Priorities For Ocean View School District
CLASS SIZE REDUCTION
Studies have shown and I know from personal experience in my own classroom, that class size matters. Students receive more individualized attention and interact more with their teacher if class size is smaller. Teachers have more flexibility to use different instructional approaches with fewer students to focus on. Fewer students are less distracting to each other than a large group of children, behavior of students is improved. Teachers have more time to teach because there are fewer discipline problems. Students are more likely to participate in class and become more involved. Teachers have more time to cover additional material and use more supplementary texts and enrichment activities. Lower class size matters, and that is why when I was elected in 2012, I made it one of my primary goals to bring the high 29:1 ratio for K-3 classes back down. I made good on that promise and lowered class sizes to 27:1. With my re-election, more class size reduction has occurred.
SAVING OPEN SPACE
My commitment to the environment and our community is unwavering. I pledge to continue steadfast environmental stewardship if elected to the Board of Trustees. As president of the OVSD Board of Trustees, I was honored to oversee multiple historical milestones in regard to saving public land, and never selling our schools or open space. In March 2022, we created a brand new 15-acre open space area at the old Park View School site in the heart of HB. Recently, we said goodbye to the old school building, which had been closed since 1989, to provide the community with expanded green space. This is big. We are delighted that this demolition has revitalized the area. We will NOT sell the property to make way for high density development (HDD) or anything else. We will continue to be the only school board to NEVER sell our property to build homes. Instead we are going to provide additional open, green space for HB residents to enjoy. Come on out to run on the open green fields, because we know, parks make life better. Watch here to see how the old blighted Park View site is now a new open green space park.
ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION SOLUTIONS
DIVERSITY IN OVSD
Serving as president of the Ocean View School District, it’s been my honor to work for the people of Huntington Beach. As a classroom teacher, I pride myself on being an excellent communicator, with the ability to prioritize listening over speaking while seeking to understand different perspectives. Synthesizing ideas to understand concerns leverages the expertise of others. As a conservative fiduciary of public tax dollars, I have balanced budgets for a decade, and this year recorded a record-breaking surplus. My track record shows that representation of our diverse community is a top priority. Being from a family of immigrants has shown me how truly fortunate I am to be part of the American Dream. Our district is a beautiful patchwork of many races, cultures, religions, and traditions. Over the past two centuries, our Constitution has protected our right to be different, and I have sworn an oath to protect this.
