Padres líderes invitan a la comunidad al 2016 Foro de Candidatos

by Eva Heredia, Rocketship Discovery Prep Parent, and the Beyond Editorial Team

Thursday, October 27 will be a special day for many of our parents in the San José community. This date marks the 2016 Candidates Forum, an event organized entirely by parent leaders. This dedicated group of Rocketship parents, KIIP, Alpha and Voices have been planning and promoting this forum for six months to create a space where the community can listen to the platforms of local candidates. They have relayed on the radio, distributed leaflets and called hundreds of families, all to ensure that the voice of their community is present and heard.

“We need the whole community to come to this forum. The future of our schools depends on the candidates who sit at the Santa Clara County Board of Education, “insisted Ana Ortega, a mother of Rocketship Brilliant Minds. “We are the voice of our children, and it is necessary for candidates to realize that we are a united community, with common goals.”

In 2014, parents like Ana held a similar forum attended by more than 1,200 parents. It was one of the largest forums run by parents in the state of California.

¿Por qué están trabajando tanto estos padres en la planificación de este foro? Todo se reduce a la auténtica brecha educativa a la que nuestras comunidades se enfrentan. Los niños y sus familias en las zonas de bajos ingresos de nuestro país merecen algo mejor, y escuelas como Rocketship están trabajando para eliminar esta brecha. El modelo de educación Rocketship no sólo trae excelentes maestros y aprendizaje personalizado a sus escuelas, sino que también involucra a los padres para convertirse en poderosos defensores de la educación de sus hijos.

Eva Heredia, una madre de Rocketship Discovery Prep, está muy involucrada en la educación de sus hijas y quiere que toda la comunidad asista a este foro. El Domingo, 23 de Octubre, Eva emitirá su invitación a la comunidad hispanohablante en la estación de radio KRZZ La Raza a las 5 de la mañana. Hemos hablado con Eva directamente para aprender más sobre el foro y por qué es tan importante.

B: Gracias por estar aquí con nosotros. ¿Nos puede explicar qué es exactamente un foro de candidatos?

Eva: Es un lugar donde padres como yo podemos hacer escuchar nuestras voces, invitando a personas públicas que se están postulando por ocupar un puesto importante. Tendremos candidatos que están postulando por el Distrito 27 de la Asamblea y también por el Borde de Educación Pública de Santa Clara.

B: ¿Porque es importante que la comunidad asista este foro?

Eva: Como padres todos tenemos preocupaciones en común y es importante conocer y aprender más acerca de sus prioridades que nos puedan afectar o ayudar en un futuro. Nuestro objetivo es informar a los padres para que puedan tomar la mejor decisión para sus familias el dia de los elecciones.

B: ¿Qué relevancia tiene este foro para gente que no puedan votar?

Eva: Todos somos parte de la comunidad, independientemente de su habilidad de votar. La presencia de todos es importante y tenemos que hacer escuchar nuestras voces y necesidades.

B: ¿Qué tipos de preguntas se van a pedir a los candidatos?

Eva: Asuntos que preocupan a nuestra comunidad. Por ejemplo, educación de temprana edad, cuidado de niños, vivienda asequible, empleos, educación académica de calidad para nuestros hijos, y escuelas charters.

B:  ¿Y a qué candidatos apoyan ustedes?

Eva: No hay agenda en este foro, somos neutrales. Nuestro objetivo es educar a la comunidad.

B: ¿Es solo para padres de alumnos de Rocketship?

Eva: No, este foro trata de fomentar la colaboración entre los candidatos y la comunidad. Los padres de Rocketship, KIPP, Alpha, Downtown College Prep, y Voices College-Bound Language Academies ayudaron a organizar el foro, pero es para todo el mundo que se preocupa por la educación y otros asuntos importantes que nos afectan. Como una madre de Rocketship, me siento orgullosa de que mis niñas tengan acceso a una educación de calidad, y quiero que nuestras escuelas charters continúen. Nosotros como padres tenemos que abogar para el futuro de nuestros hijos.

