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A former Hearst Elementary School administrative secretary and Pleasanton Unified School District parent is throwing her hat in the ring for the school board election to represent District 4, according to her campaign.
Longtime Pleasanton resident Jen Flynn announced her bid for the seat during her campaign launch event on June 1 where over 100 people, including teachers, administrators and even current District 4 Trustee Steve Maher, all showed their support for Flynn.
“While PUSD faces challenges, there are also great opportunities for growth,” Flynn said in a June 3 press release. “As your elected trustee for District 4, I will represent the community and be a strong advocate for all students, teachers and staff.”
Maher previously told the Weekly he will not be running for reelection this year, which means the District 4 seat is up for grabs. Flynn is the second person to announce they will be running for the seat this November. Her only opponent thus far is Pleasanton resident and Hayward teacher Charlie Jones.
Flynn moved to Pleasanton with her husband in 2014 to raise their three sons. She said right from the beginning, she realized how important funding was for the schools and decided to get involved with the Hearst Parent Teacher Association.
She had been at the PTA there up until 2023 and even served as president — she was also PTA president at Pleasanton Middle School. She eventually saw a job opportunity open up at Hearst, which is when she was hired.
Apart from her time on the PTA and as a PUSD employee, Flynn is currently a member of the Pleasanton Partnerships in Education Foundation Board of Directors. She is also the vice chair of the superintendent’s Budget Advisory Committee, which is currently looking at both short term and long term solutions to address the district’s budget shortfalls and deficit.
While she said budget cuts are not easy to deal with, she believes her experience from all her different roles give her a unique perspective that could be beneficial when the school board will need to make difficult decisions in the future.
“One of the ways I would (make budgeting decisions) would be to do my investigations, listen to the people,” Flynn told the Weekly. “I’m a big community-oriented advocate … and so taking in the information from the community and then making the best decisions based on all the information that you have, I think is the best way for you to make informed decisions on budget cuts.”
She also said looking at other potential funding sources to help cover things like music and the arts, and utilizing those funds is important to her because she believes that is not currently happening.
Apart from budget issues, Flynn said her other priorities as a trustee would be better communication and transparency so that the district can really listen to what the community has to say on certain issues.
“We may not always agree on everything but I really believe that when a community comes together and the board members listen … you really do get to the best answers when everybody is collaborating together,” she said.
That also goes for the board members themselves, Flynn added. She said that while trustees might not get along or see eye to eye on certain topics, it’s important for them to put the students and community above all else.
“It’s really important that we respect each other, collaborate together, because ultimately we’re here to serve our students and our teachers and our staff,” Flynn said. “And so if we can stay focused on that, then we really will make the best decisions.”
She also said the transparency aspect is important because they look at things like the budget and there has been a lot of distrust in the community toward the district, which she hopes to repair.
According to Flynn, trustees Laurie Walker, Justin Brown and Maher have all expressed their support for her candidacy. “She connects with people and has the right frame of mind to do what’s best for the children. I fully endorse her and want her to take my place,” Maher said in the press release.
More information about Flynn’s campaign can be found at votejenflynn.com.
