LETTER TO THE EDITOR: An endorsement for Saldana

Dear Editor:

As a Downey resident for over 40 years, I have experienced many changes along the way.

Through my college years and early adulthood, I lived away from my hometown for nine years then returned in 1990 as a new parent. It has been my family’s first good fortune to successfully raise two children who went from K-12 grades in the Downey public schools, then both graduated from UCSB and went on to grad schools. A good measure of the credit goes to our amazing Downey teachers.

Now, we are blessed to relive that experience with our 9-year-old twins, who luckily have had many of the same talented and dedicated teachers our adult kids had so many years ago. The Downey school system has always been a point of pride for me as a parent. While many of my friends and colleagues in the Los Angeles area have their kids in private school by apparent necessity, Downey residents are fortunate to have good public schools here.

While I still believe our district is good, I also know it can be even better. After decades of being run by essentially the same individuals, the citizens of Downey should be cognizant of the danger of becoming stagnant. Now is the time to infuse the system with new, fresh ideas, from someone critically invested as a parent with children attending school in our district. That is why I support Linda Saldana for Downey School Board, District 4. 

Linda Saldana is a brilliant, award-winning journalist who has the intellect and wherewithal to bring enriching programs and needed grants to our district. Her years of experience in both print and broadcast media makes her uniquely qualified to grasp the ever-changing, technology-based world that we must educate our kids to succeed in. Her modern world experience will help improve the quality of Downey’s educational programs in so many ways.

She has invested a great deal of time and energy on art-based projects, bringing local artists and students together to enrich the arts programs at a time when other schools are all but eliminating it. Linda Saldana has proven herself to be a motivating and tireless leader as the Price Elementary PTA President, now in the second year of her term. Linda’s leadership has boosted parent involvement and her focus on art-related initiatives has enriched the Price community immensely.

But her most important quality is being a dedicated mother. Her motherhood is the fire beneath her passion to bring our community’s children the very best educational opportunities possible. Currently having children in the school system is one qualification both of Linda’s opponents’ lack.

As a DUSD board member, Linda Saldana will be a true advocate for parents and their kids in school today. She knows the issues of today’s students and parents because she is a part of it now.

Please join me in supporting Linda Saldana on November 3rd for Downey School Board, District 4, so we can make our good Downey schools better, now and for our children’s future. 

Susan DiLoreto Neff, Esq.