Jen Corn
Jen Corn, a former Berkeley Unified School District educator and administrator, is stepping into a new role as an elected member of the BUSD Board of Directors, bringing with her a wealth of experience, relationships, and a fresh perspective on the challenges and opportunities within the district.
“I know firsthand what it takes to train and support every teacher, and I’ll be able to offer good suggestions and ideas in a way that will be successful and have good outcomes for the district and for the kids,” Corn said.
Corn’s campaign was based on her principle values: equity, belonging, and stability.
“Equity, to me, is about focusing on core classroom instruction so that we’re accelerating students’ achievement for everyone, but most of all for students of color, students with disabilities, and students who are learning English,” Corn said, “Belonging is making sure that our schools are places that are LGBTQIA+ inclusive, anti-racist, affirming, and welcoming communities. It’s also important that we have strong partnerships between schools and families.”
Her last value, stability, is ensuring that the district can hire and retain high quality admin, while staying within budgetary restraints. Corn expressed her hopes to do her best in serving as a helpful and progressive school board director in the years to come.
“I ended up buying pins and stickers, which are the high school equivalent of yard signs, to advertise to youth,” Corn explained. Elected in the first year after the approval of Vote 16, a bill that allows 16-year-olds to vote for school board members, Corn actively planned events and developed strategies to get the support of teenagers.
“I had the opportunity to connect with groups like Youth & Government and participate in a student-hosted candidate forum at Berkeley High (School), which was fantastic,” Corn said.
In her years before joining the school board, Corn was an educator in BUSD for over a decade. She worked at Sylvia Mendez Elementary School, previously named LeConte, where she was a dual immersion teacher from 2005 to 2009. From 2009 to 2011, Corn worked as a literacy coach at Rosa Parks Elementary School. Later, she was an elementary school principal at Oxford Elementary School from 2011-13 and Thousand Oaks Elementary School from 2013-18. Currently, Corn is serving as the Director of School Improvement for the Oakland Unified School District. The Director of School Improvement is responsible for leading and overseeing the development and implementation of strategies to enhance student achievement across the school district. Corn believes that her experience as a former teacher and administrator uniquely positions her to understand the needs of students and educators, which will help her give them the support they need. According to Corn, her experience has given her an appreciation for the nuances involved in implementing policy, such as resource allocation and communication, which she believes is crucial for effective governance. Corn has set her sights on addressing Berkeley’s achievement gap. She has expressed her commitment to ensuring that the district hires quality teachers that make sure that the kids are learning to fit their specific needs.
“The key element that provides a good education for kids is having strong staff and teachers,” Corn said, “It’s important to prioritize compensation and benefits for teachers and staff because we have to recruit and retain good teachers.”
Believing that teachers are the foundation of the school district, Corn emphasizes prioritizing staff pay in budget decisions. “I love Berkeley. I love Berkeley kids and Berkeley schools and Berkeley teachers,” Corn said, “That’s why I decided to run for the school board.”
Ana Vadudeo
Ana Vasudeo, a Berkeley Unified School District parent and community member, got re-elected to serve her second term as one of the BUSD Board of Directors, along with Jen Corn. Vasudeo was first elected in 2020.
During her previous term, Vasudeo advocated for results-oriented budgeting with data-driven evaluations to protect program quality amid budget cuts. She led the campaign for Measure H, securing funding that supports nearly 20 percent of the district’s budget. She also prioritized school safety by coordinating transportation efforts to ensure students arrive safely at school and establishing BUSD’s Safety Committee and advanced inclusivity through the Multilingual Learner Master Plan and resolutions supporting LGBTQIA+, Latinx, and AAPI students. She resolved teacher parking issues at BHS, avoiding the construction of a $28 million parking structure, and collaborated to improve parking for educators. She also championed Special Education by leading the investment for data systems to evaluate and monitor student success, sponsoring Disability Awareness Month, and creating a Disability Equity Advisory Committee.
With the Vote 16 initiative, Vasudeo used new outreach efforts to reach youth.
“We had student canvassers out almost every weekend talking to voters about my candidacy,” Vasudeo said, “I also worked closely with my youth commissioner and other BHS students to get out the vote for the school board race.” She explained how the changes to the voting system pushed her to interact more with the BHS community, and how she enjoyed getting involved with students.
BUSD is currently facing significant budget cuts due to decreasing student enrollment and increasing costs, creating an estimated deficit of eight million dollars for the 2024-25 school year. These financial challenges can lead to reduction in staff, cuts from programs, and larger class sizes, impacting the quality of district-wide education.
“I do feel the need to focus more on our district’s budget as we prepare for upcoming budget cuts at the state and local level,” Vasudeo said. Some ways she plans to achieve this are ensuring fiscal transparency and accountability by working closely with district committees and stakeholders to prioritize spending and complete a strategic plan to guide decisions, closing the opportunity gap. “I will work closely with our Ed services staff to push for us to properly evaluate programs which serve our Black and Brown students and our students with disabilities,” Vasudeo said, “During my second term, I would like to focus on uplifting the needs of our special education students and their families.” Vasudeo also plans to continue to work with the community, especially high school students, to secure safety funding, establish a BUSD Safety Committee, and create a district-wide Safety Coordinator position. “At the end of the day, I am serving to ensure that we are offering the students the best educational opportunities for your future and I’d love to be able to uplift student voices in these important budgeting decisions,” Vasudeo said.
Finally, she wishes to continue being a champion for Safe Routes to School. “As a transportation planner, I will fight to ensure that our students and staff can get to school safely and sustainably,” Vasudeo said. In the past, she worked with Safe Routes to School’s collaborators to support pedestrian and bicycle safety near school sites.
Vasudeo expressed how she sees her role on the board as more than just an elected position — it’s a privilege and responsibility she deeply values.
“It’s an honor for me to serve you not only as your Berkeley School Board director but as a member of the California Latino School Boards Association,” Vasudeo said, “Every one of you (BHS students) inspires me to serve on the school board.”