Why I am Running…

I am excited to announce that I will be running for reelection to the Oak Grove School District Board of Trustees, Trustee Area One.

As a resident who grew up in the South Side of San Jose, I am deeply rooted in this community . My father’s legacy, as well as his children and my own, are tied directly to the history and the future of this district. I am a direct product of the Oak Grove School District. I learned to read and write as a kindergartener at Rita Ledesma Elementary; I received resources and support in mathematics attending the African American Math Club - founded by the late Robert Ector- as a second grader at Bertha Taylor Elementary. I was cared for as a child by the amazing Rosario Lozano, who still runs the after school program for BASE in OGSD.

I was exposed to new environments traveling to DC with my class at Herman as an 8th grader; I’ve rode home on buses driven by my father, who has been a proud employee of OGSD for almost twenty years.

OGSD, it’s teachers, and staff are the community that raised me. Now as a mother of two little girls who are going into 3rd and 1st in the TWBI program, the stability and legacy of this district are more important to me than ever.

The well-being of this district means to me that my children, and their children, will have the same or even greater opportunities than I experienced growing up in this community.

I am proud to run as a candidate who is driven to bring equity and growth to the students in this district, and support and represent our teachers and employees. As an Afro-Latina and the first Afro-Latina woman to hold a position on the board, it is my mission to reflect the needs of this community and represent the large population of children and teachers of color.

If we want to teach our children to reach for the moon, we must show them there are people just like them who have!

I’ve received so much love and support from so many of you. I hope you all really understand how much it means to me that the community I’ve dedicated my youth organizing for has reached out and leaned in to help organize for me

If you want to get involved please reach out !

Accomplishments/results during my term:

  • Authored RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF SCHOOL SAFETY: PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN AND STAFF creating the safety committee to prioritize child and teacher safety in the district.

  • Developed Superintendent goals process in which the board distinguishes goals to be met by the sup outlined by recognized needs of the district

  • Supported and successfully fought for the renegotiation of teachers health care cost during unprecedented coverage hikes

Priorities:

  • Increase parent engagement and district visibility: Continue to Improve district to parent relationship and increase parent participation at a district level.

  • Student performance and readiness: Continue to support student success with an approach based off equity and supported by measurable goals and real data!

  • Support our teachers: Continue to work with the hardworking teachers of our district to uphold our districts culture of support and collaboration.

- Beija Gonzalez