A Note from Mike

I believe in our Castro Valley public schools. 

In a matter of days, our teachers, staff, and administrators deployed a new model in how we teach the some 9,400 students in our district because of the public health threat of COVID-19.

As a parent, I witnessed first hand the vital connection that schools play in connecting me and my family to Castro Valley. Five days after CVUSD shut for in-person instruction, my sons logged on for their first day of distance learning. That bit of normalcy and connection to their classmates and teachers has made a stressful  time a little more manageable and has given us hope.

Our assumptions about what it means to go to school have been disrupted. Our teachers, staff, and administrators are learning how to solve the challenge of virtual learning in real time. Our students and families are coping with impacts of an emerging recession. Our entire CVUSD community is facing the mental and emotional impacts that none of us imagined earlier. The next months and years won’t be easy, and our school board will need to lead the fight to maximize funding and ensure that our schools emerge stronger.  

To this fight, I bring a nearly 20 year career in public higher education and a deep knowledge about how California public education and governance works. I’ve been a community organizer in Castro Valley for nearly a decade, and I have led successful campaigns to rally the community in support of our schools and for greater local control for Castro Valley. I work hard to bring people from different backgrounds and interests together for a common cause.

While the primary role of a school board is about making policy, setting a budget, and providing general direction for CVUSD, in this time of COVID-19, we need leadership that brings creativity and problem-solving as we face the public health and economic impacts of COVID-19. 

The next few years won’t be easy, but I stand ready to work tirelessly and collaboratively while listening to members of our community as we build a vision for resilient Castro Valley schools. Our schools are truly the heart of Castro Valley, and I intend to preserve that.

I would be happy to talk with you about my ideas for Castro Valley’ schools – let’s set up a time for a chat.

Be well,
Mike