The Past Four Years

The 8200 students attending Berryessa schools are fortunate to have caring parents, teachers and administrators who work tirelessly to provide a high quality education for our children.

Much has been accomplished in the past few years, and my hope is to continue to be a part of further progress during a second term. Our district's test scores continue to rise, with 11 of our schools now scoring above the target of 800 on the California API.

Cherrywood Elementary and Sierramont Middle Schools have been added to the list of California Distinguished Schools. We have added summer enrichment programs in pre-algebra and science. We have reduced our energy usage by retrofitting all our lighting and are investigating a district-wide solar implementation. We have upgraded our entire computer and internet infrastructure to bring us into the 21st century.

Unfortunately, California's budget crunch continues to challenge the Berryessa Union School District to come up with creative ways to continue providing the high level of service our students deserve and currently receive.

I have fought hard during my time on the board to preserve many of our student services, including counseling in our middle schools. I am working to make sure our outstanding music program continues to be available to elementary students. I have met regularly with our state legislators to help them understand the toll that the budget cuts have taken on our schools and to advocate for flexibility in the way we spend our money.

This is more than community service to me, it is personal. My daughter Mia is in her second year at Noble School and her brother Reed is one year away from entering the district. I understand first hand the value of education. Our community has accomplished much during the past four years, and despite the budget constraints we are facing, I believe we will be able to continue to offer the highest quality education for all children in the Berryessa Union School District.