Candidate for
Board Member; Castro Valley Unified School District

Charmaine Banther was born in Oakland, California to a German father and a Chinese mother. Charmaine's love for school began in pre-school. She spent her school years in San Lorenzo and later in Newark. During her teen years, she was an accomplished swimmer, martial artist, and Hawaiian dancer.

She combined her love for school and passion for technology, when she earned a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Cal State, Hayward. She quickly followed that by acquiring a teaching credential from the same institution.

In 1988, Charmaine joined the teaching staff at James Logan High School in Union City, California, where she still teaches today.

In 2005, Ms. Banther was elected President of the New Haven Teachers Association. Also in 2005, Charmaine became the California Teachers Association Service Center Chair, presiding over all chapters in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. She is also the Vice Chair of CTA's Pacific Asian American Caucus.

She has dedicated her career to creating learning opportunities for students and fighting for their right to obtain the best public education possible. Last year, she organized a peaceful protest at the capitol building, where she and fellow teachers were arrested for their support of school funding. The charge of trespassing on government property was initially dropped. She has hosted press conferences and rallies to alert the public to the needs of the students in her district and throughout California. Charmaine has also represented teachers on the state and national level in representative assemblies.

Ms. Banther is currently the head of the steering committee for the proposed parcel tax in Union City; a tax that she hopes to help get passed to save her students from further feeling the effects of state budget cuts.

Charmaine's service to her community extends beyond education. She has partnered with local fire stations to organize CPR classes and an annual toy drive to support the community where she teaches. She's also a member of the New Haven Schools Foundation, whose mission is to support the students in her school district. She has partnered with the non-profit organization K to College, which brings free school-supplies to children in need around the Bay Area. She is also the chair of the Union City Relay for Life event put on by the American Cancer Society.

This work doesn't leave Charmaine a lot of time, but when she has it, she likes to spend time with family and friends. She also enjoys spending time in Hawai'i, where she hopes to retire to one day. Until then, she'll continue to fight for students' rights and serve her community.