Prioritizing Student Achievement: Test scores in Hayward are ROUGH. We need to ensure our curriculum is preparing students to succeed in the rapidly evolving 21st century.

• Promote and support student attendance and closely monitor and address truancy. School outcomes and funding are directly tied to attendance.

• Expand and support access to extracurricular activities, which are proven to motivate attendance and to improve student achievement. Standardize the programming available at school sites and implement a robust outreach effort within our Middle and High Schools that informs our families about the programs available.

• Support credit recovery options for students who fall behind.

• Promote student literacy at an early age by implementing the recommendations of our districtwide literacy plan, which calls for a standardized approach in every classroom.
   

Improving Student Safety & Attendance: Better supporting the emotional needs of our students, especially those with challenging home environments, keeps all of our students safe both on and off-campus.

• Hayward Schools have some of the highest truancy rates and some of the lowest graduation rates within the Bay Area. We've operated our schools in a silo for decades and we're seeing the results.

• Implement early intervention programs that identify students who have experienced trauma. These programs could involve counseling, mentoring, and academic support to address underlying issues that may contribute to absenteeism.

• Better collaborate with Alameda County to support the over 500 unhoused students within HUSD who lack access to permanent, stable housing.

• Hayward is home to some of the most diverse schools in the Bay Area. Diversity is our strength.

• Support kids and families at home. One in four students will have a domestic violence call in their home before they reach the age of 18 -- that's 5,000 HUSD students. Our School District lacks wrap-around services for students who live in tumultuous and often violent home environments. When police are called into a home - we must ensure that school counselors and teachers are made aware of the situation and its potential impact on students.
   

Increasing Parent Participation & Communication: Parents must be communicated with on a consistent basis in languages and channels that work for them and their families. This includes upcoming information, changes in District policies, and regarding items being taught in our classrooms.

• Not every parent can attend a school board meeting or has the time to read a newsletter or handout. The District has an obligation to improve partnerships with our local nonprofit organizations, City and County officials, and with agencies that our families interact with daily.

• Establishing Commissions Similar to the City for Parent and Student Input on District Projects.

• Increasing outreach to parents about opportunities to engage in their child’s education as parent engagement drops off rapidly as students go to high school. Evidence shows that parent engagement has a high effect on success, graduation rate, and college admission.
   

Supporting our Teachers & Staff: District staff and our teachers must be included in conversations. They are the heart of Hayward Unified School District and are experts in their fields.

• Involve our staff at every step of the decision-making process. Our staff are the experts and are all too often treated as an afterthought.

• Well equip our teachers with the tools they need and ensure that they are involved at the decision-making level. They are in the classroom every day and know the needs of their students.

• Create opportunities for teachers to collaborate and share best practices and reduce dependency on costly outside consultants who don’t know HUSD.

• Support competitive salaries, expanding healthcare options, and developing housing opportunities for HUSD staff to allow them to remain in the community they serve.
   

Protecting Public Education:

• Pursuing funding at the State level to fully fund education while hiring an in-house grant administrator to actively pursue new funding options.

• Providing extracurricular funding/support to ensure all students have access to arts/education.

• Actively promote the district to increase enrollment.
   

Strengthening Local Partnerships:

• Job training programs with the Building Trades, local business owners, and Eden ROP.

• Explore automatic/streamlined admission to Chabot and CSUEB.

• Opening up local campuses for public access after school in partnership with HARD and the City.

• Partner with community-based organizations, local government agencies, and community leaders to ensure access to family health services, housing, social services, and transportation.