Foothills Sentry - September 2022

Page 11 Foothills Sentry September 2022 Orange Unified School District Board of Education Candidates Andrea Yamasaki As a parent of three children who attended OUSD schools and the current president of the OUSD School Board, I under- stand the enormous impact school board decisions have on students and their education. During my tenure, OUSD achieved many accomplishments, including new STEM centers, so- lar panels, electric buses, renova- tion of Fred Kelly Stadium, and access to academic programs such as Career Technical Path- ways and Project Lead the Way. During the pandemic, OUSD students had the option of attend- ing school in-person or online with the same teacher almost im- mediately. Computers, internet access, and meals were available to every student. OUSD also ex- panded student services in the areas of mental and emotional wellness. My priorities going for- ward: • Work with law enforcement agencies to ensure safe/secure campuses. • Improve our students' social/ emotional well-being through in- terventions and increased access to counselors. • Expand technology, arts, sports and music programs. • Provide oversight/accountabil - ity of bond implementation and taxpayer monies. Having invested thousands of hours volunteering in the com- munity, visiting our schools, and working with parents, I have the proven experience to better serve the community I love. I am hon- ored to have the support of par- ents, OUSD teachers and commu- nity leaders. I would be honored to have your vote. Angela Williams I began my career as a clinical cancer researcher at Children’s Hospital of OC (CHOC). My love for science and research quickly became a love for teaching high school students as I moved my fo- cus from lab work to homework. My husband and children all graduated from the same OUSD schools I taught in. As a teacher, I have spent the last decade pour- ing into my students. Because of my unique background, the district opened its doors for me to develop and implement a bio- technology pathway at Orange High School. Sadly, the district has recently turned away from back-to-basics education by special interests and politics, which takes precedence over parents. At Orange High School, only 16.36% of students meet or exceed state standards in science due to poor pandemic policies. The worst part is that schools across the district are showing similar results. As the new OUSD trustee I will: • Shift the focus to supporting students and parents; • Work with parents and students to explore the best educational pathways; • Help broaden STEM programs; • Focus on back-to-basics educa - tion and curriculum; • Keep education dollars focused in the classroom, not on special interests. To learn more, please visit Wil- liamsforOUSD.com. Madison Miner I am an educator, mama bear of four children and an active Kristen Erickson It has been an honor to serve on the Orange Unified School Board, in a community I have called home for nearly 50 years. My husband, two children and I are proud OUSD graduates, and I feel blessed to help lead this won- derful, family-centered district, where students are our priority. I know the importance of strong public schools that reflect our community’s values. I contin- ue to honor the pledge I made in 2018 to bring integrity and trans- parency to this position. Orange Unified is stronger than it was four years ago. My expe- rience as a mom, attorney, busi- ness owner, parent volunteer, and OUSD Trustee has given me the passion, skills, and work ethic it takes to make OUSD the best. Under my leadership, we built new classrooms, renovated cam- puses, sports facilities, restrooms, and: • The first OC district to safely and responsibly re-open for class- room learning; • Increased counselors, psycholo - gists, and school nurses; • Expanded STEM, dual language programs, Career Technical (vo- cational) programs; • Saved taxpayer dollars through responsible budgeting; • Created an all-electric bus fleet and increased cost-effective, green infrastructure; I will always fight to keep our schools safe, strong, and focused on the education of our children. Please vote Kris Erickson for OUSD! Tim Surridge For the last 25 years, I have been blessed to serve students as a teacher, varsity basketball coach, technology learning specialist, and as a school administrator. I also previously served as a governing boardmember for Orange Unified. During my board tenure, I led efforts to form our district’s first full language immersion school, the restoration of art and music programs in our elementary schools, and the adoption of Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) and solar energy district wide. I’m running again as I have be- come alarmed at the lack of focus by the current board majority re- garding parent rights, academic excellence, and the outsized em- phasis on cultural and political is- sues not related to student learn- ing or success. It’s important to keep our schools open for children, restore parents as the most vital partner in supporting our students’ learning, and provide meaningful choices in educational options. If elected, I’ll commit to: • Support parental rights to send their children to schools that best fit each student and family; • Ensure transparency in class - room curriculum; • Cut waste in the