Now includes information about all four candidates
The decision-making body for the Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) is the Board of Governors. Three seats on the board will be up for grabs among four candidates in the November 5, 2024, General Election. In 2023, Board Vice President Megan Sweet resigned before the end of her term, and Margie Sherratt was appointed to finish the term. Sherratt chose not to stand for reelection, declaring in an email to the Alameda Post, “It is time for new candidates.”
Normally nominations for all races close on the same day. And when that day, August 8, came around this time, there were three candidates who had qualified for the three seats: incumbent trustee Heather Little and Board President Jennifer Williams, as well as former PTA board member/nonprofit CPA Joyce Boyd.
However, because Sherratt did not qualify for the election during the regular nomination period, it was extended until the following Wednesday, August 14. On that last day, a fourth candidate, Meleah Hall, listed on her filing as a teacher/data analyst, pulled papers and qualified for the ballot.
The Post reached out to the candidates and asked them for more information about themselves and their campaigns. Despite several email exchanges with Hall, she did not provide responses to our questions. As well, unfortunately, Hall has not yet established a campaign website, nor has she shared any other information about her platform. We regret that we are not able to provide information about her as a candidate at this time. Hall submitted her responses after this article was first published and they are included below.
We summarized the responses from the candidates, listed in alphabetical order. We have also included links to their websites so you can learn more about each candidate and who has endorsed them. AUSD Board of Governors is a non-partisan office, so the candidates’ party affiliations are not listed.
The General Election will be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. For additional information about the election, candidates, and voting, please visit our election page. Join us on Saturday, September 28, for the AUSD Board of Governors candidate forum, co-hosted with the League of Women Voters of Alameda. All four candidates have been invited. Unfortunately, three of the four candidates are unable to attend Saturday’s event so it will not be held. The Post and the LWVA will co-host an online forum over Zoom on a date to be announced soon Monday, October 14, from 7 to 8 p.m.
Joyce Boyd
Joyce Boyd is campaigning on a platform of improving student proficiency, fiscal responsibility, and college and career readiness. Boyd is a 23-year Alameda resident and parent of two children who have attended local schools.
She emphasized the importance of early literacy, stating, “A strategic focus should be proficiency in reading by the third grade. Students learn to read from Kindergarten through third grade and then read to learn from fourth grade on, so reading by third grade is critical to student success.”
Fiscal responsibility is another key issue for Boyd. She noted that “AUSD must operate with a balanced budget or an operating surplus for long term sustainability.” However, Boyd acknowledged the financial challenges facing AUSD, particularly as one-time funding is set to expire. She advocates for minimizing cuts that directly affect students and opposes school closures.
“No schools should be closed,” Boyd states. “One reason Measure E passed was because it funds neighborhood schools. We need to support our kids, teachers, and site staff.”
She is also in favor of using funds to support effective, evidence-based educational strategies and to provide competitive salaries and benefits to attract and retain quality teachers.
“I grew up in a Detroit housing project raised by a single mother,” she shared. “It was education that lifted me out of poverty and fires my desire to be a school board member.”
Boyd’s qualifications include her financial expertise as a CPA and nonprofit CFO, as well as her volunteer experience within the school district. She has attended all regular school board meetings this year and serves as Chairperson of the Measure E Parcel Tax Oversight Committee. She also is a graduate of the Alameda Chamber’s Leadership Alameda program. Her campaign website is https://joyce4ausd.com.
Meleah Hall
Meleah Hall outlined her priorities for AUSD as a board member, including academic excellence, early childhood education, and improving safety at schools. “I will bring a perspective to the board as someone who has walked in the shoes of teachers at each educational stage,” she wrote. I have three teaching credentials and an MA in Information Systems and Technology/Data Analytics and Special Education. I hold a BA in Psychology from Stanford with minors in African American Studies and Spanish.”
Hall, who highlighted her extensive experience at all levels of education, says she will work to ensure that all students have access to a high-quality education, and that our schools are welcoming and inclusive for all. She states that she is committed to considering equity, transparent budgeting, and supporting all learners in guiding AUSD’s decisions.
