I want to thank the citizens of our city for allowing me to serve you for over 40 years as an elected official.
Thirty years as the Compton City Clerk 1973 to 2003. Four years as a member of the Compton Community College Board of Trustees 2009 to 2013. Six years as a Member of the Compton Unified School District Board of Trustees 2013 to currently. It is that office that I am seeking reelection to. I have over 40 years of executive management experience in delivering public services. Ten of those years are directly related to deliverance of educational service and setting policy regarding student, parent and teacher engagement.
I want to thank the citizens of our city for allowing me to serve you for over 40 years as an elected official.
Thirty years as the Compton City Clerk 1973 to 2003. Four years as a member of the Compton Community College Board of Trustees 2009 to 2013. Six years as a Member of the Compton Unified School District Board of Trustees 2013 to currently. It is that office that I am seeking reelection to. I have over 40 years of executive management experience in delivering public services. Ten of those years are directly related to deliverance of educational service and setting policy regarding student, parent and teacher engagement.
I am committed to our student’s educational success. I am committed to addressing our students’ quality of life issues such as the various types/forms of trauma in addition to their educational needs.
I am committed to supporting educational programs that expose our student to 21st century concepts that will help them be career and college ready (see below).
I am an Air Force veteran of the Vietnam war period.
As a single parent, I raised a son who graduated from Compton High School.
I currently have grand and great grand kids who attend Compton Unified School District schools, so I have a personal interest in the quality of education in our district.
The year I was elected a member of the Compton Unified School District Board our graduation rates were about 60% 2013/2014 school year today 2018/2019 our graduation rates are at about 92%, thanks to the hard work of our students their parent and their teachers and support staff and the School Boards commitment to The Compton Turnaround and Elevate programs.
The 2019 California Dashboard report released by the California Department of Education shows increases in our graduation rates.
I am committed to our students’ educational success. I am committed to addressing our students’ quality of life issues such as the various types/forms of trauma in addition to their educational needs.
I am committed to supporting educational programs that expose our student to 21st century concepts that will help them be career and college ready (see below).
I am an Air Force veteran of the Vietnam war period.
As a single parent, I raised a son who graduated from Compton High School.
I currently have grand and great grand kids who attend Compton Unified School District schools, so I have a personal interest in the quality of education in our district.
The year I was elected a member of the Compton Unified School District Board our graduation rates were about 60% 2013/2014 school year today 2018/2019 our graduation rates are at about 92%, thanks to the hard work of our students their parent and their teachers and support staff and the School Boards commitment to The Compton Turnaround and Elevate programs.
The 2019 California Dashboard report released by the California Department of Education shows increases in our graduation rates.
I have been asked many times why I decided to run for a seat on the Compton Unified School District Board of Trustees in 2013.
ANSWER: Prior to my election to the Compton Unified School District Board Trustees in November 2013, I served on the Compton Community College Board of Trustees. While I served on the College Board one of the reoccurring events that I witnessed over a four-year period was the number of students enrolled at the college from the Compton Unified School District who were in need of two and sometimes three remedial Math and or English classes before they could take Math or English One.
Then in 2013 the Federal Department of Education changed the law relating to financial aid and which classes counted toward a student’s total allotment. Remedial classes became part of the total count and for our kids this was a serious problem.
With all that said I decided to run for the Compton Unified School District Trustee seat with a vision and commitment to make a difference as it related to the Compton Unified School District students being college ready.
I took office as a Compton Unified School District Trustee December 2013 and within the first fifteen school days in January after the Christmas break of 2013, I visited all 37 school sites unannounced and talked to every principal to see firsthand how the campuses looked and hear their concerns and those of their teachers. Most all of the Principals and a few of the teachers were very candid.
Aside from the ongoing maintenance issues, the other things that caught my eye that was common for all sites was the following.
- Teachers working in their class rooms with one or two and sometimes a few more students who were struggling because by now they were about halfway through the school year.
- ITD issues such as school sites ordering educational software that the ITD department would not let them purchase for various reasons or school site computer labs set-up but not wired.
- Teacher absenteeism, on any given day at that time was about 10%, which would require the Principal to secure a substitute if she or he had ample notice that the teacher was not coming in or they had to split classes up. Either way the stress level went up for all involved, including the students.
This is what the Board and I did to address those issues:
- After collaborating with district staff and staff from California State University Dominguez Hills (six months later), Project Reach (English) and Project Rise (math) were born. We are now in our fifth year of the program, where students from CSUDH (110 plus), after some training, go into our class rooms to work with students who need extra help. We believe that this support program has directly help our students have academic success.
- The Board approved the hiring of two managers to rebuild our Informational Technology Department (Chief Technology Officer) and added an Educational Technology component to our Educational Service Department (Senior Director Educational Technology). Part of their mission in addition to the general ITD services and educational software services, they were and are charged with the responsibility of professional development/training for our teachers and other staff as it relates to educational software and the use there of. The end result is to help teachers deliver 21st Century technology and concepts to our students.
