Castro Valley Unified School Board Candidate: Dot Theodore
- By : Guest Voice
- Category : 2014 Candidate Statements
Dot Theodore is a candidate for Castro Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) Board of Education in 2014. Castro Valley Matters reached out to each candidate, asking them to provide a statement.
My husband and I moved to Castro Valley 10 years ago with our one year old son. We expanded our family when our daughter was born and we deepened our roots in this community. When Ben started school, I started volunteering and becoming more involved in our community making lasting connections and having experiences that would shape my path in Castro Valley.
I love our school district and see how important it is to our community. Many of our newest residents have moved to Castro Valley because of the schools. It is CVUSD’s reputation for excellent schools that brought my family to Castro Valley.
Our district has changed in the years since we moved to Castro Valley. In 10 years we have seen an increase in diversity, increase the number of low socioeconomic families, and an increase in the number of English learners. Our district is changing. I love the diversity and embrace the unique experiences diversity brings to a community.
In addition to changes from within our district, we face great changes in public education. Common Core State Standards, Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, Local Control Funding Formula, Local Control Accountability Plan and changes in child nutrition are all changes our district is experiencing. We also have challenges. After years of budget cuts, we have facilities that need repair, programs that need funding and more students that need support. We also have acute problems of staffing shortages and staffing changes. Moving into the future and remaining successful will not be an easy task.
I am inspired to run for school board because of my love for this district, because I have seen my children thrive in this district, and because I have experienced the dedication of our staff and teachers for our students and community. I am also running for school board because I see an unmet need in our district and that is the need for open and engaging communication. All of the issues facing our district are surmountable with communication and engagement. By properly reaching out to community members and clearly communicating changes, ideas and challenges, the community will be a part of the discussion. When you include stakeholders in the process all along the way, they are more likely to understand and support, rather than resist. Communication is the biggest problem facing our school district.
I was fortunate enough to have attended a community organization workshop recently. The lesson I learned was that before trying to implement my own vision, it is important to hear the vision of stakeholders. My plan for increasing community engagement would be to first sit down with parents, staff, teachers and administrators to listen to their concerns. I have already started doing this and the theme I hear has been communication.
In an effort to improve communication, my next step would be to encourage more casual meetings with district leaders and stakeholders. I would encourage these meetings to be informational at school sites so that they are more inviting of participation. I would make sure that our district culture is more inclusive and that translation headsets are available at meetings and documents provided are translated for English learner families.
I would also advocate for school board meetings to be more inviting of comments by putting comments first so parents with children can comment and leave. It is not easy for busy parents, teachers and staff to make it to board meetings. Board meetings should be televised. This is not a new concept. The more ways we can impart our message and invite participation, the more participation we will get and that builds trust. With trust we can work together toward our common goal. That goal is not just keeping our district as it is today, but moving our district upward and building on the tradition of excellence.
My strengths in team building, finding consensus, and open communication along with my community experiences and education will be an asset to our district to help us find innovative solutions to the challenges we face.
Thank you Castro Valley Matters for this opportunity to share my story with your readers. I look forward to comments and questions.
I have never before cared so much about a local election. As a resident of Castro Valley, a parent of two children in the district, and a volunteer at Castro Valley Elementary, I am proud to advocate for Dorothy “Dot” Theodore for School Board. We need a fresh face on the board. I am certain that Dot is the right choice for this role. She is an amazing woman. Not only has she been the president of the PATA (Parent and Teacher Association) at Castro Valley Elementary, but she heads up the Safe Routes to School program, and works with Bike/Walk CV to create needed sidewalks around our schools. She is one of the most well balanced people I know. She listens to people. She knows how to communicate. She is passionate about the children of our community. She delegates effectively and she works with such enthusiasm that those around do the same. Things get accomplished when Dot is involved and they get done well. I urge you to vote for Dot.
-Amy Furber Dobson, Castro Valley