Candidate for
Member; Sacramento County Board of Education; Trustee Area 2

STATEMENT BY ALBERT RIVAS

I am honored that Sylvia Ruiz, who currently holds this seat and serves as the Board President, is endorsing me to succeed her on the County Board of Education. Sylvia's endorsement comes as a result of my nearly 15 years of experience, leadership, and proven track record of success in working on issues of education that affect all children in Sacramento County. As a member of the Board, I will bring a pro-active and practical approach to education.

I want to serve on the Board of Education because of my simple philosophy that EVERY child deserves the opportunity to succeed. I will work collaboratively with my colleagues to ensure that every public school is as good as the community's best school. We must invest in education because today's students are the future work force, educators and leaders of tomorrow. That is why as a Community Advisor, I have worked tirelessly for almost a decade to improve educational opportunities for all students in Sacramento County.

As an advisor, I have worked directly with students in some of Sacramento County's lowest performing schools. In many cases, these schools struggled because of a lack of resources and educational opportunities. That is why I launched literacy programs at these schools, so that students in low-performing districts can obtain access to the same high quality education as their peers. For that same reason, I have organized dozens of Cal Grant workshops, so that college-bound high school seniors and their families can afford to pay for college and vocational training. My work in these areas, coupled with my involvement in the community, has improved working relationships between administrators, teachers and students in many of our county's schools. These are the steps we need to take in order to provide students with a high quality education. That is the reason why one of our State's leading education advocates, State Senator Deborah Ortiz has endorsed me.

As a concerned father of a 4-year old about to enter kindergarten, I have a personal interest in ensuring that my daughter and every child in the County receive a first-class education. Our children cannot achieve their goals without first being provided the resources, information, and encouragement needed to be successful. That is why I have proudly served more than 114,000 children as an appointed Commissioner for Sacramento County First Five and voted in favor of programs to increase access to school readiness, special needs programs, prenatal, and health care services. For that reason, a number of teachers, school board presidents, trustees, and superintendents in the region have supported me in this campaign.

I also understand that there is a thin line between the student who succeeds and the one that falls through the cracks of our educational system. That is why I have served as a mentor and after-school programs instructor for students at every academic level, ranging from the gifted and talented students (GATE Program) to foster youth and teen mother's who are at-risk of dropping out of school. I work with all students because every student with a desire to learn deserves the right to a quality education. That is why Bob Bastian, Trustee for the Rio Linda School Board and School Board Presidents Susan Heredia (Natomas), Linda Fowler (North Sacramento), and Bruce Pomer (Los Rios Community College District) have proudly endorsed me.

Another problem facing our schools is how to deal with issues of public safety. When a child is failing due to a lack of resources and educational opportunities, that child is more likely to become involved in drugs, gangs, and violence. These issues affect both our schools and the community at large. That is why I have worked with school administrators and teachers to incorporate public safety into our academic curriculum. As founding member and Vice President of the Nation's leading public safety non-profit, the Sacramento Region Citizen Corps Council, I have designed Sacramento County's first youth program to train students in community emergency response training. Through this program students develop the leadership skills needed to respond to issues of public safety, large scale disasters, floods, fire, and earthquakes. That is why our Sacramento Area Firefighters and County Sheriff have endorsed me.

As taxpayers, voters, parents and members of this community, you deserve nothing less than a Board member with strong ties to the community who is ready to represent your interests. I have dedicated my life to the field of education. Now I want to dedicate myself to serving the needs of our children and schools on the County Board of Education. I understand that when it comes to education, it is important to put the best interest of our children ahead of politics and special interest. Doing the best thing for our children and making good decisions free from political bias is what our children need now more than ever. That is why in this campaign I have voluntarily refused financial contributions, donations and endorsements from any political party, partisan club or organization. I am proud to have put children first in my campaign and as your next Board member I will continue to make decisions based on what's best for our children. That is why leaders in this community at every level, from students in our schools, to teachers, trustees, State Senator, the Board President, and our Sheriff and Firefighters are all supporting me in this campaign and it is the reason why you should too.

Thank you for supporting me on June 6th. I look forward to serving you.