- In addressing teacher absenteeism, we have allocated more resources to professional development and wellness programs as well as staffing reorganization. As a result we have seen a drop of about 3% in absenteeism among our teachers.
I have posted other programs that have been approved by your school board over the last few years that support student success over all, such as our graduation rates going from about 60% in the school year 2013/14 to about 92% this year.
I took office as a Compton Unified School District Trustee December 2013 and within the first fifteen school days in January after the Christmas break of 2013, I visited all 37 school sites unannounced and talked to every principal to see firsthand how the campuses looked and hear their concerns and those of their teachers. Most all of the Principals and a few of the teachers were very candid.
Aside from the ongoing maintenance issues, the other things that caught my eye that was common for all sites was the following.
- Teachers working in their class rooms with one or two and sometimes a few more students who were struggling because by now they were about halfway through the school year.
- ITD issues such as school sites ordering educational software that the ITD department would not let them purchase for various reasons or school site computer labs set-up but not wired.
- Teacher absenteeism, on any given day at that time was about 10%, which would require the Principal to secure a substitute if she or he had ample notice that the teacher was not coming in or they had to split classes up. Either way the stress level went up for all involved, including the students.
This is what the Board and I did to address those issues:
- After collaborating with district staff and staff from California State University Dominguez Hills (six months later), Project Reach (English) and Project Rise (math) were born. We are now in our fifth year of the program, where students from CSUDH (110 plus), after some training, go into our class rooms to work with students who need extra help. We believe that this support program has directly help our students have academic success.
- The Board approved the hiring of two managers to rebuild our Informational Technology Department (Chief Technology Officer) and added an Educational Technology component to our Educational Service Department (Senior Director Educational Technology). Part of their mission in addition to the general ITD services and educational software services, they were and are charged with the responsibility of professional development/training for our teachers and other staff as it relates to educational software and the use there of. The end result is to help teachers deliver 21st Century technology and concepts to our students.
- In addressing teacher absenteeism, we have allocated more resources to professional development and wellness programs as well as staffing reorganization. As a result we have seen a drop of about 3% in absenteeism among our teachers.
I have posted other programs that have been approved by your school board over the last few years that support student success over all, such as our graduation rates going from about 60% in the school year 2013/14 to about 92% this year.
Another major policy change was relocating students who were at Cesar Chavez Continuation High School on north Wilmington avenue for unit recovery, back to their home high school, this way after they do their unit recovery work for the day, they can take other classes on their campus. This policy change and the work of teachers has pushed their graduation rates up.
What has happened in the last few years at Compton College as it related to students having to take remedial English and Math classes: In 2015 students taking remedial English was 61% and transfer English 39% , in 2019 students taking remedial English is only 12% and students taking college transfer English has risen to 87%. In 2015 students taking remedial Math was 73% and college transfer Math was 21%, in 2019, remedial Math 46% and college transfer Math is up to 53%. We believe some of the policy changes at the district level as well as those at the college and collaboration among both institutions educators has made a big difference.
The District is building a new Compton High School. See more details on layout and elements. The senior class of 2020 will be the last class from the current school site. The current Junior class will join their classmates at Roosevelt Middle School for their senior year. The demolition of the current Compton High School will start in June/July of this year.
The Board approved a construction contract for $17,948,123.00 dollars to replace and or upgrade all heating and air condition and water systems at all school sites. Find out more about our Contract for Energy Efficiency Design/Build Services.
Some of the quality of life programs that the Board and I have approved over the years are as follows: Breakfast for all Elementary School students. Authorized the opening of schools in the morning for those student who need to clean up before school. Added additional counselors to address those issues that are unique to homeless (about 1200) and foster (about 1300) students. Approved the re-organization of our special education department to better serve our students who are in need of those services (about 1100). We supported our clothing bank housed at the Student Service Center, that provides clothing for parents as well as students. We established a health and wellness center at Dominguez High School that not only provides services to those student but to the general community as well. We have approved the creation of bully intervention teams at our school sites and approved a zero tolerance policy for the district that not only addresses students but all district employees.
Another major policy change was relocating students who were at Cesar Chavez Continuation High School on north Wilmington avenue for unit recovery, back to their home high school, this way after they do their unit recovery work for the day, they can take other classes on their campus. This policy change and the work of teachers has pushed their graduation rates up.
What has happened in the last few years at Compton College as it related to students having to take remedial English and Math classes: In 2015 students taking remedial English was 61% and transfer English 39% , in 2019 students taking remedial English is only 12% and students taking college transfer English has risen to 87%. In 2015 students taking remedial Math was 73% and college transfer Math was 21%, in 2019, remedial Math 46% and college transfer Math is up to 53%. We believe some of the policy changes at the district level as well as those at the college and collaboration among both institutions educators has made a big difference.
