Thank you Tojo, those words really strike at the heart of the issues that we are facing in the Castro Valley School District. I am confident that your caring and compassion towards the children and families in our community will serve you well in the position as an elected School Board member. I also trust that our community will make the proper and educated choice in voting for you to represent and govern our school district.
CV School Board Candidate Statement: Tojo Thomas
- By : Tojo Thomas
- Category : 2016 Candidate Statements, Education, Governance, Headline Story
- Tags: Castro Valley Unified School District, elections, governance, public education
2016 Candidate Statements
1
We asked all five candidates for the Castro Valley Unified School District Board of Directors to answer the same questions in their blog post: What do you view as the biggest challenge (or challenges) facing CVUSD now, and how will you work to address it (them) in the next four years?
Growing class sizes is one of the most pressing issues that the district is facing at this time, due to the increased population of so many families moving into our community to take advantage of our excellent school system. We must maintain the quality education that we have here in Castro Valley. Learning the new Common Core standards and teaching these standards to our students, is another challenge that we are facing as a district. Measure G was recently approved by the voters, and how the funding will be allocated throughout the district will create a new challenge. Funding for the district to remain competitive in the hiring of quality teachers remains a pressing issue. Moreover, we must be certain that we are able to secure the best substitute teachers for our children, as not to interrupt the cycle of learning, in the absence of the regular teachers. As a Deputy Probation officer, I also want to ensure that our children learn in a safe and secure environment.
It is necessary for substitute teachers to receive comparable pay to attract them to our school district. Resources must be allocated to provide our teachers with the appropriate, ongoing training, necessary to teach our children how to adjust and to excel with Common Core teachings and testing. Our focus must be on hiring a sufficient number of teachers to maintain the current teacher to student ratio. The passage of Measure G was a tremendous victory for our school district. There must be strict oversight and accountability to ensure that the funds are spent efficiently and appropriately.
All three of my children go to Castro Valley schools. As a deputy probation officer, I am a strong proponent of public safety, especially when it involves the most vulnerable population of our community, the children. With the increased incidents of school shootings in recent years, it is necessary to have secure campuses and vigilant staff and parents. A troubling recent development which is being promoted by the board of supervisors, is the proposed addition of a marijuana dispensary in Castro Valley. As citizens, parents, and especially as educators, we cannot allow this type of business to be present in our community. We must stand up to and voice our strong objections.
Traffic and the safety of pedestrian walkways is a concern that has been mostly ignored for some time in Castro Valley. We are in need of several new sidewalks and safety improvements to our local roadways, especially those that are heavily traveled through by our families and student population. I lend my support to the efforts of Castro Valley Bike/Walk in their continuing efforts to work with public works in improving the safety of our public roadways and in making them more pedestrian friendly.
As a member of the Castro Valley District School Board, I promise to be honest, fair, and transparent, and to work tirelessly to improve the educational standards of our children. I will use my experience in the legal system and dedication to public service, to give each child an equal opportunity to excel in our schools.
