Trustee, Trustee Area A — Poway Unified School District

I am a believer in effort. As a first generation American, I quickly learned that success comes primarily from effort, coupled with ability and planning. It consistently has been a combination of these three qualities that helped me achieve my goals, even during very challenging times.

I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1974; the only daughter of Urmila and Ramesh Patel. At an early age, my elder brothers taught me how to be resilient and face challenges head on. My mother regularly reminded me that, because I was an American, and as long as I put in consistent effort, I could be anything I wanted to be. Although she passed away when I was 14 years old, her words continue to inspire me to this day. My father was an active Rotarian until he passed in 2009. His service to the community showed me how strong an impact one individual’s service can have in a community.

I received a scholarship and grant to attend Occidental College (Los Angeles, CA), where I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry with a minor in Religious Studies in 1996. During my undergraduate education, I studied abroad for a year at the University of Sussex in England. Following graduation, I interned at Monsanto (St. Louis, MO) and then earned an intramural training award at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. I was awarded my Ph.D. in Biophysics by the University of California, Irvine in 2002. I joined the Department of Protein Engineering at Genentech, Inc., (South San Francisco, CA) as a postdoctoral scientist and then received a Project Management Certificate from UC, Berkeley. I continued at Genentech, Inc., as a Project Manager in the Department of Translational Oncology managing therapeutics moving from research into development. By the time I left the biotech industry, I had eight years of professional experience.

I love learning and challenging myself in diverse settings. My experiences have given me a unique breadth and depth of knowledge that I use to turn my effort into excellence.

My interests in civic responsibility started in Girl Scouts, continued through Key Club, and matured into leadership roles in organizations in college, graduate school and my professional life. Since moving to Rancho Peñasquitos with my family in 2010, I have served on: 

·      Poway Unified School District Board of Education (serving as President, Vice-President, and Clerk)

·      California School Board Association (serving as San Diego Region 17 Delegate, Legislative Chair)

·      The Rancho Peñasquitos Planning Board (Vice-Chair, member of the Land Use Committee)

·      SDPD Police Captain’s Advisory Board – Northeastern Division

·      Park Village Elementary School Foundation – Advisor, Executive VP, Science and Technology Director

·      Rancho Peñasquitos Town Council (served as President, and Chairs of Education, Web&Print, Fiesta and Safety Committees)

·      Park Village Elementary School PTA – Parliamentarian, VP Legislation, Reflections Chair

·      Poway Unified School District Advisory Committee, School Site Council

I am married to a very supportive husband and we have three daughters in 10th, 8th and 5th grade. I am invested in PUSD for years to come. Let’s work together to ensure that our children are given the resources they need to pursue their dreams.

While serving as VP of Legislation on our PTA and on the District Advisory Committee, I realized that I could better serve my community by ensuring that PUSD fulfills its mission for Excellence in Education. I decided to run for Poway Unified School District Board of Education. I have been serving on the PUSD Board of Education since 2016.

TRUSTED · DEDICATED · EXPERIENCED

* I am trusted by students, parents, staff, and community: In every role I stepped into, I fulfilled my responsibilities, pushed organizations to higher standards and had the strength to voice my concerns. My background as a research scientist brings valuable STEM expertise to the Board. I am committed to ethically fulfilling my board responsibilities and will continue to work collaboratively and effectively with students, staff, administration, and the community.

* I am a dedicated community leader: I have served on The Rancho Peñasquitos Town Council, Park Village Elementary PTA, and PUSD Advisory Committee. In addition to being an elected member of the PUSD Board of Education, I serve on the Rancho Peñasquitos Planning Board (member of the Land Use Committee), SDPD Police Captain’s Advisory Board Member – Northeastern Division, and as an Advisor on the Park Village Elementary School Foundation. I understand the role of a school board member and have a demonstrated passion for engaging the community.

* I am experienced in Board Leadership: During my first term as trustee, I earned my Masters in Board Governance, served as the Clerk, Vice President, and President of the Board. I currently serve on the California School Boards Association as a regional delegate and Vice Chair of Legislation. My impact as a leader and advocate has been recognized by the San Diego School Boards Association though the First Term Board Member of the Year Award. My extensive experience working on civic boards makes me an objective problem-solver who can effectively manage resources.

My name is Darshana Patel. I am a first generation American, civic-minded scientist, parent, and community leader dedicated to educational excellence in PUSD. Since my three young daughters attend Poway Unified schools, I am fully invested in high-quality public education.

