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This information is provided by the candidate
I have lived in Bellflower most all my life. I went to school here, I own a business here and I raised my family here. I became interested in our schools when my girls started kindergarten at Esther Lindstrom. After many PTA functions and playing Santa and the Easter Bunny more times than I can remember, I was given an Honorary Service Award by the PTA and encouraged by the teachers and parents to run for a seat on the School Board. I didn't make a lot of big promises and I didn't run down the board or administration. I did promise to listen to the teachers and the parents and to get them involved in the board activities. I wanted them to feel that they had a voice in what went on in their schools and remind them that the board works for them.
Over the past 12 years I have listened and I have learned a lot. I am proud to say that I have been part of a team that has accomplished many great things for our schools. Some of those things are:
- Built a state of the art sports center and stadium at Bellflower High School.
- Created the Home School Academy, at Los Flores.
- Built a new central kitchen to replace the old broken down ones at the schools. This
new kitchen also makes a profit catering to other districts!
- Replaced all our Buses with clean burning natural gas and built our own fueling
station that sells CNG to other cities and schools. Again, at a profit to us!
- Moved kindergarten start age back to September from December. Started Jump Start
Kindergarten, saved Head Start and after school programs.
- Recovered $4 million from local redevelopment for our schools.
- I fought to keep Mosier field for Bellflower little league
- kept a balanced budget every year on the board.
- Took back our Special Ed program from the county, saving millions a year.
- Closed campuses for protection and zero tolerance to guns and drugs.
- Many National Blue Ribbon and California Distinguished school awards.
- One of the lowest dropout rates in the state with a 97% graduation rate.
- Remodeled and modernized the White Wood special ed complex.
- Developed and fought for the passage of prop BB (Won by 72% of vote)
A recent independent audit ( by Smith & Poor ) said BUSD was "one of the best organized and prudently run districts they have seen" and Gave us a AAA rating.
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