Dear Friends

By Kevin Beiser

Our children deserve a school board that fights for them!

As a teacher and a product of our public schools, I know first-hand the challenges we face in education and how to work collaboratively to overcome them.

I grew up in a large family and learned at an early age the value of education as the hammer to break the cycle of poverty. I was the first person in my family to graduate from high school and go on to college, where I earned a Bachelors of Arts Degree. With 75% of the children in San Diego schools living in poverty, we must ensure they receive a quality education so that they too can succeed.

Our class sizes have exploded and only 6 out of 10 Freshman are graduating from high school. Clearly, we are not getting the job done. I will work hard to reduce class sizes, protect art, music and career vocational education, and improve graduation rates. On the School Board, I will work with parents and teachers to improve education for all our children.

Before becoming a teacher, I gained valuable experience in business management. For twelve years, I worked to reduce expenses on profit and loss statements, balanced budgets and met payroll obligations. After a successful career in the private sector, I returned to graduate school to pursue my true passion in life and became an educator. I earned a Masters Degree in Education and two teaching credentials in Social Science and Mathematics.

For years, I have experienced the joy of helping students learn and grow. After teaching at Camp Barrett , a juvenile hall facility, and O'Farrell Community Charter School, I joined the team at Granger Junior High School in National City.

Granger was the worst school in the Sweetwater Union High School District. We worked together to raise our Academic Performance Index (API) from 604 to 782, and were named a "National School to Watch" this year--a model example of what a school can do to improve student learning. I am proud to have been a part of Granger's success over the past five years and have held several leadership positions: Math Department Chair, Faculty Advisory Committee, District Strategic Planning Committee, Professional Learning Community Leader, District Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Committee and Algebra Bowl Adviser.

My hard work and dedication for children has not gone unnoticed. I was awarded by the Greater San Diego Math Council as an "Outstanding Math Teacher 2008-2009" and also earned the "Distinguished Service Award" for my work with Gifted and Talented Education (GATE). I was also deeply honored when the children themselves voted me "Most Caring Teacher of the Year" and "Most Inspirational Teacher of the Year."

If communities, families, students and teachers work together towards a common goal, there is no limit to the greatness our children can achieve.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams" and I strongly believe that we must help our children realize their dreams and achieve their goals.

Sincerely,

Kevin Beiser :)