Caitlin for Petaluma City Schools

I am the product of Petaluma City Schools.

I have lived in Petaluma since I was 6 months old, only leaving to obtain my undergraduate degree. I spent toddlerhood learning to walk in downtown Petaluma, entertaining myself by running up the historical library steps. I attended Learning to Learn, Sonoma Mountain Elementary School, Kenilworth Junior High School, and Casa Grande High School before earning my Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley, where I studied Political Science, Public Policy, and Ethnic Studies. Because of my education, I am passionate about keeping quality public education accessible to all residents of Petaluma. I feel blessed to have received a top-notch education from passionate educators in the public sphere from kindergarten through college.

Ever since I was a student at UC Berkeley, I wanted to run for political office. Ever since the 2016 general election, I knew I needed to run for office sooner rather than later. I first considered running for School Board in late 2017 when so many of the amazing teachers I learned so much from were forced to strike just to be heard. I felt even more strongly about running when community members had to attend a School Board meeting where they pleaded with the Board to take concrete action to keep ICE off of campuses here in Petaluma. With the help of this incredible community, I won one of the three seats on the school board alongside two women who have become two of my best friends, Mady Cloud and Joanna Paun.

We have accomplished a lot in four years, but there is a lot more to do.

First of all: nothing we have done has been done without the hard work of teachers, students, families, staff, and administrators. I will list the work we are proudest of, but not one of us on the Board believes we are singlehandedly responsible. We are all so lucky to have an incredible community of staff, students, and families in Petaluma City Schools to make the work possible.