Dan Flores Kicks Off School Board Re-Election Campaign

Colton Joint Unified School District (CJUSD) trustee Dan Flores kicked off his re-election campaign Thursday evening, Feb. 27 in Colton, at the Hampton Inn Suites in the Dominguez Plaza. Flores, who was elected to the school board in a special election just over a year ago, greeted friends, family, and fellow school board and community members interested in hearing his goals for the district. In a nearly 20 minute speech, Flores touched on several goals and discussed why he feels education is important. “The goal has to be changing the lives of the students we serve,” he said. “We’re looking to do things differently in this district. We are committed to not only helping our kids graduate, but to become successful in life.” The school district is helping do this in several ways, Flores said, including adopting a Cradle-to-Career program, which prepares students with knowledge and skills for either higher education or the work force. In an unprecedented agreement between CJUSD and Cal State San Bernardino, qualifying CJUSD students are given priority admission into CSUSB, and an agreement with the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) helps build a foundation for students not looking to attend college that will allow them to successfully transfer from high school directly into the workforce. Flores pointed to district statistics to further stress what he felt is the importance of a well-rounded education for students. He said, “Eighty percent of our kids…are low income. Many are at or below the poverty level… For these kids, the only way we can ensure that they’re going to be successful, and that they’re going to break that cycle of poverty…is giving them an education. We know that education will open the door and empower them beyond what their parents and probably grandparents ever envisioned. Educated folks do what? They tend to vote more, they tend to volunteer their time and their resources, and they tend to participate in their community more. We’re building citizens, not just workers.” Flores also discussed his ambition and drive for education—currently serving as the Chief of Staff for San Bernardino County Supervisor Josie Gonzales, Flores holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University, a master’s degree in theological studies from Harvard Divinity School and a master’s in public administration from USC—and disclosed that he knew firsthand the challenges of under financed students face. Flores’s father, Danny Flores Sr., said, “He did everything on his own. As a father, I could teach him how to be honest and hardworking. He’s made me proud. (Dan) knew as a little boy what he wanted to do, and he knew as a little boy what it would take to get into college,” he said. Flores closed, “The truth of the matter is, in life, for the most part, if you work hard and you commit yourself to something, in this country, you can make it happen. And all you need is somebody to open a door. I never asked for a handout, simply an opportunity. And that’s what my education gave me. That’s what this school district gave me, that’s what my education at Georgetown gave me: an opportunity. And I want that for every student in this district.”