U.S. Supreme Court affirms school violated student’s First Amendment rights

How long have you been a board member and what inspired you to run?
On Jan. 23, 2019, the Morgan Hill Unified School District Board appointed me to fill the trustee-area vacancy representing District 7. Two years later I ran for the seat unopposed. My inspiration was that trustee area 7 mirrored my life experiences with its high concentration of children on free and reduced-price lunch and its large population of Latino children and families. As a former K-12 site administrator and assistant superintendent, I believed I brought a unique perspective that would complement the school district’s governance body, a perspective that has enabled me to effectively reach out to and collaborate with a broad spectrum of individuals and groups in our community.

How have your past experiences shaped the way you view California’s educational system?
As a student I used education to change my life. I am a product of the state’s foster care system. I was placed in many foster homes, too many to keep count, from the age of 10 until I aged out at 18. In the early years of foster care, I struggled in school both academically and socially. I was involved in gang activities and felt completely disengaged from the three middle schools and seven high schools that I attended.

While in high school I learned about the importance of school and community partnerships when a local nonprofit reached out to the city’s high schools recruiting Latino students for a youth leadership program. This unique partnership was the foundation for recognizing and honoring my racial and cultural identity. Then and now I believe these partnerships should be the norm in supporting students. Early in my career as a site administrator I recognized that schools partnering with community-based organizations was an effective way of engaging the whole community to strengthen student and family resiliency.

Who was one adult you looked up to growing up and why?
One day during my sophomore year of high school I was introduced to Mr. Sanchez, my new social worker. He was tall, skinny, wore glasses, a suit and tie, and was my first and only Latino social worker. For a long while, I was not very trusting nor communicative with Mr. Sanchez. With time, however, I realized that Mr. Sanchez would be the adult that I would look up to, admire and respect. He was my advocate, consultant and a broker of resources. Mr. Sanchez helped me understand and accept that not all of my “streetwise survival skills” were going to transition well in school settings and that a new set of skills were essential to my success in school and in navigating my life journey.

What is one important thing you have learned from attending CSBA’s Masters in Governance courses?
The most important thing that I have learned in MIG is the distinction between the terms and practices of “governance” and “good governance.” Governance describes a process of decision-making and the process by which decisions are implemented or not. Good governance, on the other hand, add elements of equity and social justice, stakeholder inclusion, strategic thinking, accountability and fairness. Many of these elements, I believe, are also those that support social learning and lead to resilient school communities.