Candidate for
Board Member; West Contra Costa Unified School District

Liz Block has been serving students for over 32 years as a Principal, Special Education Administrator, and School Psychologist. In the last three years of her career she was hired to lead one of the lowest performing elementary schools in the state, which she successfully led through a transformation that resulted in a remarkable 61-point gain in API test scores in one year. As a Special Education Administrator, she started a center for early intervention of autism, which provides early intervention services for children as young as 18 months of age. Liz has always fought to improve the educational experience for all children and firmly believes that all policy decisions should be based on what is best for children.

Liz grew up in Ohio where she was the first person in her family to graduate from college. She attended Duke University from 1971 to 1975 where she majored in Psychology and Developmental Psycholinguistics. Liz moved to the Bay Area in 1975 to attend graduate school at UC Berkeley, where she earned her Masters in Education and a School Psychologist credential in 1980. Later, in 2001, she attended St. Mary's College, where she earned her Administrative Services credential. Later, wanting to serve a broader group of students, she started studying Spanish, becoming nearly fluent, and able to work in schools with large Latino populations.

Liz has lived in El Cerrito for over 35 years and during that time she has been dedicated to improving the community. She served on the Human Relations Commission for the City of El Cerrito from 2010 to 2012. Ten years ago, she helped support students, teachers and parents in the March for Education, a protest against the inequitable funding for WCCUSD by the state. On a more personal note, she co-founded a monthly neighborhood soup night that has been bringing neighbors together for over seven years.

Liz lives with her husband, David, and their yellow lab Weslia. She and David have two grown children, Robbie, a screenwriter, and Brian a doctor. In her free time, she likes to ride her bike, hike, visit with friends, and read.