Despite cries of impending financial doom, Capital Appreciation Bonds were part of the Measure A bond package approved by Orange County voters in 2008. The bonds allowed PYLUSD to upgrade facilities and instructional technology across the district, build Yorba Linda High School Stadium and pool as well as the district Performing Arts Center at El Dorado High School. (See full list below.) 

Measure A Bonds allowed PYLUSD to apply for matching state funds cutting taxpayer costs in half. The repayment schedule was across 36 years with the payment amounts and dates set when the bonds were issued—there are NO unexpected balloon payments.

The financing plan anticipated new housing around YLHS. As those homes were built, their high property values expanded the tax base and helped repay the voter-approved bonds, reducing the cost to existing homeowners. The Shapell family also donated the land for YLHS, significantly lowering the project’s cost.

California later strengthened CAB rules after other districts issued unusually expensive bonds. The 2013 law added limits and greater transparency but did not change previously issued bonds or their repayment schedules.

Link to Measure A https://www.pylusd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=184765&type=d&pREC_ID=384716

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION BOND OF 2008

BOND PROJECT LIST

Every school campus within the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District received bond funds. Bond funds were used to improve school facilities, upgrade technology, and construct additional classroom and student performance facilities. 

District School Improvement Projects

• Renovate/upgrade facilities as needed to improve access to computer technology and digital resources at all district schools

• Upgrade district auditorium at Valencia High School with HVAC and new restrooms

• Renovate student and staff restrooms at 21 district schools

• Update computer and instructional technology at all district schools

• Construct pool facility at Yorba Linda High School

• Renovate and expand facilities and classroom for performing instruction and performance at Esperanza High School

• Modernize classroom and support facilities as needed at Fairmont, Linda Vista, Rio Vista, Sierra Vista, Travis Ranch, Tynes, and Woodsboro Elementary Schools, and Travis Ranch Middle School

• Modernize classroom and support school facilities as needed at all District middle schools and high schools

• Construct multi-purpose gymnasium at El Dorado and Esperanza High Schools

• Complete infrastructure upgrades as needed: classroom lighting, water/sewer/electrical, sidewalks, security fencing, site drainage, hazardous materials removal, and handicap access.

• Construct District Music Hall at El Dorado High School

• Renovate Bradford Stadium

• Install shade structures at Glenview, Lakeview, Mabel Paine, Rose Drive, Tynes, Wagner Elementary Schools

• Renovate and equip playfields as needed for student safety

• Renovate pool at Valencia High School

• Construct/renovate and equip vocational/career educational centers at district high schools and middle schools as needed

• Expand multi-purpose rooms at Mabel Paine, Rio Vista, Rose Drive, Ruby Drive Elementary Schools

• Construct/upgrade library/media centers at Van Buren and Wagner Elementary Schools and Kraemer Middle School

• Construct new permanent classrooms to replace aging portables at Rio Vista, Van Buren Elementary Schools and Esperanza El Camino and Valencia High Schools

• Construct District Stadium at Yorba Linda High School

• Replace aging HVAC units at George Key, Golden, Mabel Paine, Tynes, and Woodsboro Elementary Schools; Kraemer and Tuffree Middle Schools and El Camino High School

As the daughter of a special education teacher and a director of special education, I was raised to believe that every child can succeed when provided with appropriate resources, high expectations, and caring, well-trained educators.

An excellent, responsive special education department is essential to ensuring every student receives the support and opportunity to thrive. 

A strong special education program promotes inclusion, belonging, and academic success. Meaningful inclusion benefits students with disabilities while helping all students develop greater compassion, understanding, and respect for others. It also requires individualized planning, effective services, and collaboration among families, educators, specialists, and district leadership.

I support continued improvement in student outcomes, strong training and mentoring for new staff, and responsive communication with families. Parents must be respected as essential partners and confident that their concerns will be heard and addressed. I will continue advocating for excellent special education programs that recognize each student’s strengths, meet their individual needs, and provide the high-quality education every child deserves.

The drivers behind Orange County's decline mirror the state and national picture, but are intensified by the region's high cost of living. County officials point to long-term factors such as lower birth rates, high housing costs, and shifts in where families are choosing to live. Rising housing costs have pushed younger families to migrate to more affordable areas outside the region.

Declining enrollment is especially prevalent in Orange and Los Angeles counties, outpacing the statewide average. 

When looking at enrollment data, a good indication of the declining birth rate can be seen in the number of first graders that begin school in a district each year, 

Orange County, California has seen public school enrollment decline for more than two decades, and the trend continued in the 2025–26 school year. Countywide enrollment fell by about 1.7 percent, dropping to 422,351 students — a decrease of roughly 7,500 students compared with the previous year — according to data from the California Department of Education.

Orange County Superintendent Dr. Stefan Bean has emphasized that declining enrollment creates real challenges for districts specifically because funding is so closely tied to student attendance. Without a significant shift in regional population patterns, experts expect Orange County districts to continue facing enrollment pressure in the years ahead.

I believe charter schools can provide valuable educational options for students and families when they respond to community needs and complement our traditional public schools. Charter schools should be authorized and overseen by the locally elected governing board, which is directly accountable to district students, families, employees, and taxpayers.

Our experience with Magnolia Charter School demonstrates why local oversight and responsible leadership matter. Magnolia was approved by the Orange County Board of Education rather than the PYLUSD Board in 2023. Our district was forced to surrender half of Esperanza High School’s West Campus for a total of 5 students.

At the end of 2026 school year Magnolia Charter School moved out of PYLUSD and vacated Esperanza’s West Campus, but only after we spent hundreds of thousands of tax payer dollars setting up a school intended for 200+ that only served 5 students. That money could have been spent on the needs of the other 22,000 students in our district.

Any charter school receiving public funds must meet rigorous academic, financial, operational, and ethical standards. It must provide complete and accurate reporting, operate transparently, demonstrate responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and be held accountable for student outcomes. Charter schools must also serve all students fairly, including students with disabilities, English learners, and students requiring additional support.

Strong local oversight protects students, taxpayers, and public education. Charter schools should expand meaningful opportunities, not duplicate successful programs, displace district students, weaken neighborhood schools, or divert limited resources without clear educational value. Every publicly funded school must provide a safe, inclusive, high-quality education and remain accountable to the community it serves.

Good district leadership begins with listening, learning, and staying connected with parents regardless of party affiliation. I visit schools and speak directly with students, parents, teachers, and staff to understand what is working, where support is needed, and what matters most to our community.

I bring that input to the boardroom, where I contribute to strategic planning, policy development, and responsible budget decisions. In 2025, I helped lead the process of hiring a superintendent whose leadership is already producing positive results for our schools, employees, and students.

My focus is not politics, it is providing steady, experienced leadership, holding the district accountable, and making decisions based on what will best serve students and strengthen our schools.