Editor, Ceres Courier,

As an educator, I have been working in the Oakdale Joint Unified School District office since 2001, and as assistant superintendent since 2012. Like so many others, I endorse Don Davis for Stanislaus County Superintendent of Schools. When you're in education, you hear about lots of faddish, flash-in-the-pan reform efforts that start, lose steam and collapse. This can breed cynicism.

Even success stories that cannot be replicated aren't much help. Fifteen years ago, I went to a conference in Anaheim, and the keynote speaker was a man named Don Davis from a city called "Waterford," and he had pushed his school to achieve the highest growth in test scores in the entire state of California.

I was raised in Waterford and live there now. As I listened to him speak, I thought, "Finally, here's a reform story based on simple, doable strategies that can be repeated and can actually work in my district too!" Don Davis has a vision and strategy to create real, measurable, sustained results. As the only candidate with a doctorate in education, he uses science to improve decision-making. He's a leader among leaders. Don Davis is the best candidate.

Kristi Rapinchuk,
Asst. Superintendent,
Oakdale Jt. Unified School Dist.

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