Mother enters schools contest
Fiscal responsibility, student safety among goals of only woman seeking Fremont seat
By Linh Tat, STAFF WRITER

FREMONT. A stay-at-home mother of two will enter what so far has been an all-male race for seats on the Fremont school board.

Lara York, vice president of the Fremont Education Foundation, said her work in the community, networking with parents and regular attendance at school board meetings have provided her with an understanding of the educational system.

If elected, York said she would like to focus on ensuring student success, fiscal responsibility, safe schools and healthy students.

"Our goal is to educate lifelong learners who can adapt to the world. We need to be sure we're engaging students," York said.

More students should have access to extracurricular activities and specialized or vocational classes to keep them interested in school, she said.

While the district is faring better than others financially, it's important to remember that Fremont, too, is having to dip into its reserves to balance its budget, she said.

"We're right on the edge of a balanced budget," she said. "I have concerns that one crisis can tip that scale."

Additionally, York said, the district needs to ensure that students are provided a healthy learning environment. That not only means having updated classrooms and a place where they do not fear being teased or bullied, she said, but students also need to be properly fed.

"If they're hungry or sick, they can't learn," she said.

York, 37, first became involved in the community through the FUN Mothers' Club for Tri-City area moms, serving as club president from 1999 to 2000.

She became active in school affairs in the late 1990s, serving on the district's community facilities committee, and later on the 2002 health and safety bond committee, which was successful in passing a bond. She also served two years on the Parent Representative Advisory Assembly.

She remains a member of the site council, the PTA and the Gifted and Talented Education Committee at Mattos Elementary, where her two sons attend school.

Since 2000, York has been on the Fremont Education Foundation, which provides an after-school band program, athletic scholarships and teacher grants. She was the foundation's president for two years and now is serving her third year as its vice president.

York also is president of a Fremont Chamber of Commerce's scholarship program and belongs to the League of Women Voters. She has chaired the league's education committee.

In 2003, the Fremont Schools Management Association honored her with a Friend of Education award.

A Fremont resident since 1992, York worked in sales for a publishing company before becoming a stay-at-home mom. She has a bachelor's degree in business administration with a minor in sociology from California State University, Chico.

York lives in Fremont's Centerville district, in the Kennedy High School attendance area, with her husband, Steve, and two sons, who will be entering the fourth and sixth grades this fall.

She said people have approached her about running for office in the past. "There were times when I felt I wasn't ready," York said. "Now it's the right time."

Three other potential candidates have emerged for the two available seats.

Ray Bilodeau and Jonathan Simon have picked up forms, and David Richards has turned in his completed forms.

In addition, board President Larry Sweeney has said he will seek re-election.