Don Thorvund
Campbell Union School District school board Trustee Area 2
Tenure
Term ends
Years in position
Predecessor
Elections and appointments
Personal
Contact
Don Thorvund is a member of the Campbell Union School District school board in California, representing Trustee Area 2. He assumed office on December 13, 2024. His current term ends on December 8, 2028.
Thorvund ran for election to the Campbell Union School District school board to represent Trustee Area 2 in California. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Thorvund completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Don Thorvund was born in Vallejo, California. He earned a high school diploma from Mission San Jose High School, and a bachelor's degree from San Jose State University. His career experience includes working as a human resources professional.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Campbell Union School District, California, elections (2024)
General election
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Thorvund in this election.
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Don Thorvund completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Thorvund's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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As a dedicated parent of a Campbell Union School District student, I have actively contributed to our community. My tenure as Chair of the Castlemont School Site Council and President of the Monroe Middle PTA has allowed me to collaborate effectively with students, parents, teachers, and administrators to increase parent engagement and raise funds to support our students and community.
With over 30 years in global talent acquisition, I have honed my skills in budget management, strategic planning, and team leadership. My experience in hiring top talent aligns with the district's goal of preparing students for future success, as I see first hand the value of education.
Having raised nearly $100,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, I am deeply committed to giving back to our community. I am a longtime San Jose resident and my wife is a Campbell Union School District alumna. I graduated from San Jose State University Cum Laude with a degree in Business.
I believe a transparent, inclusive, and collaborative school board is essential for student success. I am committed to implementing data-driven strategies to improve academic performance and ensuring every student has access to quality education. I look forward to working with our community to build a stronger future for our children. - Our School District should be Inclusive; all students, families, guardians, educators, and community members should feel welcomed by our School Board.
- School Board Topics should be transparently discussed in public. The School Board should adhere to the Brown Act and voting should never be predetermined or discussed prior to a public board meeting.
- School Boards should work collaboratively with the community stakeholders. Boards should actively seek input on challenges from parents, guardians, educators, students, and community members. The board represents the community.
I am extremely passionate about servant leadership and having a board that is inclusive, transparent, and collaborative.
I look up to my father. He worked very hard to build a business and raise a family. He taught me the value of a hard work and the importance of respecting those around you.
I am not a politician. I am a concerned and involved parent with a child in the district. My philosophy is based upon the three values; Inclusion, Transparency, and Collaboration.
Honesty, Integrity, respect, and transparency.
I am honest, empathetic, and collaborative.
The core responsibility is to be a servant leader. The person should solicit and consider opinions of all community members.
I would love to leave a legacy for of inclusivity for other stakeholders. I would love to see other parents and guardians inspired by my participation on the school board.
I remember the Bicentennial celebrations of 1976 and the pride that all Americans had. I was six at that time.
My first job was working for my father’s construction company as a teen and through college. I worked for him for about 6 years.
Mmm Bob. I still can’t believe it was released 27 years ago!!
Losing our first son was tragically impactful. It taught me that ever person you meet has a struggle you don’t necessarily see on the surface.
The primary job of a school member is to ensure the students receive the best possible education. In order to achieve this, a board member must be work collaboratively with the stakeholders in the community, this includes parents, guardians, educators, community members, and students.
My constituents are the residents of Campbell Union School District, Trustee Area 2, however the impact of the role is on all students, parents, educators, residents, and homeowners of the district.
The best way to support the diverse needs of the districts students, faculty, staff, and community is to create an inclusive environment and encourage collaboration on solving challenges facing the district.
I would like to see the school board hold office hours for community members, within the restrictions of the Brown Act. These office hours should be available to all community stakeholders. Having been the PTA president, I recognize PTA/PTO organizations a great resources for parents and guardians. Teacher’s unions also are fabulous resources for understanding the needs of the educators.
Many things constitute good teaching; higher scores, less truancy, and feedback from parents and guardians. A few solid ways to support advanced teaching approaches is to work with the Teachers’ Associations, benchmark with other school districts, and collaborate with parents to understand the needs.
Elementary and Middle school curriculums should be developed to create the foundations for high school and college curriculums. It is also important to explore curriculums that support fine arts, apprenticeships, as well as trades.
A school board should work with the community to obtain the best value for the current budget as well as explore all additional options of alternate funding, such as grants.
Students should have a safe and comfortable place to focus on education.
All schools should have counselors, parents and guardians should be reminded of the counseling services available.
Our school board meets and discusses their votes prior to public meetings. I would like to make sure all discussions are held in public. I would also like to see Office Hours so the stakeholders have opportunities to connect with the trustees.
Campbell Elementary Teachers’ Associoation.
Students need to have motivated and focused educators. The environment should be safe and comfortable and the class size needs to be manageable for educators and students.
Our school district did not work with the stakeholders; parents and teachers. They did not see input from the community.
I will strive to create an inclusive environment and work directly with the stakeholders to collaborate on solutions to challenges. I will work hard to encourage other board members to do the same with their trustee areas.
Having 30 years in Talent Acquisition for global, billion dollar organizations, I have strong opinions on the best strategies for recruiting faculty, staff and administration. We must create a psychologically safe environment with a positive culture. These roles are critical in the success of students and we must strive to to effectively use our funds to ensure a solid living wage for our educators!
There should be 100% financial transparency and government accountability.
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.
See also
External links
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 2, 2024
