Rosemary Kamei Appointment to Santa Clara County Board of Education
Urgent Action Needed – Time Sensitive
The Santa Clara County School Board will appoint a replacement for Leon Beauchman this Wednesday, May 6 at 6:00 p.m. You might remember him, as he was the president during the most recent charter school appeals and voted across the board in favor of the charter schools, regardless of the overwhelming deficiencies or recommendations of their staff. This appointment could be a key change for the SCCOE board.
If you can attend in support, please join us in the parking lot at 5:00 p.m. for dinner that will be provided by California Teachers Association (CTA), our sister local, and then the board meeting.
If you can’t join us, can you send an email prior to the SCCOE meeting? Below are some talking points and a sample email that can be edited for this purpose. We really appreciate your quick action on this matter!
Send Emails to
Darcie Green, president - darcie_green@sccoe.org
Anna Song, vice president - anna_song@sccoe.org
Michael Chang - michael_chang@sccoe.org
Joe DiSalvo - josephsds1@aol.com
Grace Mah - grace_mah@sccoe.org
Claudia Rossi - claudia_rossi@sccoe.org
Sample e-mail (feel free to use Rosemary’s info below to fill in blanks or edit as you wish):
I am a teacher at _________________________ in the Morgan Hill Unified School district. I am writing this letter in support of Rosemary Kamei’s appointment to the Santa Clara County Board of Education (Area 3). Students in my district need a county board that will advocate for ________________, ___________________, and _________________________. No one can deny that we have a diverse population in Santa Clara County. Not only do we serve students of many backgrounds who speak many languages, we also serve students from different economic backgrounds, students with different diagnosed learning needs, and students with different passions and goals. Rosemary Kamei’s work on ________________________ shows me that she understands what students in my classroom need to succeed.
I know that your vote for Rosemary Kamei’s appointment is a vote for all students in Santa Clara County.
Sincerely,
Background Information To Use:
Our main theme is that Rosemary is the most qualified candidate. Below is a list of the strengths we see Rosemary will bring to the county board with some supporting information we would like to share with the board. Please use the information below to speak to one of her strengths.
- Rosemary understands the struggles of many of our students and her story proves that all students can succeed.
- first language was Spanish and was classified as an English Learner at school
- understands the economic barriers students living in poverty face
- first generation to go to college
- earned a BA from the University of Wisconsin and an Urban Planning Degree from San Jose State University
- served for 17 years on the Water District Board
- was the Development Director of the Silicon Valley Education Foundation
- Executive Director of Building Futures Now – a non-profit after school program for elementary and middle school students
- All of Rosemary’s work in education is focused on closing the achievement gap
- worked to secure funding for the East Side Alliance whose mission is to bring coordinated high-impact, consistent, and rigorous educational opportunities between East Side Union High School District and its eight feeder elementary districts including bringing in representatives from Evergreen Community College and San Jose State University
- raised funds to support a task force of early education educators, principals and superintendents on the effects of math education in early childhood
- is an advocate for early student and parent education about the A-G requirements so that students understand the path to a four-year college and are ready to apply at the end of high school
- (at Building Futures Now ) works with cohorts of underserved students and their parents in East Palo Alto, from elementary through their middle school, by developing the academic and interpersonal skills of students
- knows that, for every student to succeed, there must be a collaboration of school, after-school programs, social services, community services, and parent/adult support helping each student
- Rosemary understands the challenges and strengths of education in Santa Clara County today and is willing to explore all options to improve the quality of education that every student receives.
- began attending meetings last year, including last year’s budget meetings
- has reached out to county office personnel including teachers, classified,early childhood staff, and the professional development staff
- has met with local education leaders to understand the challenges and recent successes of local districts
- advocates for all student service providers (teachers, classified staff, mental health services, after-school programs) to work together on an on-going basis throughout a students’ education to assess needs and provide the correct services for each student
- has worked with all levels of education from early childhood to community college
- Rosemary has a record of working well with all education stakeholders and can help the board not only strengthen their relationship with these stakeholders but become a force in creating collaborative relationships between the various stakeholders therefore improving education for all students in Santa Clara County
- at the Silicon Valley Education Foundation worked with schools districts, community leaders, and business leaders to fund STEM initiatives in Santa Clara County and the East Side Alliance
- as Executive Director of Building Futures Now works with students, parents and funders to implement an on-going after school program beginning in elementary school and continuing through middle school that addresses the academic, developmental, and emotional needs of students and creates a path to higher education for low income students in East Palo Alto
- taught classes in parent involvement in Morgan Hill and Gilroy
- is working with the Ravenswood School District to connect schools with the after-school program provided by Building Futures Now
- has the support of educators and local leaders in Area 3, San Jose, and throughout Santa Clara County
- Rosemary will be an independent voice for data-driven policies.
- in her time on the Santa Clara Water District Board, she was known for her pragmatic approach to problem solving.
- has experience creating proposals that include measurable outcomes for success of programs
- has worked with multi-million dollar budgets
- will look to the expertise of staff, board members and her wide array of connections in education and Santa Clara County for expertise and ideas
- is a devoted public servant who put the needs of children first while remaining committed to fiscal transparency and accountability