Dear family and friends,
I am humbled to share with you a decision to extend my commitment to public service.
I am seeking the position of School Board Director for District 3 with the Oakland Unified School District. After the June 3rd election, I will enthusiastically begin service, working on behalf of the students and families of Oakland. The Hinton Hodge Campaign for Oakland will be one that provides the real talk our families and communities deserve. I am so excited to have you with me for this experience.
I stand up for the many hopes and aspirations of our hard working families. My candidacy is about raising the level of our standards, giving us the the highest of expectations so that the children of this district will receive quality education. In this new world economy, all of our students must be College and Work Ready. Furthermore, our children must be emotional and physical safe, in their community to attain the education they deserve.
I have lived in Oakland for 23 years and I am very grateful to be married to Greg Hodge, an amazing father and public servant within the community. As I embrace this opportunity to serve on the school board, I do so by carrying on the legacy he has created over the last eight years. Greg’s job has been challenging during the reform efforts within the school district and he is moving forward to do even bolder work in his bid for City Council for District 3. We are looking forward to his ongoing commitment to our youth and families.
I’ve had the blessing to parent four children (ranging in ages 14-24) that offer daily reminders of both the nurturing youth need and the great heights to which they can soar with the proper inspiration. I am proud to say that my children are singers, after school tutors, mathematicians, bid whist players, scientists, storytellers, runners, stilt walking clowns and ultimate Frisbee champions and they are prospering as they mature into healthy young adults. I am grateful for their diligence and the way they always do more than what is expected. They continually inspire me.
Over the last six years my own work in District 3 has allowed me to partner with some of the most dynamic, dedicated and diligent parents, grandparents and guardians of the District. We have created a presence by defining meaningful family and community engagement. We have trained, taught and provided education and information to over 300 parents and guardians. So many of the parents have gone beyond being advocates for their own children and other students and are evolving into leaders of the revitalization of District 3. Our effort has been about restoring a safe and healthy community for all children and families of District 3 and you will see us linking education with public safety, environmental justice and demands for affordable housing.
We know that our system lacks basic components that increase efficiency including proficient communications, data and accounting tools. As we move towards local governance we must diligent. We must rebuild these systems that allow for greater accountability. This will allow us to gauge what works and what doesn’t.
There have been many attempts at reform within Oakland Unified School District, yet there has been few instances of transformative educational policy. The policy and leadership changes that we have seen have achieved little impact on transforming the culture of our institutions which still hold some fundamental myths which harm our children. I don’t hold these myths to be true-we do have students that are interested and willing and able. I believe we can work harder ensure every child has the appropriate learning environment to move them towards college and work readiness, no matter what school they attend.
There are pressing issues that we must address, boldly, honestly and with a sense of urgency. We must question:
1. How do all of our families ultimately inspire our youth and create safe passages for them as they take their educational journey?
2. How will we maintain small schools within our district?
3. How can we be mindful of our situation, and intentional in addressing the declining enrollment in our schools?
4. How will we encourage District 3 families and students to remain in the district and be a part of the rebuild?
5. How will we truly strengthen Options for District 3 Families?
6. What will it take for us to support talented and dedicated educators to honestly do their craft – to educate every child in their classroom no matter their life circumstance?
7. How do we address and care for the holistic health needs of our students, ensuring that they are not only ready to learn, but ready to lead when they move towards college or career.
We can address these issues and with your support my campaign will focus on these points:
1. Cultivating Excellence
2. Encouraging a Culture of Committed Service & Leadership
3. Promoting Complete Community Engagement
I am seeking your support. You can volunteer your time, share your ideas, introduce me to a friend and make a donation. You can, as I have, put our families and children first. Please allow me the opportunity to listen to your experiences so that I may become the best advocate and authentic voice for the aspirations of District 3 students, families and educators.
With Respect and Appreciation,
Jumoke Hinton-Hodge
Your Candidate for School Board, District 3
It will be great to have a parent, community activist and highly motivated person that share similar challenges and triumphant as a lot of the people in the district Jumoke will service. It is so necessary for changes that will grant our children the opportunity to succeed in having quality education.
Peace! Little less than a month to go! Wow! Everyday I press forward learning more and more about the District I live in.Pretty diverse to say the least!
Walking the neighborhoods as been a wonderful opportunity to meet Oaklanders that care about young people and the education system in Oakland. Walking has helped me tremendously do a little self care as well. Campaigning can make you forget to eat and limit your exercise - not so good. But today I put in 3 miles in the Lake Merritt neighborhood and did a few good hills!
Today I meet two new teachers seeking their teaching credentials working in Hayward for now…I encouraged them to explore Oakland Unified when they are official.
They offered some great insights to NCLB, innovation amongst teachers and some of the ineffective policies that impact teaching.
On Saturday I meet another teacher that taught in the district for 7 years, but has moved on to teaching at a Lutheran school. She felt relieved to be in an environment where she could truly practice her craft and not be bogged down with paperwork. She wanted to spend her time with the students! her career has been dedicated to working with students with special needs.
Special Ed programs and Title 1 programs, that fund schools with high precentage of low income low performing schools, are important programs that generate extra resources for students with special needs. There is a need for these dollars to be spent more efficiently. Also looking at how we track there resources can be streamlined and documented in a more simplified manner.’
I look forward to working with OUSD budget directors and others that believe that advocacy is needed at the state level to loosen some of the restrictions and simplify accountability measures. Not do away with accountability but simply allow there to be a balance the restrictions on use funds and reporting the work vs the time we spend one on one with students and families practicing effective teaching and learning.
It has been exciting to walk District 3 and like I always believe the wisdom is all around us to help us solve any problem and enhance the educational experience for students and educators!
Walking daily and every weekend come join us!
peace
jumoke
Are you a parent living in the Lake Merritt or Adams Point neighborhood and have children not yet school age?
What are you thinking about OUSD schools?
Please post a comment!
While you might support me to represent District 3 your child might go to a school in District 2! I am interested in learning more about those schools! Please share!
Also what would it take for us to create a new neighborhood school in this neighborhood?!
Any thoughts I’m listening and reading!!!
peace
jumoke
So today I heard that I represent the same old leadership that didn’t get anything done for our district!
Wow…I stand in the same shoes. Don’t believe it.
I wear a size 9 women’s shoe and my husband wears a size 13 men’s. We walk a very wonderful path together. But our work is different.
The role of the school board representatives over the last five years has been consumed with struggle. How does one control the outcomes when your power and authority has been taken, or when the financial health of all schools in California has been at jeopardy?
There is a welcomed opportunity for local governance to return to OUSD. I have been apart of the rebuild with greater freedom actually than school board members in many ways. My peers, other parent leaders, have been at the table in the recreation of departments that serve students and families within OUSD. The question we must ask now is can we elect responsible leadership to further this process?
It is the experience and knowledge of the system that the individual candidate has that will strengthen this school district. Not what shoe size they wear!
Seek out the candidate that is willing to explore solutions beyond the rhetoric and blame game. Ask hard questions and seek legitimate answers.
I am looking forward to serving.
RSS feed for comments on this post · TrackBack URI
Chinaka said,
April 26, 2008 @ 9:55 amFor a candidate that’s given 300 percent of herself over the last decade in West Oakland schools, Jumoke Hodge. Now it’s time she had an active role in the decision making practices at the city level. I can’t wait to see what comes of new thinking in this seat. Though I liked the last guy lots, I think a shift in representation is going to bring a fresh perspective. Hinton Hodge like whoa!