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Henna Sharma to run for ABC School District Board
Los Angeles, May 07, 2009
Dilip Butani/ Gary Singh
Henna Sharma will be the first Indian American to run for ABC Unified School District Board to be held on Nov 8, 2011. The School District covers cities of Cerritos, Artesia, Norwalk, Lakewood, Hawaiian Gardens, and a small portion of Long Beach.
Henna moved to Cerritos in 1998. She attended Leal Elementary school, Tetzlaff Middle School, and finally Cerritos High School. During this time, she had several opportunities to participate in various programs, like the Leal Performing Arts Musical, the district-wide Lord of the Rings Reading Project and the Model United Nations program. Henna graduated not only as a student well-equipped with the academic tools to succeed in college, but as a well-rounded individual eager to take on the challenges ahead. She attributes this success to the dedication of her parents, advisers, coaches, and teachers. She says ‘It was their efforts that made me value my education and made me eager to learn inside and outside the classroom.’
After graduating from High School, Henna attended the George Washington University in Washington, DC and received her B.A. in International Affairs and Political Science. During her undergraduate career, she worked for Congresswoman Linda Sanchez on Capitol Hill and the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. During this time, she developed a passion for education-related issues at the local and global level. She had the opportunity to speak with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and voice her concerns for the public education system in the United States. Arne advised her that the best way to make a difference was at the local level, Henna thus turned her attention to grassroots level organizing.
Henna, after college graduation, was hired by President Obama's campaign, as a community organizer. Here, she witnessed first-hand the dynamism of the political process, and through information sessions in the Cerritos area, she was able to address the importance of making education a local priority. After returning home, she immediately noticed the great progress in the schools around the district, but thought that there is still much room for improvement.
Henna says ‘While we have comprehensive growth in our system, I would like to take a targeted approach to make sure that no school gets left behind.’ With difficult times ahead, she is determined to promote fiscal responsibility, transparency, and a firm commitment to cater to the students, parents, teachers, and administrators of our district. Please make sure to get involved in this exciting race by volunteering, campaigning, or just voting.
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School District Board
- Public schools are run by school districts, which are independent special-purpose governments, or dependent school systems, which are under the control of state and local government.
- They are legally separate body corporate and politic.
- School districts are local governments with powers similar to that of a town or a county including taxation and eminent domain
- They appoints a superintendent- a public school administrator as the district's chief executive for all decisions and policies to implement.
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