Julie Reynolds-Grabbe
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the official's last term in office covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Julie Reynolds-Grabbe was a member of the Moreland School District Board of Trustees in California, representing Area 1. She left office on December 11, 2020.
Reynolds-Grabbe ran for re-election to the Moreland School District Board of Trustees to represent Area 1 in California. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Reynolds-Grabbe completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Julie Reynolds-Grabbe was born in Downey, California. She earned a bachelor's degree from Sonoma State University in 1995. Reynolds-Grabbe's career experience includes working as a system administrator with the NASA Ames Research Center, as a program manager with Apple, Inc., as a coordinator of community engagement with Campbell Union High School District, as an enumerator with the U.S. Census Bureau, and as an associate director of operations with Stanford University.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: Moreland School District, California, elections (2020)
General election
General election for Moreland School District Board of Trustees Area 1
Shelly Hong defeated incumbent Julie Reynolds-Grabbe in the general election for Moreland School District Board of Trustees Area 1 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Shelly Hong (Nonpartisan) | 55.3 | 2,142 | |
 | Julie Reynolds-Grabbe (Nonpartisan)  | 44.7 | 1,733 | |
| Total votes: 3,875 | |||
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Endorsements
To view Reynolds-Grabbe's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.
Campaign themes
2020
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released September 21, 2020 |
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Julie Reynolds-Grabbe completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Reynolds-Grabbe's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Firstly, I am a Mom to two teenagers who have grown up in this community and attended Moreland schools. I am a Neighborhood Leader who helped form a Neighborhood Association and was part of the District 1 Leadership Group for D1 of San Jose for many years. I am a great friend to many wonderful souls; I collect great people as I go through life. I am a daughter of a conservative family. I am an advocate for students and their futures in every conceivable way. I am a perpetual volunteer for many local community causes and organizations I care about. I am a "connector of threads" as my best friend puts it; I enjoy linking people up who can work together on mutually beneficial projects and ideas. I am self-aware and cognizant of my ability to give back to my community. If I can do something to help someone, I almost always do.
- Priority #1: Ensure social and digital equity for all of our students
- Priority #2: Provide multiple mental health supports for our students
- Priority #3: I am self-funded with no individual or organization contributions accepted
I am a product of and a fierce advocate for public schools and am proud of our diverse and representative Moreland school board that always puts students first.
I believe in social and digital equity, and will continue to prioritize mental health supports, adequate special education services, and safe learning environments for our staff and students. As long as I am on the board, I will continue to promote inclusivity, compassion, diversity, and representation.
I look up to Ruth Bader Ginsburg and am incredibly sad that she just passed away. She has touched every life in America for the better and I am thankful for her public service. I don't know that I would be a board member today without her impact.
Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert D. Putnam
A book about the importance of community and civic connections in modern society.
A book about the importance of community and civic connections in modern society.
- Experience
- Growth mindset
- Sincere care for community (students, staff, families, residents, etc.)
- Empathy
- Inclusion
- Honesty
I am real and with that you get honesty and empathy. I also listen to what people have to say and easily get invested in their success. I am a bridge builder and love to link people up in the community. I like to make a difference and move things forward. I believe in inclusion and diversity and always advocate for marginalized groups.
- Oversight of Superintendent who runs the District
- Experience living and volunteering in the Moreland community
That the Moreland school board will be representative of our community in the future. I think with the advent of by trustee area voting in 2019, this has been achieved. The board will only be made up of people from the 5 separate voting areas in Moreland and that ensures representation. This was one of the original reasons I ran in 2012. I didn't think the board was geographically, racially, or socioeconomically diverse at that time and I am proud to say today in 2020, it is moving in the right direction.
I remember President Reagan being shot when I was 10 and in 4th grade. It was really frightening and I will never forget exactly where I was on my school campus.
My very first job was tutoring elementary kids in english and math. I did this for about a year when I was still in high school.
The Afterlife of Billy Fingers
It is just an amazing book that broadened my horizons on what the afterlife/heaven might be like. It explains a lot about soul connections and spirituality.
It is just an amazing book that broadened my horizons on what the afterlife/heaven might be like. It explains a lot about soul connections and spirituality.
