It has been an honor to serve as your trustee on the Alameda Board of Education these past eight years. During the 2014 election, many concerns centered around the strained relations with our community and labor groups. The board has come a long way in eight years as we have work collaboratively with our collective bargaining units, formed committees with our students, teachers, parents and community members to discuss our enrollment, homework, and later start times for secondary education. This year, under the leadership of our board president, we have created a transparent and public process of analyzing and reviewing our budget to ensure we meet our priorities with public input of our stakeholders. I am a local Asian-American Alamedan who attended Otis Elementary, Lincoln Middle, Alameda High and Encinal High School. The exposure I received through the Alameda schools laid the foundation for my long standing commitment to public education. As a Lincoln Middle School student, I began attending school board meetings as a result of a civic assignment for social studies. My attendance at these meetings allowed me to understand the important role the school board played in shaping policy for the district. As a student, I appreciated the times school board members Anne Muir, Lois Hanna, and Barbara Borden spent sharing their values about AUSD. In high school, I was the teacher’s aide for the Social Science Department under Don Perata. On numerous occasions, he spoke to me about civic engagement and the importance of being involved. It was these experiences as a student that played a large part in my desire to serve my community in the future. I received my undergraduate degree in Accounting and Finance from the Haas School of Business at U.C. Berkeley. At graduation, I was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society. My graduate degree is from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University where I was awarded the Regent Scholarship.
As an Accounting Professor, I taught Managerial Accounting, Cost Accounting, Financial Accounting, and Financial Analysis for Business Proposals. I am a accountant and have served as Director of Finance and Controller for several companies and have a strong understanding of budgets and the importance of accountability in our expenditures. As a parent, I have been active volunteer in my children’s schools:
Bay Farm School – School Site Council Parent Representative, Lunch Supervisor, Room Parent, Math Tutor, Principal SelectionCommittee
Lincoln Middle School – School Site Council Chairperson, English Language Advisory Committee Parliamentarian, PTA Financial Secretary, Principal Selection Committee, Math Tutor
Alameda High School – School Site Council Chairperson
Encinal High School – School Site Council Parent Representative
In addition, I co-founded a local youth basketball and volleyball club that provides year round sports opportunities for over 300 Bay Area youths annually. I currently serve as a Board Member for the Community of Harbor Bay Isle and Columbia Homeowner’s Association and President (14 years). Previously, I was on the Sandpiper Cove Homeowner’s Association board for 4 years. I was team parent on my son’s Alameda Youth Basketball team and served as team manager on his Buena Vista United Methodist Church basketball team. I appreciate your support to meet the challenge of providing our children with the highest quality education. The needs of our students must come first. I respectfully ask for your vote.
Gary Lym for School Board
875-A Island Drive #188
Alameda, CA, 94502
FFPC#1451095
(510) 298-1280
Gary4AlamedaKids@gmail.com