County Funding Gives Students a ‘Lift’ to Math Success
SAN JOSE – The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors has agreed to support the Jose Valdés Math Foundation (JVMF) with a one-time grant that enables JVMF to provide bus transportation for Mountain View Whisman School District (MVWSD) students enrolled in the Valdés Math Common Core Summer Academy Program at West Valley College in Saratoga. The grant was proposed by County Supervisor Joe Simitian.
The County’s support enables 112 MVWSD students from low-income families to travel to and from the West Valley campus for three consecutive summers (starting this summer). MVWSD is unable to provide summer transportation services due to budgetary constraints. Simitian said, “Getting these kids the help they need seemed pretty basic to me. I’m glad our County was able to give these students a lift, literally and figuratively.”
“I’m really pleased that our County can be a part of the solution, making sure these kids are given the very best chance to succeed in math,” said Simitian. “Getting these students the math help they need pays big dividends over time,” he said. “This is yet another time when we can do so much more if we partner with others, if everybody just takes a piece of the problem to solve.”
JVMF has partnered with MVWSD for the past 10 years to provide a Common Core Summer Academy Program for students in grades 3 to 7 who do not meet or nearly meet math standards. MVWSD students eligible for the program are “those who are eligible and/or receiving federal and/or state food subsidies or are members of families who meet federal income/poverty guidelines.” Math instruction is delivered over 24 days at West Valley College.
“Valdés Math strives to contribute to the development of the whole student by advancing their math skills and enabling them to flourish in a diverse community,” said Robert Escobar, Executive Director of José Valdés Math Foundation. “We’re grateful for the County’s support as it will allow us to deliver high-quality math instruction to deserving youth residing in District Five for the next three summers.”
Since its founding in 1989 by Cuban immigrant and high school math teacher, Jose Valdés, JVMF has provided math curriculum to more than 25,000 elementary, middle school, and high school-age lower-income, ethnically diverse students in Santa Clara County. The goal of JVMF is for its students to pass calculus successfully before graduation from high school.
JVMF’s math instruction programming is carried out in partnership with five school districts and provides a full year of math curriculum during the summer. The programming is aligned with California State Common Core Standards and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. JVMF is currently pursuing University of California A-G accreditation.
“The program has left an indelible mark on the lives of our students and their families, as it has provided needed summer enrichment and math instruction to meet the specific needs of the attendees,” said Geoff Chang, Director of Federal, State, and Strategic Programs at MVWSD. “The funds from the County will allow staff to dedicate more of their time towards continuous improvement of the program.”
To learn more about JVMF, visit: https://valdesmath.org/.