Mary Hernandez for School Board

TOUGH TIMES REQUIRE TOUGH LEADERSHIP

I want parents, education advocates and the people of Sacramento to know that I am running for School Board because I believe tough times require tough leadership. Faced with a budget deficit of $30 million, we need effective School Board Members who have the right mix of experience and passion to advocate at all levels of government. This will ensure that our schools are kept whole and all our students are not short changed from a successful future. I am committed to working closely with parents, teachers, students and community partners to fight hard for solutions that prioritize the needs of our students and community first.

I have over 12 years of experience successfully advocating to protect working families, children’s healthcare programs and ensuring that career technical education programs are part of the public school curriculum debate. I currently serve on the School District’s 7/11 Committee which is developing a standardized policy for school facility consolidation and reuse. My diverse background makes me uniquely qualified to help lead the School Board into the future and to improve student achievement and outcomes.

My strong background as an advocate has enabled me to receive the support of so many community and parent leaders such as: Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg; Assembly Member Dave Jones; Sacramento City School Board Members Patrick Kennedy and Donald Terry; Sacramento City Council Members Steve Cohn, Kevin McCarty, and Lauren Hammond; and, parents and community leaders such as Dennis Mangers, Michelle Castro, Mark Farouk, and Kristin Wright.

Throughout my childhood, I attended public schools and I was fortunate to build a solid foundation — with this education as a base — which enabled me to have a successful career and opportunities I never imagined.  I am running for School Board because I want to ensure that this generation and future generations have the same kind of opportunities.

I look forward to the opportunity to meet with you soon and tell you more about my campaign and how I will fight hard for our students and community.

MORE ABOUT MARY

Mary is a third generation Californian, child of a Japanese immigrant, and daughter of a retired school employee and military veteran.  In 1999, she was appointed by Governor Gray Davis to the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), and served as special assistant to the director performing numerous special projects including serving on the California Workforce Investment Board.  She was later appointed by Governor. Davis to deputy director of legislation for DIR helping shepherd public policy in career technical education, worker’s compensation, state apprenticeship programs, and wage and hour laws.  Mary currently serves as the director of strategic campaigns for SEIU Local 1000, California’s largest state employees union, representing 95,000 rank-and-file state workers, many of whom live in the Sacramento region.

She is a member of the SCUSD 7/11 School Facilities Committee, Stonewall Democrats, is active in the Sacramento Valley Women’s Soccer League, volunteers for C.A.T.S, an all-volunteer cat rescue organization, and served on the board of her homeowner’s association in the La Riviera community of Glenbrook South prior to moving to East Sacramento, where she currently resides.

Mary served physically and developmentally challenged children with Angel View Foundation, was a commissioner for the Clark County Asian American Cultural Commission, an alternate delegate to the 1996 Democratic National Convention, and served on the board of the National Kidney Foundation of Nevada.  She received her B.A. and graduate degrees in political science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.