Meet Jenifer Flynn, Candidate For Pleasanton School Board
PLEASANTON, CA — Patch reached out to all candidates for the PUSD Board of Trustees with identical questions about their background and their vision for Pleasanton schools. Here are the responses from Jenifer Flynn, a candidate for Area 4:
I am a graduate of Health Administration, from Conestoga College. I have extensive experience managing offices across several industries including health, financial, and education. Most recently, I was the Office Secretary at Hearst Elementary where I saw firsthand the daily challenges our teachers and students face. During my time at Hearst, I managed the school site budget along with the individual teacher classroom budgets.
My husband and I have lived in Pleasanton for over a decade, raising our 3 boys who attended Hearst, PMS, and Foothill.
When we moved to the Bay area for employment, we searched for a community where we could raise our then-young family. We were drawn to Pleasanton for the highly rated schools, safe community, and hometown feel.
I have served our community in various roles over the past decade known for being the Hearst PTA President, as well as chairing many successful fundraisers and social events. Additionally, I have been actively involved in community initiatives such as the Pleasanton Youth Commission's anti-vaping campaign as well as currently serving as the Vice-Chair on the Superintendence Budget Advisory Committee and Pleasanton Partners in Education (PPIE) board of directors.
PUSD has fantastic schools, amazing teachers, and outstanding staff. A key priority will be hiring a permanent Superintendent. Our students and this strong team deserve amazing leadership. We will also need to focus on our financial challenges. PUSD is facing declining enrollment, our district is down 100 students since the beginning of the school year. These lost students equate to a decline of approximately 1 million dollars in funding. Combined with the loss of one-time Covid funds these constraints risk our ability to provide necessary resources to support all students and staff.
My focus will be to actively search for a highly qualified Superintendent for Pleasanton Schools. We will need to be thorough and involve all stakeholders, including teachers, parents/guardians, and community members, in the selection process to ensure we all align with the needs of our community and school district. This new leader will need to possess previous experience and skills in guiding a district through financial challenges, have a proven track record of open and transparent communication, and be able to attract and retain the best employees for our district. Our financial challenges are not unique, many school districts are suffering financially. We need to explore avenues to increase revenues to help offset the budget shortfalls. Some ideas to do this are by increasing our Kids Club program, often our schools have waiting lists and many of
our schools have empty classrooms. I would like to see these classrooms used to increase enrollment and grow our after-school program. We will also need to focus on everyday expenses, including insurance costs and possible energy and water conservation. Most importantly we need to keep cuts as far away from the classroom as possible. As the Vice Chair of the Superintendence Budget Advisory Committee, I have had a front-row seat to these unique challenges. If elected, I will be bringing this experience to the table and be ready to address these issues on day one.
I have served our school community in many capacities over the past decade. I am dedicated to not only my own children's education but all PUSD students. I have proven this to be true as I advocated for students and teachers during my tenure as Hearst PTA and PMS PTSA President. During this time we fundraised for resources to support the classrooms, increased intervention specialist and tech support hours, and provided an Art program to all students. I have served on community committees such as the Youth Commission group that led the anti-vaping campaign, and currently serving as the Vice-Chair on the Superintendence Budget Advisory Committee and Pleasanton Partners in Education (PPIE) board of directors.
I love spending time with my family and friends. I have 3 boys, my eldest is attending Los Positas College, a Foothill Graduate class of 2023, I have a Junior at Foothill, and a 7th grader at Pleasanton Middle School. We enjoy camping and traveling, and if we are not at the arena watching our boys play hockey we are likely home grilling and hanging out in the backyard. First weekends on main street are a highlight of the summer for us, walking the streets sipping coffee.
I am honored to have Steve Maher's endorsement as he finishes his tenure with the school board and retires to spend time with his family, the personal endorsements of many Pleasanton teachers including Paige Saunders- Pleasanton Teacher of the Year 2023-24 along with other leaders in Pleasanton. For a complete list of endorsements please visit my website www.votejenflynn.com .
I am committed to making our district even better than it is today, I'll be an advocate for ALL students, staff, teachers, parents/guardians, and community members. I am eager to be your new trustee and have the time to devote to attending school functions, district meetings, and community events.
