BREAKING: Reina Robinson Launches Campaign for Vallejo City Unified School District Trustee

(VALLEJO, CA) – Reina Robinson announced her candidacy for the Vallejo City Unified School District’s newly created Trustee Area 2 today, along with a major community endorsement from Vallejo Girls Youth Empowerment Group. Her candidacy for VCUSD Trustee Area 2 comes nearly two years after the City of Vallejo was found to be in violation of the California Voting Rights Act.

“The California Voting Rights Act was passed because black and brown communities were being denied the opportunity to elect representation of their choosing at the local level,” said Robinson. “I’m running for VCUSD Trustee Area 2 in part because I want to give Vallejo’s black and brown communities a choice when it comes to who’s making decisions about our youth.”

Indeed, African Americans, Latinos, and Asians make up roughly 67% of Vallejo’s residents and nearly 85% of VCUSD’s enrollment.[i] [ii] Yet, only two members of VCUSD’s current Board of Education are people of color, and Trustee Area 2’s current incumbent was appointed in 2019, not elected.

To make matters worse, recent nationwide protests calling for the elimination of racial bias from public institutions have only highlighted VCUSD’s shortcomings for its predominantly black and brown students. In fact, roughly 1 in 4 VCUSD students dropped out of school last year, with over half of those who dropped out being African American or Latino.[iii] Among those who graduated, only 2 in 5 met the minimum requirements to enter California’s UC and CSU university systems.[iv] Parents have even begun transferring their children out of the troubled school district, which has caused VCUSD to lose over $36 million.

Robinson, a Youth Services Specialist with the Contra Costa County Office of Education, spends her workday offering school re-enrollment, college guidance and career development services to juvenile justice-involved youth. Her everyday work with these students drives her desire to 1 see VCUSD put forth more effort to affect the future outcomes of her hometown’s at-risk youth.

“Disparities in achievement threaten the future of Vallejo, particularly for our black and brown youth,” commented Robinson. “If I’m elected, it’ll be my mission to close the achievement gap and get our students back on track by advocating for more effective use of state funds made available for early intervention programs that tackle absenteeism, barriers to pre-K education, and more.”

Robinson also noted that her candidacy comes amid concerns about the health and safety of students and employees during the global pandemic.

“VCUSD is not only a place of learning for thousands of students, it’s a top-ten employer in Solano County,” added Robinson. “I’m passionate about the vitality of our community, and I want to make sure that our students are achieving, that our employees are thriving, and that everyone is doing it safely—especially during the current pandemic.”

Robinson is a graduate of the California State University, East Bay, with a B.A. in Ethnic Studies and a M.A. in Communications. In her spare time, Robinson runs the non-profit Center for Urban Excellence, whose mission is to foster resilience and educate juvenile justice involved youth about economic and social opportunities to help get their lives back on track.

Reina Robinson’s campaign is endorsed by Chayla Gibson, Sr,. Managing Director and Founding Member of Caliber: ChangeMakers Academy, Nadine Davis and Orlando Graham of Vallejo Girls Youth Empowerment Group, Lowanda West-Brown, VCUSD High School Education Specialist and Jeff Katz, Academic Services Coordinator for Griffin Technology Academies.

For more information on Reina Robinson’s candidacy for VCUSD Trustee Area 2, please contact Reina Robinson at vote4reina [at] gmail.com, 707-339-7990 or visit reinarobinson.com.