A great teacher in every classroom.

San José Unified teachers are among the most dedicated people I have ever met, and they deserve a district that invests in them the way they invest in our kids. When teachers have the time, resources, and support to do their best work, every student benefits. My commitment is to treat our teachers with the respect they deserve. They are the professionals closest to our students, with real expertise that the district should be learning from, not micro-managing.

What Our Teachers Deserve

• Expand professional development. Teachers deserve meaningful, ongoing opportunities to grow. I will advocate for investment in professional development that teachers actually want and that demonstrably improves what happens in the classroom, including training on emerging tools like AI.

• Increase preparation and collaboration time. The strongest schools are built on teachers who have time to plan together, share what is working, and tailor instruction to the students in front of them. We need scheduling and staffing decisions that protect and expand the time teachers spend planning together, because that time is an investment in every student they teach.

• Invest in the support staff that make teachers successful. Instructional coaches help teachers grow and refine their craft throughout their careers. Intervention specialists can get students back on a path to success. Counselors and wellness staff make sure every kid has an adult paying attention to their wellbeing. These are the roles that quietly make the difference between a school that is just surviving and a school that is thriving.

• Deliver on Measure R's teacher housing commitment. Voters approved Measure R in part because it promised investment in affordable teacher housing. Housing is one of the biggest factors in keeping great teachers in San José. We need to stay on top of this project as we navigate the complex bureaucracy of building housing in California.

• Build community schools that support our teachers. Teachers should not be expected to be social workers, mental health counselors, food pantry coordinators, and family liaisons on top of teaching. The community school model brings those services into the school through dedicated staff and community partnerships, so teachers can focus on what they do best, and students get the wraparound support they need.

My Record

I am proud to have earned the San José Teachers Association (SJTA) endorsement in 2018, and I have been working with teachers ever since.

During my time on the Board, I met regularly with teachers, principals, and school staff to understand their day-to-day challenges and bring their perspective into board-level conversations. Any teacher that reached out had an opportunity to meet with me.

Since leaving the Board, I have continued to show up for our teachers. I worked with them on plans to reopen schools safely after the pandemic, helped pursue grants to support our music programs, and made myself available whenever a teacher needed to talk. That commitment has never stopped.

As a parent of two students, I have seen the impact of great teachers on my own children. I have also experienced the frustration when teachers are not given the tools to succeed. Our teachers show up every day for our kids. They deserve a Board member who shows up every day for them.