Our Mt Diablo students from Mt Diablo High and Riverview Middle truly inspire me.  Over 50 of them walked the Bay Point neighborhoods on a Sunday afternoon for Measure J!  They each had thought through exactly why Measure J school safety and upgrades were personally important, and bravely and enthusiastically knocked on doors.  

But we can't be successful in this campaign without YOU.  Each and every vote will show whether our communities are ready or not to invest in our school building safety & upgrades, and voting has already begun!  Please join us to walk, text, email friends & colleagues to vote #YesonJMtDiablo .

This Saturday, take an hour or two to meet us at the beautiful Dave Brubeck park next to Concord High, eat our snacks & grab a clipboard, and then pair off to walk neighborhoods together.  Your actions can make all the difference.  Kids of all ages are welcome! Email yes.on.j.walk@gmail.com to RSVP and get our cool walking app.  #TogetherWeCan 

And please forward this email or share this video - an in depth view of Measure J:

Ever thankful for your participation,

Victory!  Thank you all.

Our campaign was a success! An uncontested race means that I will begin as a Mt Diablo School Board member this December, and I will not be listed on the November ballot.  

Thanks to all who came to our spontaneous victory ice cream celebration! You can view my thank you speech here:

and see the full album of photos on our Facebook page too.

Donations given

Remember when I said I'd donate $10,000 to the Foundation?  Yes, since we no longer needed to spend it on campaign materials for my school board race, we are able to give directly to the district-wide nonprofit to benefit all students.  And we ended up deciding to write not just one large check, but two.  

The first check we wrote was $8000 to the MDUSD Education Foundation, which is already providing arts this fall to students in our elementary schools, and will soon begin science and math enrichment as well.  You can help these programs reach even more students -- Join the Foundation team for the Oct 6th Break a Sweat run/walk for education here.

The second was $2000 to the Yes on J - Neighbors for Safe, Quality Schools Campaign.  We decided to invest some of our campaign funds in the Measure J campaign, because if it passes it will provide crucial funding to update our aging facilities and ensure student safety.

Call to Action - Get Involved to Pass Measure J for our kids!

Since that wonderful ice cream party, I've been busy non-stop volunteering for Measure J.  To me this is one of the most urgent items on our local November ballot!  I hope that you will join us.

The committee to pass Measure J is a grassroots organization of parents, teachers and community members who care about our students—and we need your help! Here are five ways you can make sure Measure J is a success:

1. Vote YES on Measure J: Measure J will appear near the end of your long ballot—remember to go to the end and vote YES on J!  If you vote by mail, look out for your ballot the week of October 8th.  
2. Endorse Measure J: Lend your name to the campaign by publicly endorsing the measure.  Endorse by clicking here 
3. Put up a YES on J lawn sign: Show your support by putting up a YES on J sign in front of your home or business. Order yours here
4. Donate to the campaign: This is a grassroots effort.  Every donation — no matter how big or how small — will help get us over the top!  Donate here.
5. Precinct Walk for J: Walk your neighborhood with friends and help us talk to voters!   Join us this Saturday in Clayton/Concord from noon-3pm, meeting at The Grove.  Click here to RSVP!

See you out there soon.

Sincerely,

Tonight our campaign is officially finished - and a success! 
Only 3 people filed by tonight's deadline for the 3 seats, so I will become the new MDUSD school board member on December 7th.

Thank you to everyone who joined and helped along the way to build our community of people working to improve all our schools!

Please come to our Saturday Ice Cream event - which will now transition from a kickoff to a Thank You Celebration!

We can't wait to thank each and every one of you.
We'll also have news about upcoming actions you can take together with us to improve our schools. 

Saturday August 18th, 1-3pm

Concord Community Park, Picnic Site #1 (by playground)

**Please RSVP so we know how much ice cream to buy!**

RSVP and see details here:

https://www.cherisekhaund.com/celebration2018

With less than 100 days til the election, I've pulled my papers and am getting ready to officially file my candidacy for Mt. Diablo School Board. 

*What if only 3 people file for 3 spots?  Then there would be no campaign, but I would still hold Meet & Greets in all communities to best represent everyone.  (And if that happened, I would donate $10,000 of campaign funds to the MDUSD Education Foundation.)*

Either way, we'll soon be at a location near you!   

Together we can reach every corner of our district to hear the hopes and concerns of our communities for our schools.

