Derek Grasty
Derek Grasty is a member of the Mount Pleasant Elementary School District Board of Trustees in California. He assumed office on December 11, 2020. His current term ends on December 8, 2028.
Grasty won re-election to the Mount Pleasant Elementary School District Board of Trustees in California outright after the general election on November 5, 2024, was canceled.
Elections
2024
See also: Mount Pleasant Elementary School District, California, elections (2024)
General election
The general election was canceled. Melissa Got-Lopez (Nonpartisan) and Derek Grasty (Nonpartisan) won without appearing on the ballot.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Grasty in this election.
2020
See also: Mount Pleasant Elementary School District, California, elections (2020)
General election
General election for Mount Pleasant Elementary School District Board of Trustees (2 seats)
Melissa Got-Lopez and Derek Grasty defeated incumbent Antonio Perez Jr. and Wendy Nichols in the general election for Mount Pleasant Elementary School District Board of Trustees on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Melissa Got-Lopez (Nonpartisan) | 35.8 | 4,046 |
| ✔ |  | Derek Grasty (Nonpartisan) | 24.8 | 2,797 |
| Antonio Perez Jr. (Nonpartisan) | 21.0 | 2,367 | ||
| Wendy Nichols (Nonpartisan) | 18.4 | 2,078 | ||
| Total votes: 11,288 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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2018
General election
General election for East Side Union High School District board of trustees At-large (3 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for East Side Union High School District board of trustees At-large on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Lorena Chavez (Nonpartisan) | 20.6 | 56,458 |
| ✔ |  | Van Le (Nonpartisan) | 15.0 | 41,164 |
| ✔ |  | J. Manuel Herrera (Nonpartisan) | 14.7 | 40,255 |
 | Frank Biehl (Nonpartisan) | 14.4 | 39,452 | |
 | Kristin Rivers (Nonpartisan) | 12.4 | 33,916 | |
 | Patricia Martinez-Roach (Nonpartisan) | 11.7 | 31,949 | |
| Derek Grasty (Nonpartisan) | 6.3 | 17,339 | |
 | Robert Imhoff (Nonpartisan) | 4.8 | 12,996 | |
| Total votes: 273,529 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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2016
Two of the five seats on the East Side Union High School District board of trustees were up for at-large general election on November 8, 2016. In their bids for re-election, incumbents Lan Nguyen and Pattie Cortese defeated challengers Lorena Chavez, Derek Grasty, Patricia Martinez-Roach, and Khanh Tran. On top of choosing members for the board of trustees, citizens of the school district also voted on a $510 million bond measure in this election.[1][2]
Results
| East Side Union High School District, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Lan Nguyen Incumbent |
29.85% | 68,640 |
| Pattie Cortese Incumbent |
20.75% | 47,714 |
| Lorena Chavez | 18.84% | 43,326 |
| Khanh Tran | 13.38% | 30,783 |
| Patricia Martinez-Roach | 10.53% | 24,220 |
| Derek Grasty | 6.65% | 15,305 |
| Total Votes | 229,988 | |
| Source: Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, "Official Final Results," accessed December 7, 2016 | ||
Funding
Grasty reported $628.00 in contributions and $628.00 in expenditures to the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, which left his campaign with a $0.00 balance on hand in the election.[3]
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Derek Grasty did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Derek Grasty did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Derek Grasty completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Grasty's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
My top three priorities are: 1) Making sure all students have a world class education, feel valued, and safe. 2) Closing opportunity gaps for all students while building a culture of diversity, inclusion and equity, 3) Managing the budget with fiscal responsibility and accountability.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
I am passionate about issues that are inclusive, fiscally sound, support student achievement and engage families and the community.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
I look up to people who dare to challenge the status quo, take risk and look for ways to better the lives of everyone. These people include but not limited to: John F. Kennedy, Jackie Robinson, Mother Teresa, and Caesar Chavez.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
The characteristics that are most important for an elected official are: integrity, honesty, transparency and fairness.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
The qualities that I possess are honesty, integrity, transparency, fairness and knowledge of my role. I also care deeply about the community.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
The core responsibilities of any elected official is to serve the best interest of the public passionately and honestly.
