Trustee, Trustee Area 2 — San Jose Unified School District

José Magaña is an educator and proud candidate for the San José Unified School District, Trustee Area 2. Raised by a teenage mother and an incarcerated father, José found solace in school and extracurricular activities. Early on, he experienced the power of caring educators and opportunities that come from strong schooling, which led him to attend the University of California system. After being the first in his family to graduate from college, José moved to San José, and then Los Angeles, to teach Kindergarten and 1st grade in underserved communities.  He had the privilege of serving students who were significantly impacted by the opportunity and achievement gap, only to end the year above grade level. He is a true believer that when given the right resources, every community and student can be successful.

After spending four years in the classroom, José made the decision to work in education technology. He has coached and worked alongside over 500 teachers, leaders, and school districts across the country to better incorporate technology into their math instruction, and implement a highly effective early literacy program that supports the individualized needs of every student. Currently, he serves as a commissioner on the Library and Early Education Commission for the City of San José, where he has championed the removal of late fees for children at all city libraries, knowing that if students have just one more obstacle removed from their path to success, they will be more likely to reach their potential.

After meeting as classroom teachers, he and his wife settled in Luna Park Neighborhood near downtown San José. They have continued to prioritize serving their community through education. Ellyn serves students and teachers as the Director of Student Supports for local schools. As a trustee, José will use his experiences to advocate for all students and families by increasing public/private partnerships to protect the arts, provide more opportunities to English language learners, and to push to provide housing for the teachers and staff of the district. He hopes that with your help, he can make those things a reality.

Growing up as the son of an incarcerated father and in a Spanish speaking family, my family instilled in me the importance of getting an education, but it wasn’t always easy. Luckily, I had amazing teachers who cared for, challenged, and helped me grow to become a hard-working person of integrity, dedicated to serving those around me. Through them I learned what it meant to be confident, advocate for myself and others, and the transformational power a community has to come together to support a child. This is why I am proud to be a candidate for Area 2 Trustee of the San José School Board.

My life experience and work as an educator has prepared me to be able to bring people together to provide our children with the education that will prepare them for their futures. I want every child, regardless of their race, income-level, or gender, to be prepared for college if they choose that career pathway. I am a candidate because I want to advocate for all children and use my life experience and work as an educator to help our district move forward during challenging times.

Because of the great support I received from my teachers, I decided to work towards creating a more equitable education system for our students. At 21, I began my career as a kindergarten teacher in San José and saw the opportunity and achievement gaps my students faced within and outside my classroom. Working towards equity took me from my own classroom to hundreds of classrooms across the country when I worked as a national coach for mathematics and literacy. Today, I serve on the Library and Early Education Commission for the City of San José. And as a SJUSD Trustee, I will not only bring my experience as a teacher, but my passion and track record of working towards creating a more equitable education system for our students, families and teachers.

Unfortunately, those equitable opportunities are not always the reality for our students, or our teachers. Our students who are learning English need more support to access grade-level content and yet we are lacking the resources to train our teachers to serve them. Extra-curricular programs are threatened as costs for education increase, while our student population is decreasing. Teachers are dealing with higher costs of living, while still paying out of pocket for classroom costs. We must and will do better for those who need it most and will make the biggest difference for our students.   

But, this work requires the support of the community. It is up to us to ensure that we can serve all students in San José Unified School District. Thank you so much and I humbly ask for your support in November to ensure that all children of SJUSD have the best educational opportunities!

Helen raised her family in San José, and is dedicated to the families and students of the San José Unified School District. Helen and her husband, Dan, raised two sons who attended SJUSD schools. Nick served 8 and a half years in the Marine Corp, and Brandon is working on his Civil Engineering degree. Helen’s commitment to civic engagement and local youth education led her to become a community leader.

Helen has experience working in the classroom with students. She worked directly with students in after-school programs, managed budgets and constituent services,and advocated for the families of Trustee Area #2. Helen also has experience in both the public and private sector.  As a small business owner for more than 15 years, she tackled the challenges of building her own success.

Helen served as a Research Specialist with the San José Unified School District for nearly two decades. In this role, she advocated for our youth every single day. Helen helped struggling students earn their diplomas, maintained and reported student achievement data, and coordinated youth volunteer projects. She would also go on to serve as a volunteer mentor to students. Whether with her own children or in her career with the district, Helen has been an integral part of the SJUSD community and a leader for its families.

Now as a Policy and Legislative Advisor for San José City Councilmember Sergio Jimenez, Helen is working with community and regional leaders every day to fight for the families of San José.

In addition to her career and family, Helen has been a committed volunteer. Helen served as Commissioner with San José Parks & Recreation for six years, serving as Chair for three. Helen has served as the Vice President for the Shasta Hanchett Park Neighborhood Association, a former board member with San José Parks Foundation, Committee for Green Foothills, San José Coyote Valley Task Force, and Blue Star Moms, and in many other roles. 

Helen was recognized as Women of the Year for 2017 from Assemblymember Evan Low in recognition of her community engagement. She also received the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Association’s Lula Briggs Galloway Working Women’s Award in 2010 as well as Mayor Susan Hammer’s Outstanding Women of Silicon Valley Award in 1996.  

Helen understands the needs of our community, and she has a long record of giving back to San José and its youth  In Helen, San José Unified students, teachers, faculty and families will have a trustee with a proven history of outstanding achievement and dedication to enhancing our community. Helen Chapman is the best choice for our students and the San José Unified School District.

Peter Allen was born and raised in San José. He graduated from Willow Glen Elementary, Hoover Middle School, and Bellarmine College Preparatory and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in screenwriting from the University of Southern California.

For the past two years, Peter served as Public Information Officer for San José Unified School District, where he coordinated external and internal communications for the largest and most innovative school district in Silicon Valley and facilitated the engagement of 32,000 students and families, 3,500 employees, and 41 schools. He's excited by the opportunity to bring his passion for education to the Board of Trustees.

Prior to arriving at San José Unified, Peter served as Managing Director of Teatro Visión, a Chicanx-Latinx theater company nurturing arts and opportunity in underserved San José communities. He also owned and operated a small consulting practice specializing in online marketing and political campaigns.

Peter currently serves as Chair of the San José Planning Commission and previously served for four years on the San José Arts Commission. He is proud to be Immediate Past President of the Rotary Club of Campbell-San José West and was a founding board member of the Silicon Valley chapter of the New Leaders Council.

Peter's family has deep roots in our community going back nearly a century. His grandfather, Pete, owned Allen's Furniture, and his family operated Paolo's Restaurant, both longtime fixtures in Downtown San José. His mother, Janice, taught second grade at Willow Glen Elementary for almost 20 years, and his late father, Jack, was a local CPA serving more than 400 individual, business, and family clients.

Peter's wife, Angelica Ramos, is a public policy specialist, strategic consultant, and President of the National Women’s Political Caucus of Silicon Valley. They live with their rescue dog, Josie, across the street from Lincoln High School.

From a young age, Peter was taught the values of hard work, sacrifice, and compassion that still mark every endeavor he undertakes. Watching his mother give everything she had, day in and day out, for her students inspired him to give back to his community at every opportunity. In many ways, his life is defined by Bellarmine's motto of Men for Others, Rotary's motto of Service Above Self, and San José Unified's motto of Be Curious.