BECAUSE A TRUSTEE SHOULD FIRST ASK “IS IT GOOD FOR KIDS?”…
It’s hard to believe it’s been almost four years since your incredible support propelled me into the seat as a Board of Education Trustee for the Conejo Valley Unified School District (CVUSD). I have enjoyed serving our community and working with an amazing team of students, families, educators, and staff.
Our community has faced many challenges over these past four years. After election night, we woke to the news of the unimaginable tragedy at Borderline. We were at the vigil for those taken from us in that horrific event when we heard the news of evacuations for the Hill and Woolsey Fires. And of course, the global pandemic wreaked havoc on all of our lives.
Throughout all of this the efforts of the district continued in earnest. Even when school campuses were closed district leadership worked hard to ensure that students received the best education possible under the circumstances. We handed out laptops, hotspots, upgraded filtration, created safety protocols, and invested in classrooms in order to be one of the first districts to safely reopen our schools. We continued meal services for all students. I am proud to have been a trustee during these trying times.
I love the work of supporting our students and families, helping professional educators provide exceptional experiences, building relationships with other agencies, and keeping our schools a community point of pride. People who know me best know that my first response to anything proposed for our schools is “is it good for kids?” Then, I also want to know if it’s good for teachers, staff and our community.
A few of the major highlights from my term include:
- Increasing the focus on student achievement by closely monitoring district goals and adding targeted metrics
- Investing in mental health resources and creating/implementing Wellness Rooms
- Overseeing federal and state stimulus funds to address Covid-related learning interruption
- Creating a Student District Advisory Council and establishing a Student Trustee position
- Developing new parent advisory councils to increase access and attention for historically marginalized communities and to amplify parent and student voices
- Expanding parental and stakeholder input to the School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) and the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
- Increasing Career Technical Education (CTE) and Dual Enrollment opportunities
- Developing a Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) strategic arts plan
- Piloting an Ethnic Studies class ahead of the state-imposed mandate
- Bringing the district into compliance with the California Healthy Youth Act (CHYA)
- Creating the first Dual Language Immersion School in the district
- Diversifying and expanding our core literature lists
I am excited about the future of CVUSD and look forward to continuing to serve you and our community. The November election will be here before we know it. Thank you for your support, your feedback and your involvement over the past four years. I look forward to continuing our partnership and commitment to the students, families, and staff of CVUSD.