Happy by Pharrell Williams. I am a DJ that supports community and school events for fun and for free so I literally live by music. The pandemic has been difficult since I have been unable to volunteer and connect with the community via music.
Caring too much and giving too much. I have felt like the "Giving Tree" many times in my life and as I've gotten older and in my 40s I have begun to do a better job of drawing the line and providing boundaries. Some of this is related to life experience and wisdom.
It is to collectively oversee the Superintendent of a school district. The Superintendent manages the day to day details of the district and the most honorable thing a school board can do is set goals, evaluate and let the Superintendent do her job and make decisions on behalf of the district.
All too often, board members can get stuck "in the weeds" on programs, curriculum, pet projects and that is not our job. We oversee the district on behalf of the community.
All too often, board members can get stuck "in the weeds" on programs, curriculum, pet projects and that is not our job. We oversee the district on behalf of the community.
Students
Staff
Families
Residents
Community members
Our board has become diverse for the first time in Moreland's history (since 1851!) during the last year or so. We have welcomed two amazing gentlemen to the board who have diverse professional and cultural perspectives. They have really enriched our board and I am thankful that our board better mirrors our community now.
Our teaching and classified staff is also diverse and I think students seeing someone who looks like them, makes a considerable difference in their aspirations.
Our teaching and classified staff is also diverse and I think students seeing someone who looks like them, makes a considerable difference in their aspirations.
As board members we attend all sorts of school and community-related meetings throughout the year. From Home and School Club meetings, Presidents Council, Parent Learning Nights, to Neighborhood Association meetings, and many others.
By being a Moreland parent and part of the fabric of the larger community, I am able to build and sustain relationships with students, parents, staff and residents.
I have connections with parents at every school in our District. I have spent eight years building significant and cohesive friendships and I rely on these connections to best understand what the parent community is concerned about. This is not something someone who is not a parent can do easily or quickly. There is something about also being "in the trenches" and sharing the parental experience with others that lends realness to these relationships that is difficult to replicate.
Yes! It is critical that the District recruits with an eye on diversity during hiring. I am thankful that the first female Superintendent in Moreland's history was hired by our board close to five years ago. Our District has been in operation since 1851 and that was long overdue. I would welcome even more diversity in our District and every year we see an increase in the hiring of people from various cultural backgrounds.
We recently approved a resolution recognizing social injustice. I am sure in the coming year we can do more and will in this area promoting diversity and inclusion for our students and in hiring practices.
We recently approved a resolution recognizing social injustice. I am sure in the coming year we can do more and will in this area promoting diversity and inclusion for our students and in hiring practices.
Our biggest obstacle is funding and specifically, state funding. California is habitually in the 40s out of 50 states in per pupil funding. Our District recently found out that we need to immediately swallow a $5 million budget cut from the state as well as go five or so months in 2021 with deferred funding (meaning zero funds coming from the state during that time to be made up later, maybe). This is no way to run the most important public entity in California! When I was an elementary student in the 1970s/80s our schools were funded. It is sad state of affairs that schools/students are always the first ones to lose in the state budget and the last ones to be funded. I wish that legislators cared more about our kids than pet projects. Or that the school funding model would be overhauled and that all districts in California could be funded fully and fairly. Expectations to do more with less, especially during the Pandemic has put unbelievable strain on Districts and is untenable.
As a board member, we celebrate our teachers and their successes. We put a premium on professional development and ensuring that our employees feel respected and appreciated. We do try not to "get into the weeds" on specifying teaching approaches but rather on broad measures like project-based or whole child learning.
We as board members are an extension of the community, not educational leaders. We rely on our professional educators to determine programs and approaches and keep us informed. Again, our collective employee is the Superintendent and in our case she has a Masters in Educational Leadership and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership for Social Justice.
The five Cs: Critical thinking, creative thinking, communication, collaboration and citizenship skills are ingrained into the educational model in Moreland. The District also adopted a project-based learning approach several years ago and it has been a good model that incorporates all the the Cs.
