEP process.

    • Support consistent and timely delivery of appropriate services.

    • Ensure facilities are accessible and appropriate for students with different needs.

    Special education should never be viewed simply as a compliance requirement or budget line. It represents our commitment to children and families.

  • Great schools need great people. Teachers, paraeducators, custodians, bus drivers, food-service workers, office staff, specialists, administrators and other classified and certificated employees make education possible every day.

    San Juan Unified should be a place where outstanding employees want to work — and want to stay. That means listening to employees and examining compensation, working conditions, staffing levels, professional development, opportunities for advancement, hard-to-fill positions, employee retention and workplace culture.

    As a trustee, one of the questions I will consistently ask is: Do our employees have the people, tools and support necessary to serve our students successfully?

  • Students and employees deserve facilities that are safe, clean, accessible, functional and prepared for modern education. My previous service on a San Juan Unified facilities committee gave me an understanding of the difficult choices involved in maintaining and modernizing a large school district.

    • Student and employee safety

    • Aging classrooms, roofs, plumbing and electrical infrastructure

    • Modern science and technology spaces

    • Career Technical Education facilities

    • Special education accessibility

    • Campus security and emergency preparedness

    • Heating, cooling and energy efficiency

    • Clean and functional restrooms and common areas

    Public investment must come with public accountability. Families and taxpayers should be able to understand what projects are planned, what they cost, when they will be completed and whether they are staying on schedule.

  • Parents know their children better than anyone. They should be welcomed as partners in their children’s education and have meaningful opportunities to communicate with teachers, administrators and district leadership.

    • Clear and timely communication

    • Accessible school and district leadership

    • Meaningful parent participation

    • Respectful dialogue, including when people disagree

    • Transparent decision-making

    Parents should be heard, educators should be respected, and students should remain at the center of the conversation.

  • Every dollar entrusted to San Juan Unified belongs to the public and should be treated accordingly. My professional background in operations, transformation and change management has taught me the importance of setting priorities, managing resources, measuring performance and holding projects accountable for results.

    I support transparent budgeting, responsible long-term planning and understandable public reporting. Resources should reach classrooms and school sites where they can make a meaningful difference for students.

Results and Accountability
Good Intentions Aren’t Enough. Measure the Results.

  • sarama graduation cap icon for academic achievement

    Academic achievement

    Reading and mathematics progress

  • A digital illustration of a calendar with a checkmark, representing an event or task completion.

    Student attendance

    Chronic absenteeism and engagement

  • Line drawing of a person with additional gauge icons indicating data or connectivity.

    Enrollment

    Enrollment trends and student retention

  • Outline of a hand in a fist bump gesture with a heart overlayed at the wrist connecting two fists.

    Special education

    Staffing and service delivery

  • Simple line drawing of a suitcase with a handle.

    Workforce

    Teacher and classified employee vacancies and retention

  • Line drawing of a shield with a check mark inside, symbolizing protection or security.

    School safety

    School climate and safety indicators

  • Outline of a skyscraper or modern building with a rounded top and a central archway, depicted in dark blue lines.

    Facilities

    Modernization projects, schedules and progress

  • A neon sign of a brain with a dollar sign inside it against a black background.

    Finances

    Budget performance and long-term obligations

  • Outline drawing of a house with a pointed roof, door, and window, set against a black background.

    Family engagement

    Parent participation and communication