We have 3 Free events planned in Bay Point, Concord and Clayton:

Bay Point Meet & Greet, Saturday August 11th, 10am-2pm

• Free hot dog, corn dog, or car wash to the first 100 people!
• balloon animals for kids from Dilly Dally the Clown!
• Lorena Pena que habla español, estará también presente para poder facilitar
  cualquier traducción que sea necesaria para sus preguntas y respuestas.

Concord Ice Cream Campaign Kickoff, Saturday August 18th, 1-3pm

• Free ice cream & toppings for all!
• Shady area with playground nearby
• Meet the campaign lead from your neighborhood!
• Share your ideas for our schools

Clayton Meet & Greet, Thursday August 30th, 7-8:30pm

• Informal opportunity to meet Cherise at a local Clayton home

Please take 5 minutes for 5 quick actions:

1. Click to endorse my campaign

2. Donate any amount - even $10 adds up

3. Share - forward this email, Like/share on Facebook, retweet on Twitter, like on Instagram

4. RSVP to events and to volunteer

5. Invite - friends to like my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter & Instagram, and to events in their neighborhood. Let me know if you can host a Meet & Greet at a park, cafe, or home in your neighborhood too!

See you out there soon,

Now that the June elections are over, we are getting ready for my November run for MDUSD School Board.  It is ever more crucial that we get everyone out to vote who believes in quality public schools for all.

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Volunteer - Host a “Meet the Candidate” Near You!

    

     

Our movement is growing and increasingly visible through endorsements, donations, and volunteers.

 

 

As the President of MDUSD Education Foundation, I will be keynote speaker at the MDEA Academy Awards on Thursday, May 10th. I hope you can join us there!  It’s an uplifting event that brings people together from all around our district to celebrate our superstars – teachers, staff, administration, parent volunteers, and community.  Come to dine, toast, meet friends and make new connections.  Buy your tickets here. Proceeds benefit the new nonprofit districtwide MDUSD Education Foundation!

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The focus of my time this spring has been dedicated to our MDUSD Education Foundation. Recently, I presented the results of our Arts Survey to the School Board (published here in English and Spanish), along with a list of free community arts resources for teachers and parent volunteers.  The Foundation is funding visiting artists and trial classroom arts lessons this spring before school ends. Our aim is to strategize together and raise enough funds for a full arts pilot this fall. If you are compelled by this opportunity, please visit, like, donate, and follow the Foundation at www.mdedf.org, Facebook and Twitter.  

 

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For my husband Sandy and I, giving back to our community is a family value.  Here's a glimpse of what our daughters have been up to...  Iris and Robyn have been busy since January with Inventors University, teaching girls computer coding on raspberry pi computers every Saturday at Concord Library.  Their 2nd class just graduated last week, showing off their final projects at the Sun Terrace Elementary Open House!  

 

Reflecting back on 2017, my heart is filled with gratitude for you and everyone who advocated for our kids in Mt. Diablo schools.  Together we passed a strong Safe Haven resolution, so that students can concentrate on their studies instead of their fears.  We held donation drives for HOPE to help homeless students, and for the food bank to feed local families and victims of the Solano fires. We painted, pruned and planted the grounds of many schools on Community Service Day.  And we coordinated with city and school leaders to build safer routes to school, with bike lanes, speed signs and crosswalks.

For my family, serving our community is a core value and responsibility.  Our daughters Iris and Robyn this year launched Inventors University to teach girls computer coding every Saturday for 10 weeks at the Concord Library.  In May, eight girls demonstrated their final projects at the Sun Terrace Elementary Open House, and each program graduate went home with a raspberry pi computer to continue on her own.  Twenty two more students attended December workshops.  (Iris and Robyn's vision became a reality thanks to my husband Sandy mentoring their entrepreneurial process, to teacher Karly Moura and principal Kris Martin Meyer at Sun Terrace, and Kimberli Buckley at Concord Library.  Yet again, success takes a village!) 

And I'm especially excited to announce that this month marked the launch of the brand new district-wide MDUSD Education Foundation, to ensure a quality education for every child regardless of zip code.  I am honored to have been elected President of the Board, and look forward to engaging business, community, parents, teachers and staff towards that bold goal.

As Delaine Eastin said, a single pencil alone is easily broken, but a handful of pencils is not.  We now have over 440 people who joined the Cherise for MDUSD School Board network, and we received 140 campaign donations large and small in 2017.  Person by person, dollar by dollar, we are building a movement that gets stronger every day.  Please continue to share our website and Facebook page to grow our team.