B: ¿Que le gustaría decir a otros padres que están leyendo este artículo?

Eva: Esta es una oportunidad de unirnos, informarnos, y levantar nuestra voz. El poder se tiene y no se da.

¡Venga con nosotros El Jueves 27 de Octubre de las 6:00 de la tarde en los Terrenos de la Feria de Santa Clara (344 Tully Road) al Foro de Candidatos 2016!  ➟ RSVP

Parent Leaders Invite the San Jose Community to the 2016 Education Candidates Forum

October 27th, 2016 will be a special day for many Rocketship parents in the San Jose Community. It is the day of the 2016 San Jose Education Candidates forum; an event organized entirely by parent leaders. Over the past six months these dedicated parents have been working together to give the community a space to hear their local candidates’ platforms on relevant issues like education. As the forum quickly approaches, parents have been broadcasting on the radio, hosting phone banks, and passing out flyers all to ensure that their community’s voice is present.

“We need the whole community to come to this forum because the future of our schools and the future of our children depends on the candidates that are running for the Santa Clara County Office of Education,” said Ana Ortega, a parent leader at Rocketship Brilliant Minds. “We are the voice of our children and it is important that the candidates realize that we are a united community with common objectives, and in this case we want our schools to continue.”

Parents like Ana know what they are doing. Their first forum in 2014 was one of the largest parent organized forums in the state of California with over 1,200 parents in attendance.

Why are these  parents working so hard on this forum? It all comes down to the very real achievement gap facing our communities. The kids and families in traditionally underserved areas across our country deserve better, and schools like Rocketship are working to eliminate this gap.

Rocketship’s education model not only brings excellent teachers and personalized learning into the classroom, it also engages parents to become powerful advocates for their children. One of the ways parents can bring about meaningful change is to build relationships with elected officials.

Eva Heredia, an engaged parent advocate at Rocketship Discovery Prep, wants all parents in the San Jose area to build these relationships and attend the forum. On Sunday, October 23rd at 5:00am, Eva will broadcast her invitation to the Spanish speaking community on the radio station, KRZZ La Raza.  We spoke with Eva directly to learn more about the forum and why it is so important.

B: Thank you for being here Eva. First of all, what exactly is a candidates forum?

Eva: The Candidates Forum is a public event where parents like me have the opportunity to express themselves and ask questions to key officials who are running for important positions in the Santa Clara Board of Education and the 27th District Assembly.

B: Why is it important for the community to come to this forum?

Eva: As parents in this community, we all have shared concerns and we need to make our voices heard.  We need to understand priorities of the candidates because they will be making crucial decisions that affect us and our children. Our goal for this forum is to inform parents about the candidates so they can make the best decision for their families come election day.

B: Is this forum only relevant to people that can legally vote?

Eva:  This forum is for everyone. We are all a part of this community, and it is important that officials in positions of power hear all of our voices, understand all of our needs, and feel our presence.

B: What kinds of questions will you be asking the candidates?

Eva: We will ask the candidates about different issues that are important to our community.  We are highlighting topics like early childcare education, housing and employment, access to quality education for immigrant families, as well as questions about charter schools.

B: Are you supporting any particular candidate?

Eva: No, we are a non-partisan group of parents. Our goal is to educate the community and encourage active community participation.

B: Is this forum just for Rocketship?

Eva: Not at all, this forum is about open collaboration. Parent leaders from Rocketship, KIPP, Alpha, Downtown College Prep, and Voices College-Bound Language Academies have all helped organize the forum, but it is for everyone who cares about education and other important issues that affect our community. As a Rocketship public charter school parent, I feel lucky that my children have access to a quality education, and I want to make sure that our schools continue in the future. It is up to us as parents to advocate for the future of our children.

B: What would you like to say to parents reading this article?

Eva: This is an opportunity for us to unite, learn, and raise our voices. Power is taken, not given.

Come join us Thursday, October 27th at 6:00 pm at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds (344 Tully Road, San Jose) for the 2016 Candidates Forum!

Find out more information and RSVP here ➟  EVENT PAGE

Published on October 18, 2016