Jose Luis Rojas Villarreal is running for a spot on the School Committee for the first time. Villarreal believes he’s qualified because he’s lived in Cambridge for over 15 years, has two sons who attend the Cambridge Public Schools, and is skilled at collaborating with people of diverse backgrounds. 

Villarreal is proposing many plans to improve CPS, including assessing student achievements through more varied methods. As a student, I know testing can be stressful, which can lead to results that don’t match the students’ capabilities. 

He also aims to include more voices in decision making because “some parents feel they are not listened to, based on their socioeconomic background, [and] their race.” This proposal is necessary because it’s important to have different points of view from parents to make improvements catered to diverse families. 

Villarreal is qualified for the School Committee because he cares passionately about education and has clear goals to improve CPS. He has a plan of meeting high school student leaders to hear their opinions and bringing them back to the School Committee, with the hopes of representing student voices more clearly. He also wants to make the Committee more effective by adding a code of conduct that members have to agree to. Villareal, like my parents, is an immigrant. As a daughter of immigrants, I know how difficult this can be—how many sacrifices immigrants have to make and how much hard work immigrants have to do in order to succeed. Because of this, I believe Villarreal is capable of putting in the labor needed in order to be a successful member of the School Committee. 

Some  Cambridge citizens disagree with his plans, such as his proposal to add more schools to the district to accommodate the growing population in Cambridge. These objections should not be heeded: the population is undeniably growing, and with more students in our school system, building more schools or expanding existing ones is crucial so students have enough space to learn.

Jose Luis Rojas Villareal gets my endorsement because he has clear goals that I agree with. He has the best interest in mind for students of all ages, parents, and staff. He also has effective plans that will help him reach his goals.

This piece also appears in our October 2019 print edition.