San joaquin county superintendent of schools election 2023

The need for alternative education for students and adults

Summary

Under my current leadership as San Joaquin County Superintendent of Schools, the San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) operates alternative programs for students throughout the county through court and community schools, adult education at the County Jail, Discovery ChalleNGe Academy (DCA), and one.Charter Academies, such as the Come Back Kids Academy.  The SJCOE also offers adult workforce development programs such as the CodeStack Academy and Greater Valley Conservation Corps (GVCC).

I am fully committed to serving the students and adults within San Joaquin County that need a less traditional path to success.  Under my current leadership as San Joaquin County Superintendent of Schools, the San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) operates alternative programs for students throughout the county through court and community schools, adult education at the County Jail, Discovery ChalleNGe Academy (DCA), and one.Charter Academies, such as the Come Back Kids Academy.  The SJCOE also offers adult workforce development programs such as the CodeStack Academy and Greater Valley Conservation Corps (GVCC).

DISCOVERY CHALLENGE ACADEMY The life-changing quasi-military Discovery ChalleNGe Academy (DCA) program run in partnership with the California National Guard, invites 16-18-year-olds from across California who are at risk of not graduating to our Lathrop residential campus where they live for five and a half months while reclaiming credits and learn life and leadership skills. Students receive meals, housing, and a quality education at the academy. Many cadets graduate with a high school diploma at the end of the five and a half months while others return to their home school, back on track to graduate. The SJCOE is one of three such programs offered in California.

COME BACK KIDS The Come Back Kids (CBK) program is a free, independent study program for adults ready to earn their high school diplomas. Whether you're 18 or 99, we believe it's never too late to earn your diploma. And that's why our CBK program provides the flexibility that adult learners in our county who have children, full-time jobs, and other responsibilities need to complete their education. 

CODESTACK ACADEMY With more than 70 engineers, the San Joaquin County Office of Education's CodeStack department is the largest software development group in San Joaquin County. It's also the only software development company on a county office campus in the state, building and maintaining software, web, and mobile applications used by over 5,000 school districts nationwide and other public and private organizations. One of them is EdJoin - the go-to website that connects job seekers to careers in education which has over 2 million applicants with 10 million hits per week!

CodeStack continues to push the envelope, not just developing software but teaching it to teens and educators through programs such as CodeStack Academy, which is an adult coding school, and CodeStack STEAM, the SJCOE's very own A-G approved computer science curriculum and learning platform for high school teachers and students.

GREATER VALLEY CONSERVATION CORPS The Greater Valley Conservation Corps (GVCC) provides young adults 18 to 25 with academic instruction, employment opportunities, green-job training, and life skills. The GVCC is unique because it's the only recognized conservation corps operated by a county office of education. Corpsemembers are making the San Joaquin region a cleaner and greener place to live through recycling, beautification, and natural resource projects. Not only does the GVCC have a facility in downtown Stockton, but in 2017, they also opened a facility in Sonora.

Operated under the GVCC at our Sonora facility is the Tuolumne Community Collaborative Pre-apprentice Training Program. The program is a seven-week pre-apprenticeship designed for adults (18+) local to the region to learn basic construction skills and earn multiple industry-recognized certificates. The training is organized through a collaboration of regional public agencies and community-based organizations. The pre-apprenticeship training program prepares individuals to enter the construction trades for work in the public and private construction industries. The program invests resources into the regional community with the goal of developing a skilled union workforce that can continue to rebuild aging infrastructure.

I believe that every student deserves access to a high-quality education, and I am committed to ensuring that each student receives the individualized support they need to succeed in college, careers, and life. 

The Teacher Shortage

Summary

 Continuing to develop a teacher pipeline to grow the profession locally with a new generation of teachers who reflect the diversity and cultural perspectives of the students in the San Joaquin County region they hope to serve.

I believe that as a county office of education we play a role in developing a teacher pipeline to grow the profession locally with a new generation of teachers who reflect the diversity and cultural perspectives of the students in the San Joaquin County region they hope to serve.  

This year we began the newest academy at Venture Academy Family of Schools - TEACH! – is a Teacher Education and Early College High designed to provide students starting in the ninth grade with a free associate degree in elementary education from Delta College by the time they graduate high school, as well as an affordable pathway to complete their bachelor's degree at Humphreys University and to get their teaching credential through the Teachers College of San Joaquin. This innovative partnership not only provides San Joaquin County students with a clear and affordable path to get their college degree but will help grow the profession locally with a new generation of teachers who reflect the diversity and cultural perspectives of the students in the San Joaquin County region they hope to serve.

Another program working to develop a teacher pipeline is The Teachers College of San Joaquin (TCSJ), located on the San Joaquin County Office of Education campus in Stockton. It is the only accredited graduate school of education in California operated by a county office of education. The TCSJ works to improve the quality of teaching, instruction, and education in San Joaquin County and the region. And as of this year, they've gone global, too, with three master's concentrations now available online – including a master's in environmental literacy, special education, and early education. 

These programs offer opportunities to students and teachers within San Joaquin County and the surrounding region to fill the immediate and future needs of educators in our area.

Agricultural and STEM needs

Summary

Expanding Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) learning opportunities for students and professional growth opportunities for educators while increasing partnerships in industries specific to the San Joaquin Region, such as Agriculture.

I understand the value of our agricultural heritage and economy in the valley, as well as the importance of training students to meet the needs of the community for agricultural and STEM jobs of the future.

The San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) STEM Programs department is the largest in the state - providing professional learning for teachers and programs and events for students in science while integrating technology, engineering, math, and environmental literacy. The department facilitates student events, programs, and field trips at the SJCOE Durham Ferry Outdoor Education Center in Manteca, FabLab on the SJOCE Stockton campus, and the SJCOE's new Sky Mountain Outdoor Education Center, which is situated at the top of the North Fork of the American River in the Sierra Nevada in Tahoe National Forest in Placer County – and has become the new home for Science Camp for San Joaquin Valley students. 

The SJCOE has developed a new position - Director of Agriculture and Environmental Technology within the College and Career Readiness department. The SJCOE is the first county office in the state to create this type of position. This new key position was created due to the growth in careers in agriculture and the strong agriculture/FFA programs within our region. This position allows the SJCOE to assist districts with implementing and sustaining new and existing agriculture and environmental science programs. It also supports agriculture educators and their programs through various avenues such as professional development. And it supports pathway improvement and development while building connections and relationships between industry partners, teachers, and students. High school apprenticeships will also be explored in the area of agriculture.

The San Joaquin County High School Apprenticeship ARCH Program – which stands for Apprenticeships Reaching Career Horizons, is the first in the state to have high school students become registered with the State of California, Division of Apprenticeship Standards as registered apprentices. This program would not have been possible without the strong collaboration of partners at the state and local levels dedicated to providing career opportunities for students while preparing a highly-skilled workforce that is vital to California's economic future.

It is important that we prepare our students for future careers in the San Joaquin region and beyond.