Rachel Silverman Nemeth is a 21-year Redondo Beach resident who grew up in San Diego where she attended public schools. Rachel is married to her high school sweetheart, John Nemeth. Rachel and John have now been married 22 years and are the parents of Hannah (18) and Will (16), both of whom have attended elementary, middle, and high school in the Redondo Beach Unified School District (RBUSD). Hannah graduated from Redondo Union High School (RUHS) as the 2020 Valedictorian and is currently attending Northwestern University; Will is currently a Junior on the RUHS  soccer team and aspires to attend a four year university. Rachel also has two nieces, Maggie (9) and Brooke (7), who are enrolled in RBUSD.  

Rachel is a partner and family law attorney at Voss, Silverman & Braybrooke, LLP in  Marina del Rey. Rachel’s passion for supporting children and families began during her college years at UC Davis, where she double majored in psychology and child  development. Her educational background prepared her to advise family law clients and  keep the best interests of children in mind. Rachel’s involvement in RBUSD spans 13 years, having served on the School Site Council at Lincoln Elementary for three years and currently serving her fifth year on the School Site Council at RUHS. Rachel has been  an annual PTA member, served in an executive PTA role, and is an active RBEF  supporter. In her spare time, Rachel enjoys spending time with her family, taking her yellow labrador retriever for walks around the neighborhood, and spending time in Sun Valley, Idaho.

I’m a parent of 3rd and 6th graders in RBUSD and I’m running for the RBUSD Board of Education because elections have consequences and we need experienced leaders who know how to work with the entire educational community.  I’m running to ensure our schools provide the best education possible for all our children. My wife and I grew up in the South Bay and have been part of this community our entire lives.

With a degree in Computer Science and career in IT, I understand how difficult distance learning has been and the importance of in-person education. I understand the social and emotional loss our families have been through and the learning loss we need to recover from. I believe that community support for our schools is critical to the success of our children and will strive to ensure the continued cooperation of our entire school community. 

More than ever during these difficult times it's critical to have seasoned leaders who know how to work with competing interests and find pragmatic solutions to the incredible challenges we face. I’m a candidate who can work with and represent everyone to build on and enhance the educational excellence of our schools.

Unprecedented problems challenge the District's hard earned reputation for exceptional academic achievement.

My track record reflects a commitment to fair, pragmatic solutions that balance conflicting priorities. With the broad support of parents, teachers, and elected leaders citywide I believe I can win this election and keep our District moving forward.

The Board should serve as the primary public forum for discussion of educational issues.  Community input is indispensable, we cannot make decisions in a vacuum.

Our primary goal right now should be to recover from the impacts of the pandemic on our school community.  We know that distance learning is bad for children, for parents, and for teachers.  For too long it’s been the least bad option available. Reversing the consequences of this horrific pandemic will require:

• Mitigating learning loss
• Addressing the psychological impact of social and emotional distress

We need a comprehensive, data driven solution. Reliable data enables us to identify real problems and invest in the appropriate responses with confidence. Comprehending the extent of academic, social, and emotional trauma informs

• solutions to support teachers, students, families, and administrators
• the allocation of resources to solve underlying problems, not mere symptoms

We need to safely reopen schools so our kids can thrive again.

As a teacher’s husband and parent of two young boys, I‘m deeply familiar with the challenges that teachers, students and parents are facing.  I have a personal stake in the quality and success of our schools.

While we continue to emerge from restrictions, the many conflicting demands will require leadership, insight and analysis that I will bring to the School Board.  I’ll work to improve communication and outreach, increase transparency, and ensure students and teachers are safe.

I will work to minimize overcrowding through better coordination with the city on policies that impact our schools.  I’ll advocate for increased state funding to improve student-teacher ratios, assuring our students the best possible education.  I fully support that investment in our schools creates greater prosperity for everyone.  

My Prioritues:

Reopening Our Schools Safely

• Working closely with administrators and teachers to support the opening of schools so that students, teachers and staff are all safe, based on up-to-date public health protocols
• Ensuring that our children are positively supported during distance learning, including providing both physical and emotional reviews

Preparing Students for the 21st Century

• Working with staff to emphasize curriculum that prepares our students for higher education and the changing workforce in technical and creative fields
• Educating students to be well-rounded and model citizens, not just test takers

Building Trust between Educators and Administrators

• Involve teachers in decision making, including ways to enhance teaching with technology
• Ensuring that our teachers are motivated and compensated in order to attract and retain the best teachers available

Fighting for School Funding

• Keeping education funding in the classroom, where it belongs
• Securing all potential State funding, including regaining local funding lost when funding allocation formula was changed years ago

A few years ago, I became more aware of politics and current events. I privately sought a way to be involved locally that could make a big impact. Pre-pandemic, I had underestimated the role of schools within the greater community. After the pandemic started, I quickly realized how significantly schools impacted everyday community life. I felt compelled to come off the sidelines, and decided to just jump in.

