Trustee, Trustee Area 4 — Stockton Unified School District

My name is Gabriel Casillas and I am a Stockton native, a husband, a parish administrator, a youth minister, and a firm believer in serving others with zeal and compassion.

Being the eldest of three, raised by a single mother in a "lower" class neighborhood, I intimately learned the many challenges that a student from a single parent and a single income household faces. I was fortunate enough to break free from the many negative influences that surrounded me because of my Mother's strength and through my strong faith in God and the lessons learned through it.

I am a Stockton native with deep family, community, and faith roots. My late Grandmother, Susan Casillas, was a community leader and was the recipient of the Susan B. Anthony Award, and a Mexican American hall of fame inductee for her many works in the community. Her example of working diligently for others continues to inspire me today. My living Grandmother, Helen Aguirre, who lost two children in her lifetime and once divorced, taught me that faith in God and always doing the right thing can, and will, push you forward in life. 

Taking the many lessons learned through my family and my faith, I have had the privilege of leading my community for the past 3 years as a Parish Administrator and working directly with our youth, alongside my Wife, as a Youth Minister and Religious Educator. 

I am also an active member of the Knights of Columbus and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Through the different organizations I am involved with, I take part in feeding the homeless, providing resources to families in need, supporting many other non-profits including The Children’s Home of Stockton, Parents by Choice, The Woman’s Shelter, The Special Olympics, Disaster Relief, and many more.

I truly believe in serving others before myself, and I only wish to help serve the future of our society- our students.

Through my own upbringing and my work with students, struggling families and the homeless, I have seen the many challenges that society faces today. Our students are the cornerstone of the community and we must do whatever it takes to help our youth move forward and beyond the many negative situations they find themselves in. We cannot allow students to fail and we must address every challenge that stands in their way of success.

I believe our public educational institutions are the cornerstones of our society and have the ability to truly mold the future of our communities. I am running for SUSD Trustee Area 4 because I believe we must do better to prepare and protect our youth from the many challenges and negative influences of our current society. It is no mystery that many students, today, face various difficulties and challenges outside of the classroom that can affect their behavior and success in school. Whether these hurdles include living within a broken environment, lack of basic resources, mental illness such as anxiety or depression, or outside influences that promote criminal and destructive behavior, we must address these obstacles with intensity and compassion. I believe our educational institutions should think beyond the academic, and prepare our students to be ethical, free thinking, happy, and healthy individuals. We cannot allow our students that are labeled "troubled" or "bad" to be left behind, instead we must provide outlets and resources to help all students who are struggling. Our goal for our students should go beyond preparing them for college, but also to prepare them to be successful in all aspects of life.

I am Ray C. Zulueta Jr, father of three, husband, educator and community builder.  I am the descendant of Indigenous Americans, Filipino, Mexican, Irish and English heritages.  In my 30 years I have committed myself to family, education, and community.  I am a fourth generation Stocktonian and a product of Stockton Unified School District. My siblings and I all attended Nightingale Elementary, Hamilton Middle and Franklin High Schools. My mother and grandmother were both employed by SUSD. My commitment to the success of our community is deep.

I attended University of the Pacific, and worked many jobs before realizing my passion for education. I now own an educational support services business that serves our community. In meetings with administrators, teachers, parents and students,  I asked everyone I met the same question. They all had the same response when asked, “what is going on within our community?” “We are not feeling heard or connected.”

I promise to hear and connect you!

I support college readiness and scholarship opportunities. We need to promote technical education and craftsmanship in schools more widely. Bringing back classes like woodshop, engineering, agriculture and others will connect us to many students whose aim is not college. Additional resources are needed to support the expression of cultural identity. Our students need counselors, interventions and spaces to form positive relationships where the expression of who they are can be nurtured and grow. 

I do not support “Defund SUSD Police.” They protect our employees and facilities. We need community policing and outreach that supports building positive relationships with students and families. Restorative Justice informed practices can inform campus monitors and other staff on culturally supportive best practices. These positive interactions help save lives once our students go beyond SUSD. 

I will make my time and attention available to listen to our families, union members and local experts.We need upgrades to our windows, air conditioning and internet connectivity in many schools. Frequent sanitation of common areas like classrooms, lunchroom and restrooms has become a basic necessity that requires additional funding. I am against continuing to vote for new charter school developments when we have outstanding needs that must be addressed within our infrastructure.

I am supporting our community, while never forgetting the investments that have been made in me. Every student within SUSD deserves those same investments and more.

Academic Achievement

• Support and Empower Cultural Identity

• Promotion of Vocational and Higher Education Opportunities Equally

• Reintroduce additional investment in Electives, Life Skills and Vocational classes.

• Set a goal for a 100% graduation rate for students in SUSD by 2030.

Fiscal Planning

• Review of Current Contracts/Assessments

• Prioritize Facilities/Maintenance Sanitation and Safety

• Balance Budget

Community Support

• Community Policing

• Supporting Positive Interactions

• Implementing Restorative Justice Informed Practices

Accountability

• Our community members are feeling; unheard and unrepresented

• Facilities are lacking basic amenities: Heat/AC/Internet/Sanitation

• Facility Sanitation and Maintenance specific to COVID

• Assessing of Contracts and MOU’s on time.

Vocational Education

• Agriculture, craftsmanship, ownership and commerce are the root of our region.

• As we break down certain structures we need to restore others.

• Promoting all intelligence and securing financial opportunities for all to explore their gifts is the goal.

• Cultural Identity is Paramount to this goal.

As a third-generation teacher who was raised in Stockton schools, education has been the foundation of my family’s success in this country. I ran for the Stockton USD Board in 2016, and was elected, because I am motivated by the belief that all young people deserve access to an equitable and high-quality educational experience. I am running for re-election to continue working toward the vision that all Stockton students will graduate from our schools college, career, and community-ready.

My father was born in the Philippines and my mother in the Midwest, but both of their families came to the Central Valley united by the shared hope that, through hard work, we could achieve part of the American dream. Like many young people growing up in Stockton, I was often told that to be successful I needed to get out, and after high school I earned a scholarship to attend Harvard University and a Fulbright Fellowship to teach English. But following in my parents’ footsteps, I returned to Stockton in 2012 to become a high school teacher. I taught social studies for four years and earned my teaching credential.

As a member of the Stockton USD board, I have worked to ensure that all Stockton students have the resources they deserve and to increase support for our teachers and staff members. Together, we:

• aligned our graduation requirements with the entrance requirements for California colleges, a first for San Joaquin County

• hired more counselors and social workers

• introduced a new teacher-selected curriculum, and 

• grew our ethnic studies programs. 

In partnership with Mayor Michael Tubbs, I co-founded and then launched Stockton Scholars, which aims to dramatically increase the number of Stockton students who enter and complete higher education. In the first two years, we have awarded nearly 2,000 scholarships amounting to over $1,000,000 to students attending our local trade schools, community colleges, and universities.

To confront the new challenges of distance learning, we need to radically increase support for our students, families, teachers, and staff. We need to close the digital access divide for our disconnected young people, provide assistance to teachers with live online instruction, and address the basic needs of our families. I hope to work creatively, in the spirit of service, to meet these challenges head-on.