Another important skill that our students learn is how to have a growth mindset. Instead of "I don't know how to do this" it is instead taught as "I don't know how to do this, yet". This makes a huge difference and opens students up to being easier on themselves and allows them to be willing to learn, make mistakes and keep learning. It also sets them up to be lifelong learners which we highly encourage.
Another important skill that our students learn is how to have a growth mindset. Instead of "I don't know how to do this" it is instead taught as "I don't know how to do this, yet". This makes a huge difference and opens students up to being easier on themselves and allows them to be willing to learn, make mistakes and keep learning. It also sets them up to be lifelong learners which we highly encourage.
I am a board member in an elementary district so I don't have direct governance experience around high school diplomas. I will say that working in a high school district, I realized that so many students aren't necessarily academically focused, but instead are interested in career technical education (CTE). I am thankful that our local high school district has a phenomenal CTE program and partners with Silicon Valley Career Technical Education (SVCTE). This provides students with many more options for career after high school.
As a current parent of both a middle school and high school student, I wish a high school diploma could reflect some basic life skill courses. There is such a dearth in these areas because these sorts of subjects are not academic or rigorous enough. I would love to see a course that includes hands-on lessons like writing a letter/email, writing a resume, being interviewed for a job, balancing a checkbook, managing a budget, basic cooking, etc. that would prepare students for the everyday real world, not just one that includes college.
As a current parent of both a middle school and high school student, I wish a high school diploma could reflect some basic life skill courses. There is such a dearth in these areas because these sorts of subjects are not academic or rigorous enough. I would love to see a course that includes hands-on lessons like writing a letter/email, writing a resume, being interviewed for a job, balancing a checkbook, managing a budget, basic cooking, etc. that would prepare students for the everyday real world, not just one that includes college.
I would love to see Moreland eventually add more language options into the curriculum. I say this knowing that a significant amount of funds would be required to create such programs and hire qualified teachers and build program(s). I feel that having our students have the opportunity to be bilingual would be such a gift for their future. This would have an even larger impact if it is done in the younger grades. This is a personal hope I have but I am realistic enough to know it would be a tall order given the state of education funding in California, at present.
One thing we can do as board members is advocate for full and fair funding. We are part of a larger collective of school board members from across California called California School Boards Association (CSBA). There are approximately 1000 school districts in CA and most boards have (5) trustees. That is at least 5,000 public school advocates who have a powerful voice. This particular issues is near and dear to my heart. I am the product of public schools, as are my own kids. Public school advocacy is near and dear to my heart. I will continue to fight for full and fair funding as long as I am on this board and perhaps even after...
Our students and staff safety is our number one priority. In the eight years I have been on the board the District has been evolving with new plans, drills and enhanced programs around safety. We have asked for a yearly review of Safety Plans for our District with a board workshop. This is a format where we can more casually discuss what is new, what is needed and where we are headed.
I am proud of the evolution of our safety procedures during the past eight years. It is an unfortunate necessity in today's world and I am thankful for the continuous improvements that the District has achieved and will continue to.
I am proud of the evolution of our safety procedures during the past eight years. It is an unfortunate necessity in today's world and I am thankful for the continuous improvements that the District has achieved and will continue to.
As a board we collectively prioritize the mental heath needs of our students and staff. For students we have multiple layers of supports built into the curriculum of every grade and more specific supports for those students that need more. The District incorporates the use of Kimogis for primary grades, the Second Step program for older grades and the YMCA Project Cornerstone program. We also have counselors at all our sites and a robust scaffold of supports for students who need it. All of our staff is focused on helping our students become functioning educated adults. The compassion and effort that goes into a cohesive mental health program district-wide is commendable. It is also something all of our current board members put a premium on and support fully.
Technology is an important part of instruction today but it can be overused. I think a balanced approach is important at home and in the classroom.
The role of a board member is to ensure plans are in place and funding is adequate for technology. We ask for study sessions on technology and advocate for bonds and parcel taxes to ensure a steady stream of funds to sustain technology in all of our schools.
The role of a board member is to ensure plans are in place and funding is adequate for technology. We ask for study sessions on technology and advocate for bonds and parcel taxes to ensure a steady stream of funds to sustain technology in all of our schools.
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See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 29, 2020
