Board Member — Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District

I am a public policy advocate and mother of two Livermore students. I am ready to help lead our schools in these challenging times. As we work to educate our children effectively and safely, deal with COVID-19 economic fallout, and engage with our youth in the national conversation on civil rights, the School Board must guide with knowledge, policy expertise, and compassion. I have the experience and the skills needed now.

The work of the School Board is to set direction and make policy, and I am the candidate with more than 30 years of experience as a policy student and advocate. 

My background includes:

• 13 years working with our schools, District, and School Board, starting when my first child entered Kindergarten in Livermore in 2007 — PTA Rep to the School Board, LVJUSD Technology Committee, Citizens’ Oversight Committee for our school bond Measures M & G, coached 4th/5th grade math team
• 2 years fighting Big Tobacco to pass policies in Livermore, throughout the Bay Area, and in Sacramento to combat the epidemic of youth vaping. Doing community education & outreach at all of our middle & high schools & to many community organizations
• 22 years living in the Tri-Valley, 14 in Livermore — Volunteer for many years in my children’s classrooms
• Volunteer domestic violence advocate at Tri-Valley Haven for 9 years
• 7 years in the Bay Area working for national organizations on children’s policy & domestic violence at Futures Without Violence & Children Now
• 4 years working on Capitol Hill & at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
• Founding Board Member of Global Taiwan Institute, a think tank in Washington, D.C.
• Bachelor’s degree in education policy from the University of Chicago, with one year embedded in Chicago Public School classrooms to study teaching methods
• Master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University

My work to fight youth vaping helped me gain valuable experience and contacts in local government. It allowed me to work with local public officials, as well as demonstrate to them what I can do and my commitment to youth. It’s the reason our School Board President, every member of our City Council, and School Board and City Council Members in nearby cities have all endorsed my candidacy.

My family immigrated to this country from Taiwan when I was seven, none of us speaking English. We worked side by side in our small family business, my brothers and I eventually learning English well enough to translate for our parents. Having spent the first several years of my education in Asia, I became interested in the very different approaches the U.S. and Taiwan took toward education and learning. My public schools in Fremont made it possible for me to work to my potential, go on to attend the best universities, and ultimately pursue a career in public service. I want to support our schools and our teachers to make Livermore’s schools work for our children the way mine did for me.

I want to use my skills and experience to help guide our schools during this critical time. This is a serious time that requires a candidate with relevant experience. Running for School Board is a natural progression of the work I’ve done for more than 30 years. I am unique among my fellow new candidates in that I am ready to work from day one.

I respectfully ask for your vote.

I want to support our District's mission to prepare all of our students for a changing world. I want to make our schools work for all types of students, so they can all thrive and lead productive, healthy lives. I came to this country with my family, none of us speaking English and my parents with limited financial resources and not having college degrees. My public schools in Fremont made it possible for me to attend the best universities in the country and embark on a career I cared about in public service. I want to make our schools work for Livermore's children the way mine did for me.

A native of the San Francisco East Bay, I am a proud Livermore parent with two children at Junction K-8 School, life-long educator, career strategist, and workforce development expert. Upon graduating from UC Berkeley with a BA in Sociology and San Francisco State University with an MA in Education, I spent 8 years as a Spanish bilingual teacher and literacy coach for Hayward USD and Pleasanton USD before moving onto the University of California system. I then successfully pivoted to become a corporate trainer for a top 50 Forbes company, training customers on software products, enabling internal sales team, as well as serving as a consultant for the Latin America educational technology sector.

Based on my own experience, I am a firm believer that equal access to quality education is a means for economic mobility and I strive towards making this a reality for all residents within our community, especially during the global pandemic.  Through collaborative partnerships with parents, community members, business owners, industry, and local organizations, we can continue to foster a love for learning as well as improve and/or create new educational avenues for our children.  

kandissforlivermorestudents.com

Kandiss has been a member of the Livermore community since 1986 and is a proud Alumna of the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District (LVJUSD). She has a bachelors degree in Speech and Language Pathology and prides herself in being an advocate for students with learning differences, difficulties, and dissonances. Her goal is to elevate, educate and bring attention to students who are in critical need of support, while closing the learning achievement gap that exists in our schools.

As a community advocate, Livermore native, and father, Asa Strout has spent years giving back to the community. Through his advocacy, he has successfully pushed for local policies that have had a direct impact on Livermore’s vibrancy, increased voter engagement, and enabled open dialogue on important issues in Livermore.

Asa is endorsed by the Livermore Education Association (LEA), which represents over 700 educators within the school district. The Association is cited saying, “Asa Strout’s ability to organize within the Livermore community, his positions on equity and diversity, and his particular goals as a School Board member made him stand out as an electable candidate.”

As a member of the Livermore Valley School Board, Asa will be committed to bringing forth more communication and collaboration between the community and the Livermore School Board. Asa’s priorities, when elected to the Livermore School Board, will focus on safety for all, improved equity, increased collaboration and transparency, and bringing his technology background to the school board.

“I am passionate about the community of Livermore and making it a better place for the next generation. I believe my experience as a community advocate, combined with my expertise in large technology projects puts me in a unique position to help schools with the challenges they are facing today,” said Strout.

Asa is also endorsed by current and past City Council members and prominent community figures, like Councilmember, and Mayoral Candidate, Bob Woerner. “I have partnered with Asa over the years and have seen his commitment to Livermore. He has been instrumental in helping our community progress. I know, if elected, he will help foster a strong and productive relationship between the Livermore School Board and the City Council,” said Councilmember Woerner.

A long-time Livermore advocate, Asa was most recently involved as a co-chair of the Yes on P campaign and is the current CEO of Unify Livermore, a community advocacy group dedicated to improving communication on political issues with Livermore residents. His work within the community has led to plans for increased workforce housing, continued downtown development, and increased collaboration between the community and city government. Asa seeks to bring his passion for the community of Livermore to bring safety, equity, increased community engagement, and progress to the School Board.

You can find out more about Asa Strout and who is endorsing him by visiting his website and social media.

Website: asaforschoolboard.com/

Endorsements: asaforschoolboard.com/endorsements

Facebook: facebook.com/Asa4SchoolBoard

Instagram: instagram.com/Asa4SchoolBoard/