Recently, Leslie Ray Bunker ran into one of her third grade students she taught in 1994 in her bilingual classroom at Harborside Elementary School, in Chula Vista.

“He is employed, his Spanish and English are perfect, and he’s an asset to our community,” said Bunker, who retired in 2013 after 26 years as a bilingual teacher. “I love knowing that I had a part in his success. His parents, every other teacher he had, and his community, worked together to guide and support him. I know students will succeed through parent, district, and community collaboration.”

Bunker now wants to continue helping students in the Chula Vista Elementary School District by running for Seat 3 in the district governing board in the November elections.

“I want to be on the Chula Vista school board to help children in our community succeed,” she said.

With a large proportion of the student population being English-language learners, and more than half of the students being of Latino origin, Bunker’s greatest asset she would bring to the governing board are the 26 years of experience as a bilingual teacher in Chula Vista, 20 of those years at Harborside, and six years at Loma Verde.

“Latino parents and residents should vote for me because I want all children to be successful,” she said. “Minorities, second language learners, special needs students, immigrants, military dependents, and foster children – all students need and deserve our help. I will help students by building trust between the parents, the district and the community through inclusion, cooperation and transparency. My education and experience has always been focused on Spanish-speakers and therefore Latino communities.”

Bunker is so concerned with the inequality that exists in many of the district’s schools, that she said that she believes the number one issue in the district is equity.

“All students are not having their needs met,” she said. “Students with less experience may need more help getting to where their peers are academically. Students who have had more opportunities may need to be challenged. Students with special needs may need more support than they are receiving. Second Language students may need a different program, more support at home or more English models. There are many groups of students who need something specific to their issue whether they are foster children, immigrants, homeless, Navy dependents, etc. They all need and deserve an outstanding education. We must provide that education to each child.”

As a former bilingual teacher, Bunker said that the school district is in the right path to helping English learners –but more needs to be done.

“The district is doing a lot to help second language students, but too many students are not progressing at the rate the district has established,” she said. “Therefore the district must do more or change some things. First we need to identify which students are not progressing, find what they have in common and address that issue.”

Regarding her financial priorities as a board member, again Bunker said student success is her main concern.

“The students are priority number 1,” she said. “So money should be allocated according to its impact on student learning. People are the most influential part of educating a child. Everyone working with students should be paid fairly. The safety is number 2. Again, people are needed to create and maintain safe schools. Pay them fairly and buy the materials needed to keep everyone safe. Appropriate materials are number 3. We must provide materials, assessments, and report cards that match the common core standards.”

As a former teacher in the district, she added that she has some reservations about the recent contract agreement between the district and the teachers’ union.

“The tentative agreement has some positive points like a raise after seven years and some negative points like no language on class size reduction,” Bunker said. “We know that class size matters and yet the district did not want to commit to a number.”

Endorsed by Chula Vista Educators, the San Diego County Democratic Party, the Chicano Democratic Association, and the San Diego Imperial County Labor Council, Bunker is facing Chula Vista Councilmember Rudy Ramirez.

If elected, Bunker said she will use her experience as a bilingual teacher to promote positive change in the Chula Vista Elementary School District.

“As a bilingual teacher, I have experienced many changes. How students are assigned to a class, what materials we had and how we taught English to second language learners, all changed several times in 26 years,” she said. “The board must set the tone for the district. I would like the board to create an environment of true collaboration between the parents, the district, and the community, through inclusion, transparency, and cooperation. We all want our students to be successful. By working together, our students will flourish.”