I am Kay Kinsler, candidate for the Arcadia School Board in the March 3^rd California Primary election.  I have been honored to serve the Arcadia community as a School Board Member for the past 8-1/2 years.

 I moved to Arcadia in 1998 with my husband and two sons for the great schools.  We have stayed in Arcadia for the great community.  My sons are now adults and starting lives on their own.  Throughout their school years, I was active in PTA serving at all levels from member, committee chairman, and officer.  I served as PTA president at every Arcadia school my children attended as well as Arcadia Council PTA.  I also served as Foothills Music Club president for 2 years.  Additionally, I served on the facilities committee for Arcadia High School and for the District prior to the 2006 bond measure. Other volunteer experience includes being an active member of Assistance League of Arcadia where I have served as president and in many board positions.  Additionally, I am on the board of the Foothill Unity Center which serves people in need in the San Gabriel Valley.  I currently am the Secretary on the Board of Directors of the Foothill Unity Center.

 My top 3 priorities are:

• Fiscal responsibility - maintain critical oversight of fiscal matters and operate with a balanced budget.
• Focus on the child, which includes character education, interpersonal & communication skills, academics, sports and the arts.
• Sustain excellence through collaboration, innovation, technology, and improving teaching methods in an evolving educational climate.

 Since joining the school board, I have been part of working through the financial constraints of the last recession, while continuing to improve our educational programs, and facilitating the improvement of teaching so that we truly serve all students.  We have completed on tie and on budget the major construction approved as part of our community’s last bond measure, Measure I.  I respect the trust that the community has placed in me and my fellow board members.

I am proud to be part of the leadership of this great District, and want very much to continue to serve all of the residents of the Arcadia School District as a member of its Board of Education. 

I would be honored and grateful if you would consider supporting my candidacy for school board by voting for me.

 

PROVEN LEADER

Kay has been honored to represent the Arcadia community by serving on the Board of Education for over 8 years.  She has worked collaboratively with our students, teachers, staff, and community. It is with pride that she served as a PTA leader and volunteer for 20 years before becoming a Board Member. Arcadia Unified was recently named in the top 1% of the best districts in the nation and has been named one of the best school districts to work for, and Kay will continue to work diligently to maintain our exemplary education system.

FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE

Kay will make the hard decisions necessary to keep the district financially healthy.  She was on the board and making the difficult budget reductions necessary to recover from the last economic downturn.  She has the commitment and determination to ensure that the excellent programs that our students deserve are maintained and improved.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE FOR ALL

Kay is proud of what has been achieved since joining the Board.  We must continue to expand learning opportunities for ALL students.  Not all children learn and grow the same way.  Recognizing this and improving teaching strategies will help all of our students excel.

I have lived in Arcadia for the past 13 years and am a parent of 2 AUSD students, an 8th Grader at First Ave. and a 10th Grader at AHS and am asking for your vote for AUSD School Board.   I have demonstrated deep commitment to the AUSD Community over the past 10 years, and have a proven track record supporting AUSD as a volunteer:

• PTA President at Holly Avenue
• PTSA President at First Avenue
• Board Member on Arcadia Council PTA
• Measure A Oversight Committee Community Member
• AHS Athletic Boosters Board Member

The above, combined with my career in the business sector, has given me the opportunity to forge trusting relationships with the AUSD Community - Staff, Administrators, Parents/Guardians and Students.

If elected, I will advocate for More Funding, Greater Communication between the various AUSD stakeholders and the School Board, and will serve with Objectivity & Transparency to ensure:

• Open Communication/Accessibility between the School Board and our AUSD Families, Administrators and Staff
• Ongoing Support for our Students, Teachers and Staff
• Advocating for more Funding at the State Level as AUSD is severely underfunded
• Continued Excellence in Academics, the Arts, Music, and Athletic Programs as well as promote more CTE programs to better equip our students for the future
• Continued Focus for the Well-Being and Safety of our Students and Staff
• Thorough Oversight on Financials/Budgets and Facilities
• Continued push for Consistency throughout our Classrooms
• Making sure that we push for more programs such as CTE classes in order to give our students the tools they need to be productive and compassionate citizens when they graduate. 

Thank you for your consideration!

I’m a long time resident of Arcadia who, along with my wife Valerie, have two boys, one in elementary and one in middle school. I was also raised in Arcadia and attended Arcadia schools from Kindergarten all the way through graduating from Arcadia High (Class of ‘98!). I'm also a U.S. Marine veteran of the Iraq War. My current occupation is at a municipal fire department overseeing emergency planning for a city of 180,000. I have over 20 years of public safety experience that I hope to utilize to keep our children safe. Now that I have my own kids in school here, I am very much vested in ensuring that our schools remain just as good or better than back when we were in school. My local volunteer experience has included:

• Arcadia Recreation and Parks Commissioner
• Arcadia American Little League - Board member and Coach
• American Youth Soccer League Region 2 - Coach
• American Red Cross - Arcadia Chapter Disaster Action Team Board Chair
• Hugo Reid School Site Council

I am very passionate about making the world a better place for the next generation which is why I decided to run for the Arcadia Unified School District Board of Education. I feel we need some new voices and new ideas as we transition into the 2020’s. The issues and ideas of equity, transparency, and excellence are what I would like to elevate in this campaign. Please take a look here and on electraymond.com for more information. I hope to earn your vote on March 3, 2020!

EQUITY

• All children deserve a quality education and should be given the best chance as possible to succeed no matter what their personal or family circumstances may be.

• Too many children don't have the resources at home to fully utilize the education we want them to have.

• Let's do more to help through early tutoring for students, mentoring parents on how they can best support their children at home, and developing a more inclusive classroom for children with disabilities, access, or functional needs.

READ MORE ON EQUITY

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TRANSPARENCY

• In order to maintain a high level of transparency and accountability, we must ensure that the Board of Education's decisions are public knowledge.

• Board meetings should be live-streamed, include translation for other languages like Mandarin, and be recorded for people who cannot make it to the meetings.

• A State of the District annual meeting should be held to showcase the successes of the schools, teachers, and students of the District at large.

READ MORE ON TRANSPARENCY

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EXCELLENCE

• Recent drops in academic achievement at AHS are concerning and we need to find out what is driving these lower test scores and provide support as soon as possible.

• The world is rapidly changing and workforce needs demand more than simple schoolwork to achieve success.

• Intellectual curiosity, cultural competence, empathy, and adaptability will all be necessary skills in the global marketplace and should be promoted in our school community.

READ MORE ON EXCELLENCE

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SAFETY

• It is an unfortunate fact that we live in an increasingly uncertain world with threats facing our children that we did not have to worry about when we were their age.

• The District is doing a good job focusing on mental wellness programs, additional full-time counseling staff, and conducting lock-down drills.

• However, more can and should be done to prepare for the unthinkable, including providing Stop the Bleed training to staff and medical response kits on campus.

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PLAY

• As noted above, safety is of utmost importance which is why all of our campuses are fenced and have controlled access.

• However, active play is very important for child development and these fences have dramatically reduced the ability of children to utilize the playgrounds during the weekends and school breaks.

• I will advocate for measures to provide additional accessibility to playgrounds for children (and adults too) while still keeping safety top of mind.