Meet Karin Shumway, Candidate For SRVUSD School Board

DANVILLE, CA — Patch reached out to all candidates for the SRVUSD Board of Trustees with identical questions about their background and their vision for San Ramon Valley schools. Here are the responses from Karin Shumway, a candidate for Area 2 in Danville.

Responses have not been altered.

1. What is your personal, educational, and professional background?

I have been married 19 years. My husband and I have lived in four states and three countries. We have five kids ages 9-17, 4th grade to senior in high school. I have an Associates of Science in General Studies degree from Brigham Young University Idaho, and I have dedicated my entire adult life to raising my children and serving those around me.

2. How long have you lived in the area?

We moved to San Ramon in the summer of 2013. We had four young kids at the time. My oldest two started Kindergarten and first grade at Twin Creeks Elementary school in our district. We moved out of the country for about 20 months for two separate rotations in Canada and Australia and returned to Danville in November 2015 now with five kids having given birth to our youngest while living in Perth. Our kids have attended five schools in the district, six if you count the preschool program at Monte Vista.

3. What brought you here?

My husband took a position with Chevron after completing his MBA degree. We lived here for nine months, moved out of the country for almost two years, and moved back to Danville as soon as we had the opportunity because we love this community, the geography, and the relative closeness to our family in the Western US. My husband now works remotely for another company, but we have chosen to stay in Danville to raise our family because we are in love with the area and community.

4. How have you been involved in the school district?

My husband and I are both heavily involved in our church services and activities, volunteering countless hours to both our congregation and the broader community outside of the church. I have volunteered at a food bank and distribution center weekly for the past several years in Concord. I have been a room parent multiple times for each of my children, chaperoned a number of field trips and overnight camps, helped at recess duty, and run errands for teachers. I babysit for friends and help get their kids to and from school. I was a scorekeeper for the high school women’s basketball team and a driver for the high school soccer team. I am a treasurer for my daughter’s competitive soccer team and I coach recreation softball for SRVGAL. We attend different events, sports, and productions around town, especially those connected to SRV or our friends’ kids. I have a personal motto of “see a need, meet a need” and try to teach this to my children. I believe this helps me be involved at a deeper level in our community as I am always trying to leave someone better than I found them. If I see someone needing help I do my best to jump in whether they’re stranded in their car, need assistance getting furniture home from Costco, or are upset about something and simply need a friendly smile, hello, or a hug. This is how I try to live my life and it has given me the opportunity to make deep, lasting connections in the community as well as simple positive moments with strangers.

5. What do you feel are some of the biggest challenges facing SRVUSD?

One of my biggest frustrations within the district is the Math program and academic standings in general. Our scores have been dropping consistently and cohorts of students are opting out of in-person classes and opting for online math programs because they are not getting what they need from our schools. Way too many of our students and families are paying for private tutors simply to help their students pass their courses. This is unacceptable. I also find great discomfort in the current financial situation of our district. I understand we are a low funded district from the state, but that does not excuse the fact that we have pivoted from a district with a decent sized surplus to one that is barely breaking even. Our money has been diverted to programs and positions that are not of academic importance and our students are paying the price. I also think one of our challenges in our district is that we are ignoring the demand and voices of families and pushing curriculum or agendas that are not being asked for or supported. (Examples: advanced math options not being offered to students entering middle school without an 80% proficiency on a test covering materials they haven’t been taught. Students used to have the opportunity to enroll in advanced math simply because they wanted to. When asked if they’d prefer a summer course or the option for advanced math, 100% of parents opted for the latter option. Instead of listening to their consumers, the district did the exact opposite, requiring the placement test. The second example is this Ethnic Curriculum the district is trying to mandate pre-graduation. This course would be replacing World Geo and Culture and would become a requirement for graduation. If you read through the slides provided by the district, you will learn that this course has been offered as an elective the past 3 years but was pulled for the 2024-2025 school year due to lack of interest. Once again, we are seeing students and families are NOT interested in this course, but the district is trying to mandate it for all students as a graduation requirement. We are not listening to our families and we are losing sight of core academics.)

6. What are your plans for addressing them?

First, these problems need to be exposed publicly so we can demand change. Teachers should not be protected by tenure or the Union. If they are not meeting curriculum standards or providing a safe and successful environment for students to learn, we need to invest our time and money finding quality teachers of merit to fill our schools. Second, as a trustee I would use my voting privileges and access to budgets to make sure every dollar is accounted for and we are keeping this money closest to the classrooms so teachers and students are given the best opportunities and environments to thrive. I would pay attention and vote against frivolous spending, social programs that aren’t warranted, and extra positions that have historically cost our district millions of dollars without increasing or helping our students succeed.

7. What makes you the best candidate?

I have five kids CURRENTLY in the district- two at the high school, two at the middle school, and one in elementary school. This gives me an inside look into and pulse of what is going on, how the students are doing, and what challenges they are facing. I see and hear things first hand because it is directly impacting my kids, their friends, and my peers. I believe it is important to have diverse opinions on a school board. If we are focused on having everything pass 5-0 that comes through Sacramento, what is the point of having a board? When everyone has the same opinion, there is no conversation, no growth, and no progress. I bring a unique perspective as a parent with kids spaced throughout all education levels as we are experiencing school in our district real time. Parents and teachers are frustrated and feeling like their voices are not heard or valued.

8. Outside of politics, what do you enjoy doing?

Everything I do is “outside of politics.” I am not a politician and this is not something I would consider “enjoyable,” but it is important. What else do I love? My passions are people - I talk to anyone and everyone and love learning their stories. One of my favorite quotes is, “There isn’t a person you wouldn’t love if you could read their whole story.” This quote by Marjorie Hinckley is something I deeply believe and practice. I love being outside - hiking, walking my dog, chilling at the beach, exploring in the mountains, catching up with friends. I am passionate about service and try to keep myself busy daily helping others. I spend a lot of time at home baking (odds are if you stop by my house you’ll be offered a cookie fresh out of the oven). My favorite pastime is dating my husband and cheering on our kids at their sports together. I don’t have favorite places - I have my favorite people and when I am with my favorite people, it becomes my favorite place.

9. Any other comments?

Running for the school board was never on my radar. It came up organically in conversation with friends and I felt in my soul I was being called to get involved. I believe I would be a great trustee for our district because this is personal for me. I want the best education and environment for my children to succeed and be prepared for life after high school. I also believe I would make a great trustee because I am respectful and work well with others, even those I do not agree with. I find it extremely important to have difficult conversations and hear multiple perspectives. When we are willing to do this we learn more about each other and have the opportunity for personal growth as well. I am grateful for this opportunity to serve the community. It is important to get involved. I would love the opportunity to make a positive impact on our community and our schools.