Build on Recent Progress

BVSD has made progress recently by investing dollars to match its words on student equity, providing more early childhood care, and expanding post-secondary options. I will work to protect and expand these efforts. These initiatives require long-term strategies — they can’t be one-shot efforts.

• Student equity must remain a priority. We should continue making additional investments in schools serving high proportions of students of color, English learners, and other historically underserved students. Our additional investments and support toward a more equitable district are showing results and I will protect and advance them going forward.

• By expanding post-secondary options and Career and Technical Education (CTE), we can prepare more graduates for success in whatever they choose to do after high school. We can expand options without sacrificing current programs or increasing student stress. Placing more CTE and post-secondary programs in our high schools will expand options and reduce stigma for students pursuing alternatives.

• Emphasizing developmentally-appropriate, play-based care in early childhood programs for 3 and 4-year-olds is the best way to help them grow up happy and ready for school. We should not compromise on quality or lose track of what little kids need or how they grow. In other states that expanded early childhood care, public school systems have been tempted to jump the gun on academic teaching in ways that are inappropriate — and counter-productive — for our littlest kids.