My top three priorities are student equity and access in all educational programs, social-emotional wellness for our students at all grade levels, and advocacy for adequate public-school funding.

Since being elected to the PUSD Board of Education in 2016, I've been working effectively every day. When I was elected to the Board of Education, we were facing many challenges: a corrupt Superintendent, poor fiscal oversight, and an education system that was not meeting the needs of all of our students. In the last four years, we have made significant progress by hiring a new Superintendent, adopting best practices with our finance and governance policies, implementing anti-bias training for our staff and students, and building modern educational programs for our students. I’ve served as the Clerk, Vice President, and President of our board, and currently I serve as a delegate to the California School Boards Association. I’m dedicated, trusted, and experienced.

There are some critical issues the board will face this year and in the coming years – like implementing a green schools plan, improved food and nutrition, partnership with community college, and retiring Mello-Roos early to save taxpayers money. Also, there are more immediate challenges like using science to inform our decisions regarding COVID-19 related school plans and confronting systemic racism. Poway Unified needs an experienced community leader to guide the difficult decision processes.

The work is not done, and the needs are growing. The challenges we face require proven leadership by an elected official with a track record of understanding complex issues, listening to families and students, and making informed decisions under difficult circumstances. I’ve been recognized by the San Diego County School Boards association with the First Term School Board Member of the Year Award for my leadership and advocacy and I’m already endorsed by Poway Federation of Teachers and the Poway School Employees Association.

I’ll leave you with this last thought – public education lays the foundation for life-long success – we all agree on that. However, the service we provide has a mandate whose scope of responsibility is constantly widened, and resources are increasingly thinned. In a situation like this, a highly effective leadership team needs members who will draw from their life experiences, be open to hearing the ideas of others, and put the needs of those she serves first. My leadership experience, collaborative problem-solving approach, and dedication to my community is evidence that I am the right person to continue this work.

I would be honored to earn your vote to continue serving our students and community.

Tim grew up in Southern New Jersey to his mother Susannah and father Jim, where his father served on his local school board for 15 years.  He comes from a family of teachers, coaches, and small business owners.  Tim went on to be an NCAA Div. I athlete and obtained a BS Mechanical Engineering as an undergrad at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA.  Later he received a M. Eng. Healthcare Systems Engineering, also at Lehigh, through their pioneering Distance Learning program.

In New Jersey Tim has worked as a substitute teacher of Technology and head wrestling coach and at a middle school. With a desire to be a positive impact on his new community, in San Diego he continued teaching through coaching the Torrey Pines youth wrestling team for several years.  He now coaches softball with his daughters.

Tim spent many years designing engineering systems in manufacturing and currently works as a Senior Director of Supply Chain for a local retailer.  He is Lean/Six Sigma trained and has lead transformative large-scale projects, programs, and teams.  Each year a group of senior industrial engineers works on a design project that he manages along with a University of San Diego faculty member.  Tim also is an adjunct at USD, teaching Manufacturing Processes.

Tim and his wife spent most of their adult life in San Diego, and have lived in Rancho Penasquitos for almost 3 years.  They have twin daughters in the District.  They have been in Pre-K, TK, and now Kindergarten at Park Village Elementary.  They enjoy the neighborhood and their friends very much.  They participate in soccer, softball, and gymnastics; and they cannot wait to get back on campus for learning.

Tim knows what it’s like to be an online student, an online teacher, a business leader, and a parent. He hopes to use this knowledge and industry experience to lead improvements and make the Poway Unified School District even better for his daughters and the PUSD Area A community.

PUSD has been celebrated for its educational excellence for years.  This is why people seek our schools when establishing their families.  However, in the recent past, significant challenges have prevented the improvement of the education.  During my time in the District, I have not seen these challenges overcome nor have I seen defined measures of success for the Board.  Covid has amplified the challenges and brought more our way.  I want a better educational experience for our kids.  I believe my skill set and years of experience in business, engineering, and education make me an ideal Trustee to represent the best interest of Area A.

My top priorities for PUSD are Reopening/Post Covid Learning, Facilities/Land Use, and the Budget Deficit.  They are separate but deeply intertwined.  The pandemic has forced education to redesign its processes and delivery of education.  This design must be able to iterate quickly.  Vulnerable and young students, along with their parents, are feeling the brunt of school closures.  The proposed bond measure to fix aging facilities failed in March.  There is no new solution.  Year after year, expenses outpace revenues, and Covid has amplified this problem.  My experience and background make me uniquely qualified to address these major hurdles.  I will create goals and KPIs for myself, tied to these and other priorities, so the voters can later measure my success.