Phillip Chen

District: Walnut Valley Unified
Position Seeking: Governing Board Member

Question 1: Please share a meaningful experience you had with art (visual, dance, drama, music, media arts) while growing up.

The Arts have had a tremendous positive impact on my life. As a youth I would perform Wushu, which is a both a Chinese Martial Art and Performing Art. It taught me both discipline and team work and inspired me to be a life-long athlete. One of my proudest achievements is establishing the Wushu team at Cal State Fullerton, and watching it grow every year.

Question 2: What kind of creative solutions would you suggest to support student outcomes such as English language development, closing the achievement gap, and preparation for college and/or meaningful careers?

The Walnut Valley Unified School District is one of the top performing districts in both the State and Nation. As a board member we have to work with all our partners in the community: parents, teachers, administrators, and faculty to ensure each student has the best resources to succeed.
As a Board Member I am proud to support expanding S.T.E.M. education to our K-12 students. Additionally, I have hosted College Tuition and Scholarship Preparation Workshops in the districts to help educate both students and parents on how to successfully transition from High School to College and beyond.

Question 3: What do you think should be the role of the School Board in ensuring that students have access to a broad range of study?

Board Members are stewards of the taxpayers, their job is ensure that tax dollars are being spent wisely in the classroom. I am proud of the work of our Board to both balance the budget and create a “rainy-day” fund to ensure that educational programs in the district are fully funded. We are also expanding S.T.E.M. education to ensure that students not only study the classics but are prepared to lead in the 21st century world that is rapidly changing and becoming ever more connected through technology.

Question 4: In light of the Local Control Funding Formula and development of district Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs), what are your creative solutions for achieving goals in the eight priority areas?

The Walnut Valley Unified School District is a low-wealth district this means that we do not receive our fair share of resources from the State of California This means we have to think outside the box to ensure our district continues to be one of the top performing districts in both the State and Nation We however have a very supportive and generous community partners such as the Walnut Valley Educational Foundation and Walnut Diamond Bar Chinese American Parents Association that work hand in hand with our district to ensure our students have the tools and resources to be successful.