100 Days

If I counted correctly, today marks 100 days since being sworn in as a CVUSD trustee!

Here is a synopsis of the last 100 days for me in Trustee life:

-4-day CSBA (California School Board Association) conference.

-6 Board of Education meetings (now on Wednesday evenings instead of Tuesdays).

-Regular meetings with the Superintendent.

-Meetings with senior district staff, to understand their departments and processes.

-Visits to school sites, where I have had the chance to learn more about each school and its programs. I've also been able to observe or participate in events such as Teacher of the Month recognitions, student award breakfast, Friday assembly, Read Across America Day, California Distinguished School celebrations, and more.

-Attendance at regular District Advisory Council meetings, where I get to observe the engagement and leadership of parents alongside staff. 

-Attended Ventura County Office of Education Equity Conference.

-Attended Ventura County School Boards Association meeting.

-Spoke before City Council to advocate for the importance of crossing guards.

-Chamber of Commerce: Education Committee meetings & monthly breakfast (panel of local mayors and County supervisors).

-Participated in training opportunities offered through CSBA and the Ventura County Office of Education. I start the "Masters in Governance" series of trainings in April, where we'll dig even deeper. These opportunities also allow me to network with school board trustees across the state.

That's a start! This list doesn't show the time spent pouring over documents: reports from staff, board policy and administrative regulations review, and looking back at past decisions and events, which may include old newspaper articles. Or the books read, such as The Governance Core, Grading for Equity, Street Data, and our proposed core literature titles.

I continue to learn something new every day - about the district, about our TK-12 learners, about myself. The deep learning of content, policy and district history is important, as are the relationships with staff, fellow trustees, students, parents and community members. My goal is to serve students and our community well by being prepared, informed, and empathetic. I’ll do my best to summarize Board of Education meetings - decisions made, etc. - on my social media platforms.

I'm amazed and impressed daily by the immense level of work and dedication of so many - staff, community members, parents - on behalf of our students and our schools - thank you! And thank you to all who have reached out with words of encouragement - please stay engaged...our schools and our kids matter.