Andre Gao

Education I will support every student to have the opportunity and the help needed to thrive. Students at all levels and every field of study should be treated equally. Education I will support providing special education students with enhanced teaching and support systems so they can be successful once they graduate and enter society. Education I will review the school maintenance inspection reports, engineer recommendations, make sure the ranking of maintenance and renovation priorities are set correctly, and expedite the completion of high-priority maintenance & renovation works. Education I will also propose that local businesses join with HCPSS to provide career-readiness training and apprenticeship programs for the students who choose to enter into the workforce right after high school so they can successfully launch their career. Education I will encourage the communities to join forces in providing free online tutoring for the academically-challenged yet willing-to-learn students. Education I will utilize my financial industry experience to study the alternative solutions to financing school construction project to ensure the benefits of the proposed financing outweigh the costs. Education My thorough review of our operating budget will enable us to optimize our school budget and deliver best value to our students. I will also carefully analyze the county and state budgets to advocate the appropriate amount of resources for our school system. Currently certain portions of our county and state budgets come with restrictions on where the money can be spent. I will review how these restrictions limit us from meeting the unique needs of HCPSS, and request flexibility on lifting these restrictions when money can more efficiently spent. With our budget under efficient and prudent management, we will be able to put our school system on an upward and sustainable path. Education I will also be open to seeking industry expertise on identifying more efficient construction designs and technologies that can lower the costs of renovating and expanding aging schools, and constructing new schools. Education I will propose to conduct recurring reviews of our school curriculum, collect inputs from the successful industry leaders and successful alumni of our school system, and incorporate these inputs to update our school curriculum. Education I will advocate for a system of mentorship for aspiring students to learn more beyond the curriculum provided by the schools. Education I will analyze the over capacity issue of our schools and present the severity of this issue to the county and state officials to advocate the appropriate capital budget to address our overcapacity problem. Taxes / Budget I will diligently review the HCPSS operating budget and recommend efficient distribution of the funding. Every line item has a cost, but there should be a value and benefit assigned to each.