Notes from the Board Meeting - 11/18/2025
At the last FMSD Board meeting on 11/18/2025, during the Public Hearing and Oral Communication segments of the Board Meeting, there were two (2) major topics which received comments from many our constituents: parents, teachers, students, former students, support providers, and community members.
⇣I’ve earmarked the locations in the video of the respective segments.⇣
FMSD Open Session - Board Meeting - 11/18/2025
1.PUBLIC HEARING item 5.01: Public Hearing to Petition for Renewal of Charter School -- Rocketship Spark Academy (Comments may be viewed and heard from 44:20 to 1:23:12)
My comments: I have visited Rocketship Spark Academy many times since I was elected to the FMSD School Board over 3 years ago. I have been in their classrooms. I have been to many of the events at their school their parents, teachers, and students have sponsored and staffed. I have seen their teachers, staff and support providers on campus fully engage in teaching their students to be the outstanding and highly motivated learners, our future generation of tomorrow. Their academic proficiency and test scores demonstrate that Rocketship Spark Academy is continually one of the best schools in our Franklin McKinley School District. Unashamedly, I wholeheartedly and enthusiastically recommend the renewal of Rocketship Spark Academy for another 5 years in our district!
Parents should ALWAYS have the right to choose which school they feel best serves their child(ren)’s best interest. Some choose Regular Public School. Some choose Charter School. Some choose Private School. Some choose to Homeschool their child(ren). I will ALWAYS stand up for Parents’ Right to Choose what they feel is best for their child(ren)!
The Board will vote at the next Board Meeting 12.9.2025.
2. ORAL COMMUNICATION item 6.01:
Oral Communications were shared by FMSD Teachers, Staff, Support Providers, and Community members regarding “FMEA bargaining committee fighting for a real raise. Management’s proposal of 1% is not enough!” *
* Quotation is from the petition of signatures submitted to the Board with over 363 signatures from FMSD experienced educators.
(Comments may be viewed and heard from 1:32:03 to 1:56:12)
My comments: I am a veteran teacher. I am in my 22 nd year of teaching in San Jose. In my opinion, we teachers do not make enough money for the countless number of hours preparing for teaching in the classroom, for the countless hours we teach in our classroom, and the countless hours we spend at home and in the community reflecting on our teaching we provided in the classroom. As was evidenced by only a few speakers tonight, coupled with the petition signed by 363 FMSD dedicated educators presented to the Board members, the FMSD educators feel they should have a larger pay raise on their contract than what they say was offered to them by the FMSD management. As a teacher here in the Silicon Valley, specifically in San Jose, in my opinion, we deserve at least a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) on our contracts in order to live and thrive in this community.
Although I am NOT on the FMSD bargaining committee, I agree that we teachers deserve a competitive and adequate salary for the most important work we do: teaching our children today to be the leaders of tomorrow!
Petition presented to the School Board:
“Dear Franklin-McKinley School District Families, Trustees and Administration,
We are the dedicated educators of FMSD. This past year we survived school closures, layoffs and cuts to critical classroom supports in the form of Social Workers and Paraeducator hours. Management’s rationale for these cuts was that they were necessary to maintain the financial solvency of our district. However, when FMSD management released the Unaudited Actual financial report for the 24-25 school year, our District had an unrestricted ending balance of $27.2 million, $21.8 million more than what management had budgeted. Additionally, FMSD management failed to meet their legally-required spending on the current expense of education by $5.4 million. Rather than facing a financial crisis, our district is sitting on an unrestricted reserve of 20.88%! Our district has a lot more money than previously expected and it should be spent on educators in the classroom!
To retain experienced educators and create stability in our schools, we support our FMEA bargaining committee fighting for a real raise. Management’s proposal of 1% is not enough!”
UPDATE:
The next day, 11.19.2025, FMEA and FMSD management reached an agreement to give FMSD teachers a 3% raise on their next contract!
Comment: Was it the outcry of hundreds of FMSD “dedicated educators” and we Board members who agreed our teachers deserve more that made the difference?
FMSD community, teachers, staff, parents and children, ALWAYS speak up! I’m listening to what you say! Contact me anytime! I represent you!
