Local 856 member elected to South SF School Board

Many parents are only too happy to resign booster club activities and PTA meetings when their children graduate from school. Not Local 856 member Judy Bush. Even though her daughter graduated from South San Francisco High School two years ago, her passion for education and local schools continued. In November, she was elected to the South San Francisco Unified School District Board.

“Education is vital. It uplifts and revitalizes the level of the community,” the Daly City Park and Recreation worker explains.

Bush was approached about a year ago by friends and community members who asked her to run for the office. After talking it over with her family, she decided that running for the Board would be a natural progression in her community involvement.

As well as a being a member of the negotiating committee for the Daly City Clerical Technical Unit, Bush has been a member of the South San Francisco Park and Recreation Commission since 1995, has served as the PTA Council Legislative Chair, and is the past president of the PTSA for South San Francisco High School.

“I knew it would be a challenge and balancing act,” she said. But Bush is no stranger to challenges— as a single mom she went back to school and earned not only a Bachelor of Arts in business from St. Mary's College, but also a Master's in marketing from Golden Gate University.

“I was crazy. There were many nights I fell asleep on the keyboard, but I did it,” she jokes.

Bush’s goals for School Board include identifying new funding sources for the District, attracting and retaining quality teachers and staff and narrowing the achievement gap among students.

“I want to raise the bar. We have great students, teachers and staff. The sky is the limit,” she said.

Bush would also like to focus on those students who may not feel that a 4-year university after high school is the right choice for them.

“It's not about a four-year college sometimes,” she said. “These students should be encouraged to look into trade schools, and a good foundation in math and English will lead to successful careers, whatever they decide to do in life, be it an electrician, mechanic or cosmetologist,” she said.

Bush also encourages parents to be active at their child’s schools and said that many studies show that children with active parents perform better. “The more parents are involved, the more a child can achieve,” she added.

Bush also acknowledged the large Spanish-speaking population of South San Francisco and hopes to find ways that the District can reach out to those members of the community.

The biggest challenge facing the District is the ever-shrinking education budget. San Mateo County invested heavily in Lehman Bros. and was hit particularly hard by its collapse in September. This, coupled with Governor Schwarzenegger's proposed education cuts, could be detrimental to students.

Bush said that the Board is helping her transition into her new position by providing her with reams of reading material on the budget.

Bush was raised and educated in South San Francisco, where she still lives. She would like to see the city maintain its small-town atmosphere, but at the same time have the foresight to move into the future. She would particularly like to see the nearby biotech industry create more programs to work with and educate students in that field.

Bush didn't have to wait long to take her new post, the Board was sworn in December 11, 2008.

- By Nicole Casey, Local 856