The District is building a new Compton High School. See more details on layout and elements. The senior class of 2020 will be the last class from the current school site. The current Junior class will join their classmates at Roosevelt Middle School for their senior year. The demolition of the current Compton High School will start in June/July of this year.
The Board approved a construction contract for $17,948,123.00 dollars to replace and or upgrade all heating and air condition and water systems at all school sites. Find out more about our Contract for Energy Efficiency Design/Build Services.
Some of the quality of life programs that the Board and I have approved over the years are as follows: Breakfast for all Elementary School students. Authorized the opening of schools in the morning for those student who need to clean up before school. Added additional counselors to address those issues that are unique to homeless (about 1200) and foster (about 1300) students. Approved the re-organization of our special education department to better serve our students who are in need of those services (about 1100). We supported our clothing bank housed at the Student Service Center, that provides clothing for parents as well as students. We established a health and wellness center at Dominguez High School that not only provides services to those student but to the general community as well. We have approved the creation of bully intervention teams at our school sites and approved a zero tolerance policy for the district that not only addresses students but all district employees.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE PROGRAMS THAT HAVE BEEN STARTED SINCE I HAVE BEEN IN OFFICE
Compton Early College High School, first graduating class 2019 (100 % graduated and 100% accepted into four year colleges). This school year 9th grade class 132 students.
The Compton Promise, any student who graduates from a Compton Unified School District High School who chooses to go to Compton Community College will have their first two years of enrollment fees waived.
Project Rise, in class Math tutors from California State University to work with students who need help.
Project Reach, in class English tutors from California State University to work with students who need help.
Restorative Justice, the district is committed to stopping the school to prison pipeline by partnering with CYS in Los Angeles County, providing pre-arrest diversion services at no cost to the youths or their families.
Over 23 Advance Placement (AP) Classes Offered
Free college classes during the day and after school
Free Pre-College Testing: Pre-SAT, Pre-ACT, SAT/ACT
Avid college readiness classes
After school programs that service over 1,000 students daily.
Colburn School of Performing Arts
Compton Conservatory of Music
DEA Youth Dance
ConnectEd
LA County Arts Collective
LA County Museum of Art
CAREER READY PROGRAMS AND PATHWAYS WE PARTNERSHIPED WITH COMPTON COLLEGE
Aerospace Engineering
Auto Tech
Biotechnology
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
Computer Animation
Computer Science
Culinary Arts
Education
Civil Engineering & Architecture
Communication
Drafting
Robotics
Video Production
HERE ARE SOME OF THE PROGRAMS THAT HAVE BEEN STARTED SINCE I HAVE BEEN IN OFFICE
Compton Early College High School, first graduating class 2019 (100 % graduated and 100% accepted into four year colleges). This school year 9th grade class 132 students.
The Compton Promise, any student who graduates from a Compton Unified School District High School who chooses to go to Compton Community College will have their first two years of enrollment fees waived.
Project Rise, in class Math tutors from California State University to work with students who need help.
Project Reach, in class English tutors from California State University to work with students who need help.
Restorative Justice, the district is committed to stopping the school to prison pipeline by partnering with CYS in Los Angeles County, providing pre-arrest diversion services at no cost to the youths or their families.
Over 23 Advance Placement (AP) Classes Offered
Free college classes during the day and after school
Free Pre-College Testing: Pre-SAT, Pre-ACT, SAT/ACT
Avid college readiness classes
After school programs that service over 1,000 students daily.
Colburn School of Performing Arts
Compton Conservatory of Music
DEA Youth Dance
ConnectEd
LA County Arts Collective
LA County Museum of Art
CAREER READY PROGRAMS AND PATHWAYS WE PARTNERSHIPED WITH COMPTON COLLEGE
Aerospace Engineering
Auto Tech
Biotechnology
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
Computer Animation
Computer Science
Culinary Arts
Education
Civil Engineering & Architecture
Communication
Drafting
Robotics
Video Production
GRANTS
- Apple ConnectED Grant 2014, five Compton schools were awarded the ConnectED grant, each student received an iPad and teacher and support staff received training on smart board applications.
- Verizon Innovative Learning School Grant, 1.8 million dollars to Bunche, Davis, Enterprise and Roosevelt middle schools for the purchase of iPads, free internet access and hands on experience to help them with their STEM education.
- Project Lead the Way (PLTW) provides innovative programming in computer science, engineering and biomedical science.
- Digital Promise, one of the leagues members that share information regarding diversity and shared challenges of public education.
- Hacker Fund, to create the Compton Innovation Center
- Hope, to prepare high school aged Latinas for a self-sufficient future.
- California Community Foundation, to support young men of color to advance collective learning.
- Low Performing Students Block Grant, designed to identify actions, services and activities to help low performing students.
- Sloan Stevens Foundation, $350,000