A relatively new member of the Scotts Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees, wants to continue the work that’s started. Roger Snyder is up for re-election, and according to him, the important issues go beyond just local, they also include statewide public education policies.
A father of four daughters, all of who attended or are attending schools in the district, was first elected to the SVUSD school board in 2016, after John Abel vacated his seat. Now, Snyder is running again for one of the two available four-year term positions.
“I bring a parent perspective and I bring a business perspective,” Snyder said. “It starts and ends with the kids. And as a parent I want to see the schools provide the best education and social skills they can all with a reliable budget.”
Top priority for Snyder is ensuring the success of all the district’s students. To do so, the district must continue to face an issue of securing adequate funding. According to Snyder, the approval of the educational parcel tax this year, Measure A, is vital for the district to keep important programs and retain teachers.
When Snyder was first elected to the board in 2016, he attended a series of workshops designed to better acquaint community leaders with public education in Santa Cruz County. With more knowledge of the public education system, Snyder said he researched the laws from the state and how they impact districts locally.
Snyder mentioned he was interested to learn more about Senate Bill AB 2808, which is geared towards education finance and funding public schools. The goal of the bill is to establish strong funding targets to provide full and fair funding for all California children, regardless of where they live.
“It would not fix the problem right away, so we still need the parcel tax,” Snyder said. “But we need to talk to our local state representatives and vote yes on AB 2808 and start repairing the whole system.”
Another key issue for Snyder is to unite the community by continuing to improve communication and collaboration among parents, students, teachers and administrators. Snyder cited when he was first elected to the board in 2016, he worked with SVUSD Superintendent Tanya Krause to hire a consultant to kick-off the new board membership. The consultant helped the board work on updating its missions and values.
Additionally, Snyder wants to ensure the district continues to support the International Baccalaureate Program, the career technical education program, and the K-Street Academy.
“These programs are for the kids who need a different structure to learn well,” Snyder said. “All this is making sure our kids are successful and continue to improve.”
Snyder has been a resident of Scotts Valley with his wife for over 22 years. He has four daughters, two in college and two who attend SVHS. He has a MBA from Santa Clara University and works as a consultant with The 280 Group. Snyder said he is eager to continue to work at the local level, but if re-elected he also wants to start engaging with more with the state.
“I feel like I finally understand how the system works and there is still more to do,” Snyder said. “We have an amazing school district but there are things that still need to be worked on.”
For more information on Roger Snyder: snyder4schools.org.
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