☆ FUHSD board member-elect: District needs new voices
Fremont Union board member-elect Stanley Kou discusses his takeaways as a first-time campaigner and immigrant. Kou then lays out his priorities for the upcoming term — such as tackling enrollment rates, transportation, and mental health education in this highly competitive district. An Opp Now exclusive.
Opportunity Now: What’s your big takeaway from this election cycle, especially as a political newcomer?
Stanley Kou: I’m an immigrant. In my community, we seldom see an immigrant running for an elected office seat. Usually, this is because we lack in English communication skills and understanding of the public official’s responsibilities. Thus, as I’m retiring from the high-tech field, I thought running for the FUHSD board was a great opportunity for me in my newfound spare time.
In the beginning, I was very hesitant because English is not my first language. While I’ve been involved in Chinese education, community nonprofit organizations, and the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce, I wondered if my English communication is good enough for me to share my thoughts with others. But during the campaign, I realized that in the Silicon Valley and Bay Area, there are a lot of immigrants just like me.
And there are many immigrant parents who don’t understand that the FUHSD has a world of available offerings and programs that are not being fully utilized. I have two boys graduated from the school district but was never aware of everything we can take benefit from. For instance, junior and senior students can elect to take local junior college classes, and those credits can go towards a university degree program. Not many parents encourage their high-achieving students to do that. We also have great initial occupational education programs.
So we need more education and communication around those options and opportunities. I’m thrilled and honored to sit in this position, to give back to my community by working as a bridge between it and the school district.
This was my first time running a campaign for public office; I had no experience. However, based on the vote, it’s clear that people realized I can serve well. They wanted and needed someone with a similar background who can help them. I’m encouraged by my large community of support in this role.
ON: What will be your priorities as an FUHSD board member?
SK: In the future, I’ll be working on several action items:
Student enrollment is getting lower and lower across our district’s five high schools (and the rate is dropping quite heavily in some schools). This is not a uniquely FUHSD problem; this is a nationwide and even worldwide issue. To keep teachers and maintain current programs, we must figure out how to balance students across all five schools. Currently, our Citizens’ Advisory Committee is working hard to find a solution.
In the north part of Sunnyvale (north of Highway 101), there are lots of new houses being built. We need to prepare for an influx of new students coming out of that development.
Currently, some students have to commute thirty mins from Fremont to the closest district school. We will look into possibly hiring buses and working with local tech companies. We want to help students safely get to school and back home.
The FUHSD is a high-achieving school district in California, even nationwide. But overall, the graduation rate is 96%. Still, 4% of students are dropping off. Each year, 2,500 students graduate, which means that 4% is 100 students. If we can bring up that statistic from 96% to 97%, we can save 25 students or 25 families — making sure 25 more students graduate with some skill level, thereby helping their futures and mitigating societal issues.
I am also prioritizing mental health and social and emotional education. Recently, I heard that a family in our district lost their child to suicide. This young student, very high achieving, attended an excellent university. However, their parents were pushing them too much. The student struggled to manage their time on their own, especially in a competitive college-level atmosphere. Tragically, we lost that student when they died by suicide. Our community and educational system expend much effort to produce high-achieving citizens, but if these individuals can’t manage their mental health, we’ll lose them; we’ll lose good citizens.
In that light, the school district is planning a one-semester health class for junior students, a pilot program. This is important; I see the need and support it. I’m honored and excited for this opportunity to help the Fremont Union High School District move forward. I’m here to serve.
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