I look forward to reconnecting with each of you in 2018, and walking the tread off my shoes to hear from our neighbors and communities throughout Mt Diablo School District.  But for now, may your holidays be filled with rest, rejuvenation, food, family, and community.

Much gratitude,

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to pause and reflect on the year gone by. A year ago, I had just lost a tight election, while we were all denied the first female U.S. President. In the year since, I’ve been inspired by an amazing set of women and men who have filled my life with hope, purpose, and the desire to not only seek change, but demand justice. I truly have so much to be grateful for.

I’m thankful for my Emerge sisters, who continually remind me that the future is indeed female.

I’m thankful for a school district that understands the importance of establishing a Safe Haven to protect innocent students caught up in the hysteria of anti-immigration sentiment.

I’m thankful for those who fought to keep our diverse school district together, and I am hopeful that our entire Mt. Diablo community can now move forward with love and commitment to ALL students as "our students".  

I’m thankful for a husband and family who remind me daily what I am fighting for, and who patiently accept the sacrifices required to make it happen.

I’m thankful for the countless mentors, allies, and supporters who encourage me to keep pursuing public office. It is because of all of YOU that I persist.

As a mother of two young girls, I have often walked or biked with my daughters and their friends to school.  We chose to live in our neighborhood in part because of its proximity to schools.  It feels great to be outdoors in the fresh air, starting our day by greeting other students along the way.  But there was one particular spot near Foothill Middle School where we often found ourselves stranded, unable to cross the street or safely walk/bike along the busy road with no sidewalk.  "Why isn't there a crosswalk here?" I thought, as I watched young kids sprint across that same spot on my way back from Walnut Acres Elementary.  It seemed so simple and obvious, as if I could just grab some paint and create one myself.  

I met other people who were concerned too, including parents of kids who had been hit or nearly hit while crossing streets in the neighborhood.  It was clear that we needed additional precautions in place so our children could safely get to school. 

So in May 2015, a group of us attended a city meeting to tell them exactly where that crosswalk was needed, along with the other key improvements.  (photos are my daughter Iris participating in the meeting).

But nothing happened.

Eventually we decided we needed to show that this concern was held by more than just a few of us, so in November I sent out a change.org petition to our entire neighborhood that spelled out our specific requests, addressed to the city transportation director.  180 people signed it, and the director got right back to me! 

It turns out he agreed with the need for these improvements, and had already submitted 6 grants that were each denied.  Where could we find the funding?  Determined to find a way, we brought together a team of key stakeholders at our local bagel shop, to work towards a solution.  It was a challenging task, but by collaborating with the principals of both schools, PTA leaders, parents and neighbors, we prioritized the items, discussed regulations, and weighed trade-offs.  City staff figured out what smaller items could roll into regular maintenance, and got one grant successfully approved.  We timed the rest of the work with the previously planned road re-pavements.  

Within 1 year, a digital speed sign and temporary improvements were in place.  Within 2 years, construction was complete including two new flashing pedestrian beacons, three new crosswalks, a new bike lane on Cedro, digital speed signs, and sidewalk bulbouts that slow down cars and create safer and shorter crossings for pedestrians.  And now, on Wednesday October 4th, we will celebrate, on National Walk to School Day!

I wrote the petition and persisted in keeping the group going to the end, but the biggest lesson I learned was that this is definitely not the kind of thing that any one person can do alone.  It was ONLY successful because of the many people who took on key roles along the way, and who found consensus between schools and neighbors on all the nitty gritty details. We cannot expect a single city engineer to somehow intuit what is best for a particular neighborhood - they need community input as well - and as the director told us, our coalition paved the way for success.

When I first sent out that change.org petition two years ago, I had no idea that nearly 200 people would sign it, and that city staff would work so closely and cooperatively with us to bring our vision to a reality. Each and every one of you who signed, supported, met, shared feedback... this could not have been done without you. I am thrilled that the improvements are completed and helping our kids get to school safely! Seeing the photo of my daughter 2 years ago drawing in the ideas on the map brings tears to my eyes, as I am so thankful that people really can come together to make things better for everyone. It is true that Together We Can!

Thanks to our Coalition team: Principal Bush, Principal Dowd, Transportation staff Rafat Raie and Alex Wong, PFC/A Presidents Cherise Khaund and Anna Saunders, parents Ajit Chakradeo, Brooke Giddings, Jill Ridlehoover, Mike Seftchick, Ann Marie Titterton, Elizabeth Salmon-Omski, Linda Vanderjagt.  and to StreetSmarts Diablo for providing our Walk n Roll to School Day prizes!