Our district offers rigorous academic preparation for students; we have a 96% graduation rate, 86% A-G completion rate, and 90% of students enroll in college within 12 months of graduation. However, we must combine academics with coursework that explicitly teaches personal finance, media literacy, career strategies, and life skills so students graduate ready for adult life and not solely higher education.

We must treat student wellness as a whole-school strategy rather than a stand-alone service that we turn to only when a student is in crisis. We have excellent mental health counseling resources and wellness centers available on both of our campuses; we need to build upon those with stronger outreach initiatives, workshops that teach learning strategies and executive functioning skills, and coordination between academic and mental health counseling services so we support student success from all angles.

As Trustees, we owe our constituents transparency, accountability, and serious deliberation. I support adopting a formal Code of Ethics, which we have yet to adopt, and clearer limits on what may be approved through the consent calendar, so routine business can stay efficient while significant policy, spending, and governance decisions are discussed publicly.