budget and make sure education dollars are devoted to our classrooms; • Prioritizing student safety on our campuses. I’d be honored to have your vote. Rick Ledesma My name is Rick Ledesma, and I am proud to serve as your governing board member, Orange Unified School District, Area 7. I've lived my entire life in the OUSD community and for 12 years attended schools within our district. As a graduate of OUSD schools, I want to continue giv- ing back to the schools that gave me a quality education. I have more than 25 years of extensive corporate experience working as an accounting and finance pro - fessional. This experience makes me uniquely qualified and has given me insight into budgeting and management team building. As an OUSD board member, my priorities will be to focus on stu- dents, not politics, protect par- ents’ rights when educating their children, scrutinize and eliminate wasteful spending. Also, I will continue to support the upgrading of outdated facili- ties to create a safe, thriving and cutting-edge learning environ- ment for students and teachers. I am a proud father and hus- band. My wife of 24 years, Rocio, and I raised two children in this community. I pledge to make the best decisions for the families and taxpayers of OUSD. Please vote for Rick Ledesma on Nov. 8 for Orange Unified School District, Trustee Area 7. Sean Griffin As a public school teacher in my 24th year, and the parent of an Orange Unified graduate who re - ceived services for her disability, I have worked with the everyday, real-world impact of board deci- sions. I want to bring my extensive experience and expertise to the OUSD School Board to work as hard as I can to support student success in a well-rounded edu- cation, while preparing them for life’s challenges and for future op- portunities, whether a career after high school or college-bound. In addition to being a teacher for students receiving Special Educa- tion services, I have spent years volunteering as a coach, mentor, and student advocate, both within and outside of OUSD. Therefore, I pledge to be student and parent centered and make decisions that continue the progress, improve- ment, and growth that OUSD has recently enjoyed. I will be open-minded and col- laborative to find solutions to is - sues our district is confronting, including school safety, structural improvements, and a sensible fi - nancial plan. I am honored to be endorsed by leaders throughout our com- munity, including OUSD Board President Andrea Yamasaki, Or- ange City Council Member Ana Gutierrez, and many others. Please vote to keep moving OUSD forward. Vote Sean Griffin for OUSD! www. seangriffinforschoolboard.com Numerous attempts were made to reach Mike Nguyen, a candi - date for Area 7, prior to publica - tion without success. The Sentry was unable to include his state - ment here. Kathy Moffat As an experienced OUSD Trustee, I bring knowledge, com- munity connection and trusted leadership to the Board. When COVID hit, the district’s responsible fiscal management al - lowed us to provide online learn- ing devices for every student. Under my leadership, OUSD re- opened schools sooner than any other OC district. Strong academics are my prior- ity, and I am proud of our many award-winning schools. Under my leadership, career pathways like aviation, culinary arts, medi- cal, and video/film production have increased. I spearheaded OUSD’s master plan for school improvements. Measure S built excellent STEM Centers at our high schools, and modernization continues. The district’s AA1 credit rating and careful fiscal management mean Measure S dollars go farther. Wise use of district funds al- lowed us to renovate Kelly Sta- dium, build a new pool at El Modena High, and remodel class- rooms district-wide. New solar panels at schools will save money for OUSD. School safety and student well- ness are critical. Under my lead- ership, OUSD is working with parents and public safety agen- cies to strengthen safety plans. We have hired record numbers of counselors and school nurses. I have been a leader in our com- munity for years. All of my chil- dren are OUSD graduates. I am committed to OUSD excellence. participant in the Orange Unified community for the last 37 years. I began my career in the Santa Ana Unified School District as a speech therapist for mostly students with special needs and disabilities. I took a break from speech therapy to raise our chil- dren, and now I’m back in the classroom teaching. I plan to: • Cut wasteful spending and re - turn tax dollars to the classrooms where they belong. • Protect parents’ rights with medi- cal and school choice decisions . • Adopt better options to replace the current ethnic studies and sex ed curriculum. • Like many of my colleagues, my campaign to create a parent- first district is backed by educa - tion leaders in the district and across the county, including: Mari Barke, OCBE; Ken Williams, OCBE; Tim Shaw, OCBE; Lisa Sparks, OCBE; John Ortega, OUSD; AngieSchleuter-Rumsey, OUSD; Rick Ledesma, OUSD I couldn’t be more excited to be running for Orange Uni- fied School Board and would be honored to have your vote. In addition, I’d love to hear your thoughts on how our schools could improve. Please email me at madison- 4OUSD@gmail.com or learn more about my candidacy at mad- ison4ousd.com . Area 1 Area 4 Area 5 Area 7