Candidate for
Governing Board Member; Garvey School District

JASON A. OTIS

Candidate for the Garvey School District Board of Education 2011

Born in Los Angeles, I grew up in the City of Rosemead and attended elementary school in the Garvey School District. I attended high school at Don Bosco Technical Institute. I learned from my mother at an early age the value of education. She often told me that my choices at home were to pick up a broom and help clean the house or pick up a pencil and do school work. For me, the pencil always won out over the broom. I grew up in a multi-generation household where both my mother and grandmother taught me the value of family, integrity, and honesty. As professional nurses, they also influenced my desire to serve the community, especially those in need.

I enrolled in college after graduating from high school and also sought part-time employment. From 2007 until I was laid off in 2011, I was employed by the Garvey School District. At the same time, I was employed part-time at a hospital in Rosemead as a Program Specialist and worked as a Home Care Provider. My work in Pupil Personnel Services with parents and staff and at the hospital and in home with patients has given me a unique perspective on the needs within the Garvey community. I currently tutor students of all ages in mathematics which is a subject of great interest to me. I believe in the universal language of mathematics and the bridge that it can be for English Language Learner students. I believe that schools need to provide students with an excellent foundation in mathematics and the sciences in order to prepare them for future careers in a job market that will be technology driven. I truly believe education as the great social equalizer.

I belong to the Garvey Chapter of the California School Employees Association and served in the past as the Public Relations Officer and Chairperson of the Auditing Committee. I also belong to the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) at every school in the Garvey School District. At 22 years of age, I am the youngest person to ever become a candidate for the Garvey School District Board of Education. I am extremely proud of receiving the endorsement of both the California School Employees Association and the Garvey Education Association (teacher's union) in this election. It is my desire to form a transparent collaboration between all stakeholders in the district and truly govern as a representative of the community.