Why Elena is running
I was born and raised in District 3. My grandparents settled here, my parents raised me here, and now my own two kids walk into District 3 public schools every morning. Three generations. This is home.
For 14 years I've been a pediatric nurse at Mercy Children's. It's taught me how to stay calm when things get hard, how to read a chart full of numbers and figure out what's really going on, and how to put a child's needs first when the pressure is on. That's the same job a school board member has — pay attention, ask hard questions, and look out for the kids who can't speak for themselves.
I didn't plan to run for anything. Then my son's third-grade class hit 34 students. Thirty-four kids, one teacher, one room. I watched good teachers stretched past what any person can do, and I watched kids slip through the cracks. I couldn't stay quiet.
I've spent six years as the PTA treasurer. I balanced the books, line by line, and made sure every dollar was accounted for. So when I see bonds pass year after year while classrooms only get more crowded, I want to know one thing: where did the money go? Families deserve an answer, and they deserve to see it for themselves.
For years I coached youth soccer at the rec center. I know these families. I know which schools are bursting and which kids are falling behind in reading. Scores have slipped three years running, and we've drifted away from the basics that work.
Here's what I'll do. Cap K-3 classes at 24 kids. Publish a capacity dashboard for every school so no one's guessing. Bring back daily phonics and fund ten reading aides. Post the line-item budget online every quarter — the same way I kept the PTA's books, in the open, where you can check them.
I'm not a politician. I'm a nurse and a mom who got tired of waiting. If you want a board member who's actually in the building, who reads the numbers, and who answers to you, I'd be honored to earn your vote.
Paid for by Elena Ruiz for Board of Education.
