School Board | Jacquie Tanner 4 Mvla School Board

I Began My Candidacy with a Listening Tour

My Campaign Issues

Professional Experience and Family Inspiration

My Dyslexia and how Special Education Saved Me

High School Sports Changed My Life

In the News Links

Why You Should Vote for Jacquie!

My name is Jacquie Tanner

I am respectfully asking for your support.

While I am one of six candidates for the 3 open seats on the MVLA UHSD Board,

I am not your typical candidate!

My approach to public service:

Being new to public office, I feel that I’m in a unique position to represent the students, parents, district staff and tax-payers. I can promise to bring a fresh, independent and open-minded approach to all issues which come before the MVLA Board.

If I am elected, four other more typical Trustees will still be on the MVLA Board.

I would be just one independent voice, if the voters want one.

Sometimes, even when an organization is doing well, all it takes is one set of fresh eyes to see important things are being overlooked or see new ways to continually improve outcomes or to eliminate wasteful practices.

My fresh eyes are ready to serve our district.

I intend to carefully research issues and advocate for my conclusions. I expect the other Board members to do the same, then together we will come to a consensus. This is as it should be.

I hold no predetermined agendas, I do my research and I think for myself.

I am not narrowly focused on a short-list of specific interests, goals or methods.

I am not beholden to any interest groups, or agendas and I am not taking any donations. I am doing all this with my own resources to serve our district.

I have not spent years cultivating a large following nor a long list of high-profile individuals nor interest group endorsements. Nor have I piled up a huge bank balance for my campaign.

I am not seeking a stepping-stone to higher office nor a new line-item on my resume.

I am here to serve our district for the long run, for as long as the voters will have me.

My personal life:

I’m the mother of a freshman at Los Altos High, a home owner and a 50-yr resident.

I have been learning about school district politics since my daughter entered the MVWSD as a Kinder in 2013.

My daughter and I both grew up in our local K-12th public school system in the same schools. The home I bought in 1998 is only 2 blocks from my childhood home around the corner from Theuerkauf Elementary.

Without Special Education, the enriched life I have lived would not have been possible. My first educators knew how to spot the signs of my Dyslexia, they got me diagnosed and taught me methods to compensate for it. I will always be grateful to them for that.

I have recently retired, so I have all the time and energy required to serve our district in what I see as my civic duty and that is exactly what I intend to do, with the help of the voters.

I Began My Candidacy with a Listening Tour

When I retired from my intense 10-year position at Tesla Motors, in early June, I had planned on taking some time off and enjoying life and taking trips with my family. The only other plan I had was to throw myself into volunteering at my daughter's school, Los Altos High School, in the Fall.

Then, just a month after I retired, I saw an article in the Mountain View Voice and I knew I had a new plan. I knew instantly this was what I had always felt I should be doing with my life, thanks to my mother. (And thanks to Tesla Motors for making this possible.)

The first thing I did was to reach out to all the people I knew and respected from the K-8 district my daughter attended. I knew I had a great deal to learn and precious little time to do so.

This is how I began my "Listening Tour". I had meetings with the people I already knew to listen to their wisdom and knowledge. I asked them to make introductions to many others I knew of and many they suggested.

I met with four of the MVLA Board members a former member and the Superintendent. I met with several current and former MVWSD Board members and their Superintendent. I met with both a M.V. City and a L.A. City council member with the LAEF, the LAHS & MVHS PTA's (PTSA), and other community leaders.

As a result of their advice, I began taking governance classes from Leadership Mountain View, joined the League of Women Voters, volunteering with the L.A. Parks & Recreation Dept., joined the LAHS PTSA and I am volunteering my time at LAHS.

I walked door to door in the neighborhoods around both MVHS and LAHS to ask the neighbors of our schools what they had to say about anything related to our schools. I got quite a bit of interesting and valuable feedback from them.

I notified the local newspapers, the MV-Voice, LA-Town Crier and PA-Daily Post, to let them know I was available for their questions and interviews. I also answered questionnaires from the Voters Edge organization, the Santa Clara County Voters Guide on Children's Issues. My answers are available on line and I have several relevant links on my News page.

I feel very honored to be able to meet with so many well-respected local leaders to ask them to bring me up to speed on what being a board member required and on how to run an election campaign. I want to express my deep appreciation for their advice and assistance.

Then, I got busy on the election, while still setting up more meetings with more people who can advise me.

And My Listening Tour is still on-going. I have a long list of other community leaders I am seeking advice from. I will continue to walk neighborhoods to seek further input from the public.