Academic Excellence
#1
California's public education system for grade pre-K to 12 ranks 40th out of the 50 states according to U.S. News and World Report. Testing during the 2020-2021 school year revealed only 49% of California public education students met or exceeded the standard in English Language Arts, while only 34% met or exceeded the Math standard.
Coronado Unified School District students fared slightly better, with 72% of 6th graders meeting the ELA standard, and only 46% of 6th graders meeting the Math standard.
CUSD needs to refocus on academics. Politics has encroached on our schools, occupying bandwidth that belongs to our children. As a Board Trustee, I will work to remove politics from our children's classrooms and focus on measures that will improve academic performance for all of our students.
Parent Advocate
#2
After the student themselves, parents are the primary stakeholders in their children's education.
The role of primary and secondary education is to focus on academics, with the goal to prepare the student for a career or future education beyond high school. Parents, who are citizens and taxpayers alike, have become concerned at the rise of distracting political agendas infiltrating their children's public education. Many of these issues are extremely sensitive, and are best left to the purview of the student's parents.
I pledge as a School Board Trustee to place parental interests foremost among those considered when developing policy for the School District.
Local
Control
#3
As a medical doctor, I have been greatly concerned that our children have suffered unnecessarily due to pandemic related restrictions and mandates. Yes, I have spoken publicly against these. My every comment has been grounded in the medical literature and the data underlying it, which prior to 2020 was largely devoid of political influence.
The overwhelming medical evidence does not support mask mandates for children in schools, social isolation measures such as remote instruction or lockdowns, or forced Covid-19 vaccinations for children. However, the harms inflicted by these measures on our children are incontrovertible. If you disagree, I will gladly join you in a reasonable debate. I respect your right to make medical decisions for your children.
To that end, I pledge as a School Board Trustee to use every lawful power at my disposal to protect our children and their education from mandates that do not accurately represent the will of our community or remove your ability to make crucial decisions for your family.