In the last 16 years, I have been privileged to serve as an elected trustee on the Santa Clara County Board of Education. My last board meeting was Nov. 20. Some voters in my trustee area will cheer that declaration, particularly those who were opposed to my charter school approval votes.
As a core value of my life’s work, I have advocated for educational justice for our least advantaged children. I have supported and voted affirmatively on dozens of publicly funded charter schools. Many of those schools are coming before the county board for reauthorization for at least five more years over the next several months.
Nearly all of those schools have their students doing better compared to traditional public schools on student achievement measures.
I spoke with passion at my penultimate board meeting that traditional public schools don’t need to meet state accountability dashboard measures, as public charter schools do. Traditional public schools get a pass unless their elected board and superintendent want to shutter and reconstitute a low-performing school. That seems to never happen.
Public school districts rarely discuss disaggregated test scores by race and ethnicity that continue to demonstrate, year after year, decade after decade an unequal system of education. As a consequence too many low-income children are captive in low-performing schools. Public charter schools approved during my terms have given parents hope and have prepared thousands of children for success in college and career.
During my 16-year tenure I have advocated for a system of publicly-funded charter schools where parents choose to send their children, instead of to schools wed to their ZIP codes.
From the perspective of thousands of parents and students, public charter schools have been the champion for parent choice and have made a significant difference in the quality of the education many least advantaged children receive. You only need to attend one of our reauthorization meetings and listen to the authentic and praise-worthy expressions by parents, students and faculty. At our last meeting parents, students and staff extolled the virtues of their public charter school: Rocketship Si Se Puede. The board of education, with a staff report to approve, just reauthorized Si Se Puede for five more years by unanimous vote.
Education is the most important civil rights issue in our time. After deciding not to run for a fifth term I welcomed a new leader to my seat. It is my hope that his voice be solely about education justice for children, especially those without the resources to thrive in a classroom environment. Unless California’s educational racial disparities are taken seriously by elected leaders from local school boards, through the state Legislature and governor, public education will continue to flounder when it is needed now more than ever to stem the move to a less tolerant, authoritarian government.
This is the note I leave for my successor trustee:
Please make your decision on your vote based on its benefit to children, not institutions. Work to expand quality early learning education experiences for all 3- and 4-year-olds. Vote to increase the number of high-quality charter schools. Hire the next county superintendent, and make sure that person has a reality-based record of taking on special interests and advocating for the voiceless.
The next county superintendent must be courageous about publishing the longitudinal disaggregated achievement data for students. Too many leaders would be shocked by the current data if ever reported accurately. Lead proactively in artificial intelligence and establish appropriate guard rails for its expansive use. Re-energize the good work the Santa Clara County Office of Education has done on the power of democracy and civics education.
My trustee seat is an important elected seat. When we talk about the education civil rights of our children, this seat is a critical vote and voice for the 260,000 children in our classrooms. We can’t let a lack of education lead us into authoritarianism. We need to find a better path forward.
The moment is now.
Thank you for the honor to serve.
Joseph Di Salvo is the retiring Area 4 trustee on the Santa Clara County Board of Education.
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