Message from Jon:

Four years ago, I ran for re-election to the SMMUSD Board of Education with the promise of increasing student engagement, social justice, and fiscal responsibility in our public schools. And then the global pandemic hit. We all suffered and many of us are still suffering. Our students as a group fared better than their neighbors, but now as we look at the individuals we can clearly see the job in front of us. Engagement and social-emotional learning remain the key to creating opportunities for all students. I am proud to have led our district through the pandemic as Board President and I am even prouder at progress we have made in the subsequent years toward our ambitious goals. We are a top district, not only in California, but in the United States but we know that until we meet every single student where he or she is, we have more work to do.  

The transition from parent leader in our schools to School Board member, Board Vice-President, and Board President has been challenging. I have worked closely with our Santa Monica and Malibu communities to lead our District in several key areas.. They include: the expansion of access to early education programs ;  approval of a K-12 social justice framework and the development of American Cultures/Ethnic Studies classes to engage students;  passing Measure SMS and overseeing the process to modernize our aging facilities; saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by improving our credit rating and refinancing older bonds;  and reworking a budget to reflect our current financial status and our changing priorities.

I am running for a third term in the School Board to continue the important work I have started – and to help our District once and for all put the COVID-19 pandemic behind us and confront the barriers to success that impact many of our students. We can do better. We must do better. 

I hope you will take the time to read my ideas for my next term on the School Board. I look forward to working with our communities over the next four years. Together, we will continue to improve educational opportunities for all of our students.