I am your independent, crossover candidate. I have no entrenched ties to any group nor am focused on just 1-2 issues; instead, I am in the trenches with everyone:

• I am your teacher's husband: my wife of 10 years, Denise, has been a teacher in TUSD for 20 years; my brother and sister-in-law are teachers.
• I am your educator: with a bachelor of science and master of engineering from Cornell and architecture from Harvard, I taught at Otis College, UCLAx, and FIDM.
• I am your small business owner: I founded BLANKSPACES coworking; my parents were small business owners.
• I am your parent: I have 2 kids who attend Tulita Elementary.
• I am your community leader: I have led community organizations for decades ever since becoming an Eagle Scout.
• I am your community responder: I am certified as a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) by the City of LA.

I listen to all sides, because I've been on all sides.

I listen, learn, then lead.

A vote for me is a vote for us.

I have a Bachelor of Arts degree from UNC. I have worked in the accounting field for my over 30 year career. I have been an Accounting Manager, Controller and currently Senior Director of Operations. I feel that my background will be extremely helpful to ensure that the board always stays within the budget. I have always worked for small businesses and budgeting and cash management is an essential part of what I did well. 

I believe that communities  should take care of each other. Especially marginalized folks. Resources should be shared to ensure needs are met for all.  

I am a parent to three boys in Redondo schools and I am married to a USC professor. Since we came to live in Redondo Beach in 2005, I have been throughly involved in our community as a volunteer and as a leader. Having enjoyed being a docent for many years, I was Chair of South Bay Hands on Art for a two year term, providing parent-led art education to 10,000 students in public and private schools. I have been a leader in the PTA, serving on the Alta Vista Board for five years, currently as President, and I have been recognised with an Honorary Service Award.

As a founder of South Bay Down Syndrome Association (now Club 21 South Bay), I united families on their shared journey in raising a child with Down syndrome. The difficulties that families faced in accessing inclusive education led me to organise a local conference called Making Inclusion Better, attended by over 100 parents, teachers and administrators. That event launched me into advocacy for systemic change in special education and I began to study the structural and funding incentives that go into special education decision-making. As a board member with CalTASH I have learned a great deal from working with educationalists, service providers and other parent advocates in the field of disability. In August I was accepted at USC/CHLA's UCEDD CA-LEND program, a leadership program in the field of Neurodiversity, as a Parent to Parent Family Support Fellow, learning about developmental disabilities and working with professionals in child and maternal health to ensure a family-centered perspective.

Before having a family, I was a university educator in Political Studies and Philosophy in the UK and for the Civic Education Project in Eastern Europe, teaching students about democracy and human rights. I completed a two year in-service educator credential in Learning and Teaching. I have a BA from Oxford University in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, an MA in Legal and Political Theory from University College London and a PHD from the University of Manchester in Government.

I believe that public education is an essential part of a democracy, providing all children with an opportunity to fulful their potential and contribute to our community. Our schools reflect our community and teach, not only academic skills, but also how we get along.

Learning is a social activity. Children learn not only at desks in classrooms but when they are playing tag and on swings and making and even breaking friendships. They learn as much from each other as they do from the adults that structure their school day.

Inclusion is not a program or a teaching strategy but a right. No child should feel unwelcome in our schools because of race, gender, sexuality, religion, poverty or disability. Inclusion is an active process, not just inviting a student and their family in, but changing our enviroment to accomodate their difference. The challenge is to provide sufficient support that the experience is meaningful and sustainable.

Education in the 21st century needs to be focused on the four C's: Creativity, Communication, Collaboration and Critical Thinking in order to prepare our students for the future.

A strong community is an essential support for families and a major factor in school success. It doesn't happen by accident, only through the hard work of committed volunteers. Active parent engagment in schools must be authentic and two-way to be an anchor for successful schools.

"...as many hands build a house,. So many hearts make a school"

I am a daughter of immigrants from El Salvador. After immigrating to the United States in the late sixties, my parents settled in Ventura County. As farm workers, my parents worked very hard to rise above language and poverty barriers and believed in a better future for themselves and their children. My parents instilled in me the importance to pursue education, to always keep learning, to recognize when I need to listen, and when to take action.

I am a firm believer in education. I’m first generation of my family to attend college in the United States. I am a UCLA graduate and have a degree in Political Science and Spanish. I also have a Juris Doctorate from Ventura College of Law.

Professionally, I started my career in insurance and worked for Farmers Insurance. I joined the Los Angeles Unified School District in the mid 2000s. I worked in Risk Management and Procurement at LAUSD for 10 years, allowing me to develop a deep understanding of budget constraints and the nuanced approach required to get things done in a school district. This experience taught me that communication and parent input is critical to our success. I left LAUSD in 2012 when my third child was born and I decided to invest in my children at home.

My husband and I purchased our home in Redondo Beach in 2005. As a parent of three RBUSD Spanish Immersion students, I became a part of the school community in 2014. I believe in advocating for our children, supporting our teachers, and administrators. I developed strong relationships with our school community and have devoted my time as a PTA Executive Board Member, classroom volunteer and room parent.

My devotion to children and education led me to found a non-profit Dual Immersion Foundation in 2019 (Dual Immersion Foundation – A Non Profit). I am passionate about diverse, equitable, and inclusive educational opportunities for all students. My policy priorities include safely returning students to in-class learning, identifying learning loss & resources, and overall wellness engagement, among many other critical educational policy and funding issues.

I would like to know how I can represent you as a School Board Member so please contact me at Margotrone4RBUSDschoolboard@gmail.com.

Follow my journey here: https://tinyurl.com/Margo4RBUSD