Some of Hall’s key initiatives include developing a strong and welcoming school environment by investing in staff development and training, creating a more inclusive and bias-free school, and addressing the needs of students with special needs. “I am an expert in the area of Special Education and 504s,” Hall stated. “I have extensive experience working with students with a multitude of learning differences.”
She identified chronic absenteeism as an issue for the system, stating that 900 students in the system, or 15%, have been identified as chronic absentees. She suggested adopting policies that promote attendance without punitive measures. Hall believes that AUSD should focus on early literacy and numeracy skills to strengthen academic programs and develop innovative partnerships with community colleges and universities to provide students with access to STEM learning opportunities.
Hall declared that she is committed to serving the needs of all students and is confident that she can make a positive impact on AUSD by addressing disparities in state college admission eligibility rates and celebrating and learning from the success of schools that have made progress in English Language Learning. She stated she will work with her colleagues to design a school district where all feel safe. Hall’s website is Hall for Alameda Schools.
Heather Little
Heather Little, an incumbent Trustee on the AUSD Governing Board, was first elected in 2020. She wants to be reelected to ensure continuity and build on recent successes in the district.
She stated that she is running “to ensure we have consistency on the board so that we can continue with the successes we have realized over recent years, specifically in areas of expanded mental health supports, reduced chronic absenteeism, and improved engagement and learning among our focal students.”
Little also expressed a strong desire to foster a culture of trust with teachers and staff. She describes herself as a “creative thinker and collaborator,” and emphasizes her willingness to make difficult decisions for the betterment of the district.
At the same time, Little acknowledges that the district faces significant challenges. “The number one issue facing our district is fiscal,” she stated. “The cost of running the district increases every day, and each year we struggle to find the funds to pay our teachers and staff a wage that mirrors the respect we have for them. Without new money coming into the district in the next year, we will need to make some sobering decisions to ensure we remain in the black,” she cautioned.
Little’s campaign is focused on maintaining the positive momentum the district has achieved in recent years. She pointed to expanded mental health support, reduced chronic absenteeism, and improved engagement among focal students as key areas of success. By fostering an environment where educators feel heard and supported, she aims to create a more positive and productive learning environment for students. You can find her website at https://littleforausd.com.
Jennifer Williams
Jennifer Williams is a lawyer with over 30 years of experience, currently serving as an Administrative Law Judge for the San Francisco Human Services Agency. She previously worked as a Deputy City Attorney for San Francisco. She is the current AUSD Board president, seeking another term on the board.
Williams emphasized her eight years of experience on the board and her deep understanding of school finance. She highlighted AUSD’s strong academic outcomes, including above-average math and English scores, high graduation rates, and successful Advanced Placement programs.
“My goals for this term are to be thoughtful and judicious about the budget, and to protect the values we have worked hard to imbed in AUSD,” she declared, “including covering employee health care costs, ensuring that full-day kindergarten continues, and that our mental health contracts for direct services to students continue. The Alameda community has been incredibly supportive of AUSD, recently passing Measures B and E, and it is incumbent on the Board of Education to safeguard these dollars.”
She also pointed to recent improvements in literacy rates for African American students and reduced chronic absenteeism. “AUSD has shown that we can also fund focused interventions for our struggling students – interventions that data shows are working.” She highlighted her role in successful projects such as pool upgrades, street safety improvements near schools, and disaster preparedness planning.
“I come to every Board meeting prepared and ready to listen to the public, so that I can make the best decisions possible on behalf of the students and families we serve,” she stated.
Williams encouraged continued cooperation between AUSD and City departments to address future challenges and promoted the importance of maintaining strong relationships with Mayor Ashcraft and the Alameda City Council. “Current facility upgrades to AUSD campuses could not occur without working relationships with City departments and staff, and the City has helped fund mental health services provided by Alameda Family Services that deliver direct mental health supports to our students who need them.”
Williams’ campaign website is located at https://williamsforalameda.com.
Adam Gillitt is the Publisher of the Alameda Post. Reach him at [email protected]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Adam-Gillitt.
