Andrea Zimmerman

Andrea Zimmerman has worked within RJUHSD for over 20 years, working as a professional development specialist for the district and county, and assistant principal at Oakmont up until her retirement in 2018. Zimmerman emphasized her community service work, volunteering with agencies such as Wellness Together and Just Serve. As a resident of the Granite Bay community for 30 years, Zimmerman has seen her children and grandchildren pass through the district as well.

Why are you running for the board?

“I want to support the community by helping the graduates from our district feel they are well prepared to go out and serve in the world and then their future communities; it does nothing but help build us as a community as well. I really enjoy helping the community and working and I felt like there is one thing that I know, and that is schools and how schools work, and I feel I could support that.”

What are some changes/policies you would hope to implement if elected?

“I’m a real believer in data. I especially like to know if students are learning, and if they might not be, let’s figure out why and get them assistance. That means probably expanding interventions, helping students that might have mental health needs through student counselors. I know (the district) already does a lot of this, but maybe we can beef that up depending on what our data shows, how many kids are in need that don’t feel their needs are being met because if kids are having mental health issues they can’t really learn to the best of their ability.”

How do you work to represent the Granite Bay district as a board member?

“The most important thing is that I will be a listener. So as people had issues that arose, something came up they didn’t like, that I would be able to listen and maybe provide or help them get solutions for the benefit of their students. I would have an open door policy to listen to anyone that would like to communicate with me. When you talk to people and hear their perspective, that’s always the best way to find out the issues that need to be addressed.”

Stance on RJUHSD’s COVID-19 Response

“I think the school district did a great job to try to keep us protected; they tried to listen, stay on point, get the latest research, and they opened as soon as they could. I think that we need to be careful that we protect people, and our staff and students as well, and we wouldn’t want to make the wrong decision and cause some catastrophe, so again I think they did an excellent job.”

Stance on Critical Race Theory (CRT)

“I think no matter what is taught that every person should never feel like they’re being personally blamed, singled out, criticized or anything like that. I think that we should be able to talk about controversial subjects in an organized professional manner that isn’t offensive to anyone – and even if it’s about things that maybe not everyone should agree with, that it still can be respectful, that people can agree to disagree, and not have it get heated up or have anyone bashed. I believe that one of the great purposes of education is to really understand different perspectives of the world, and that it can be respectful, kind and non-accusatory or demoralizing in any sense.”

Why should Granite Bay vote for you?

“I’ve been (in the district) for 30 years. I’ve worked in a lot of different arenas to prepare me uniquely to serve on the school board. I don’t think there’s very many people in the whole area that have the experiences that I do. I really want to be the best public servant that I can to help all the students of my great community. That’s the reason why I’m doing it, because I care about the students and I want them to have the best education possible.”