My Story
We live in unprecedented, unpredictable, unsettling times. COVID-19 will mark us individually and our global community. As we hold our families close, stay socially distant from others, and grasp our way through the fog of uncertainty, we seek touchstones for orientation.
My grandparents provide an historical reference for me. They were living and learning in Europe until WWII, when they fled persecution, on a boat to America. They did not know if they would make it out alive or how they would survive on the other side of the Atlantic. And yet, despite a world in war and their own families ravaged, they not only survived, but thrived.
Three generations later, I now live with my husband and two children in the Menlo Park house my grandparents bought when they found a new community to call home. Their grit, optimism and a strong education underpinned their success and made a mark on me. They are my model of resilience.
Wed, Feb 26, 2020 - by Angela Swartz
Menlo Park parent announces candidacy
I believe every child, regardless of circumstance, regardless of COVID-19, should have the education and opportunities to build the life of their dreams.
How are we going to deliver this? Let’s listen, learn and act. These principles have guided me.
LISTEN
I was a journalist for more than twenty years, reporting for KQED, the New York Times and Reuters, among others. To get a complete story, I’d pursue multiple perspectives and really listen to how different stakeholders experienced an issue. As a school board member, I channel my journalist’s curiosity and seek input from children, parents, school staff and community members to inform initiatives and decisions.
LEARN
While I loved being a reporter, I wanted to do more than listen, I wanted to act. First, I had to learn. I got my master’s degree in public policy and went to work for the California Legislature. I served as Education Policy Specialist for then-State Assemblyman Rich Gordon, who represented Menlo Park, Atherton and East Palo Alto, among other cities.
ACT
I served on the Encinal and Hillview Site Councils, where I collaborated with parents, staff and students to develop missions and visions for the schools. I’m also an active fundraiser and served as a board member on the Menlo Park Atherton Education Foundation.
NOW
Our schools are positioned to weather this COVID-19 storm, for now, because our community has consistently invested in MPCSD. I see it as my job to not only keep up that momentum, but strengthen it. MPCSD will likely see a contraction in many of our funding sources, which could impact our offerings. I will fight to keep the quality education and programs that define this district.
We also need to ensure that when our campuses are open, they’re safe, clean and staffed to address the social and emotional repercussions of the pandemic.
As we all look for how we belong and where we can contribute in this COVID-19 world, I look to my grandparents for direction. Their grit, optimism and quality education guided them through one of the darkest times in history, and they came out stronger on the other side. We will too.
As your board member, I want to ensure that all of our children, despite circumstance and despite COVID-19 are prepared to build the future of their dreams.