What legacy would you like to leave?
The legacy that I would like to leave is that: Derek Grasty made a positive difference in the lives of students and the educational community.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
The first historical event that I remember was the Apollo moon landing. I was eight years old.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
My very first job was delivering the daily newspaper in the midwest through sun, rain, snow, and hail. I had the job during my four years of high school.
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. It's a holiday for: football, food and family.
What is your favorite book? Why?
I enjoy reading "The Langston Hughes Reader" for the stories and poems.
What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?
The primary job of a School Board is to make policies, approve the budget, and provide direction to the Superintendent, while making decisions in the best interest of students and the learning community.
Who are your constituents?
My constituents are students, parents, families, teachers, staff, administrators, neighbors, business and community leaders.
How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?
How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?
I will build relationships with the broader community by listening to their concerns and making myself accessible to all constituents. We have a diverse community and its important for a school board member to be sensitive to the diverse needs of all students and members of the learning community.
What role do you imagine technology playing in (and outside) the classroom in the future? How would you prepare the district for this?
Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.
If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the legislature, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Derek Grasty participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on October 26, 2016:
| “ | My focus is: Responsible Budget Management; Increase student achievement for all while closing the opportunity gap; Provide safe and welcoming schools for parents, community, business leaders and stakeholders, and Prepare Students for College and Career.[4][5] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in California. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | We need all stakeholders on-board to improve teaching and learning for all students. Teachers are at the forefront of this issue. We need to provide appropriate avenues of communication and support for teachers.[5] | ” |
| —Derek Grasty (October 26, 2016) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer nine questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. We have the capability of providing the needs of all of our students in the East Side Union High School District. It is our duty and responsibility to do so. We should not abdicate our duty and resources to an outside agency. Charters should be "outside the box" for consideration of approval. An example of this would be a performing arts academy, focusing on college and career readiness via music, dance, theater and art. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should defer to school board decisions in most cases. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. Standardized tests alone are not an accurate metric of students achievement. One needs to look at multiple measures and authentic means to fully access student achievement. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| Students need to be prepared for an ever changing world with innovation and stimulation of their curiosity. Students should also be self-directed in their learning. The Common Core State Standards Initiative allows these opportunities for students by developing communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical-thinking & problem-solving skills. Additionally, we need to meet the social, emotional, and intellectual needs of all students so their can develop to their fullest potential. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Offer additional training options. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. School districts already have Beginning Teachers Support systems and Peer Assistance Review processes in place. This should be utilized. Professional development and training is also a key factor to improve teaching and learning in the classroom. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| No. Pay teachers fairly on the salary schedule. I am open to schools receiving incentives for closing the opportunity gap and improving instruction for all. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. Parents should have choice. School districts offer choice within the school district boundaries to meet that need. Private schools should not have access to public money. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Expulsion should be used under the guidelines of the California Education Code. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers The most important factor for success in the classroom is commitment to student achievement and the relationship between the teacher and student. This relationship is built on caring, communication, trust and mutual respect. |
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, "Contest/Candidate Proof List," accessed August 17, 2016
- ↑ Santa Clara County, "November 8, 2016 Presidential General Election Summary," accessed November 9, 2016
- ↑ Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, "County of Santa Clara Public Portal for Campaign Finance Disclosure," accessed February 15, 2017
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "Derek Grasty's responses," October 26, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| East Side Union High School District elections in 2018 | |
| Santa Clara County, California | |
| Election date: | November 6, 2018 |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
| 2016 East Side Union High School District Elections | |
| Santa Clara County, California | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Pattie Cortese • Incumbent, Lan Nguyen • Lorena Chavez • Derek Grasty • Patricia Martinez-Roach • Khanh Tran |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
