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But we know that when our public schools are properly funded & resourced, when our public schools are safe havens, all of our children can learn, grow, and thrive. Public school kids can and will make our world a better place - like my dad did.
My dad, pictured with teenage me at right, was the eldest of eight kids from the poorest family of the poorest province in the Philippines. But he was the smartest student in his class. He used to study with a lantern at night on a boat while helping my grandfather catch fish. Despite getting teased about going to school in ragged clothes and flip flops, his teacher would allow him to take naps during school and wake him up only if his classmates couldn't solve a problem. But despite his family's economic status, my dad still had a path to college. Because his own father fought alongside America during World War II, in return for his service he was able to send one child to college - my dad. My dad took that opportunity and ran with it, eventually becoming a doctor. And because of good teachers, good schools, and a good opportunity, my dad changed the entire trajectory of my family's life - not just our nuclear family, but also the lives of his and my mom's parents and siblings, and the lives of his patients who he would help regardless of their ability to pay.
My dad's effort and good works will reverberate through the generations. We know one person can make a difference in the world - and who knows what potential is within students from lower-income public schools. We have to give these students a chance, just like my dad had.
For too long, our public schools have been chronically underfunded. For too long, we've bought into the rhetoric funded by school privatizers that our public schools are failing. No. We have simply been failing our public schools.
School privatizers will tell us charter schools are the answer. But we now know, after decades of research, that charter schools perform no better than public schools and in fact have less oversight which leads to less accountability.
And while so many low-income students fall through the cracks in our underfunded public school system, my opponent takes donations from the charter school lobby - and has voted to protect corporate interests, not our students. But I put my money where my mouth is: I am the ONLY candidate in this race refusing donations from corporate special interests. And, I am the ONLY candidate in this race with a plan to preserve and protect our public school system, pledging to fight for:
- more state & federal public school funding.
- greater charter school oversight & accountability.
- reallocation of funds from programs proven not to work.
- increased mental health support for students.
- enrollment-based school funding rather than attendance-based.
- investing in equitable, diverse, and socially responsible education where all students feel safe & supported enough to thrive.
I believe education is the foundation of society -- with that belief firm in my heart, I've fought on the side of students & teachers for years, both as an LAUSD parent and as a parent-teacher liaison during the 2019 UTLA Strike. And I will keep fighting for our public school system at the State Capitol. Learn more about my plan for public school equity here >>
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