Letter: Candidate explains why he's running for School Board Trustee

To the South Shore community: My name is Troy Matthews and I am thrilled to announce my candidacy for Lake Tahoe Unified School District Board of Education in Trustee Area 4. My wife Rae and I honeymooned in South Tahoe and decided not to leave. We have fallen in love with this community and have taken active roles in many different local organizations. I work for Tahoe Youth & Family Services, one of the oldest local non-profit organizations in the region serving at-risk and underprivileged youth in South Lake Tahoe. I am a graduate of the Leadership Lake Tahoe program and sit on the Board for the Tahoe Regional Young Professionals, the Progress For Tahoe Steering Committee, and I am Project Director for the South Tahoe Drug Free Coalition.

Prior to working for Tahoe Youth, I was a teacher in an inpatient adolescent treatment center in Los Angeles. I was responsible for educating and helping graduate youth who had been removed from their traditional school environment for alcohol and drug use and severe emotional disorders. While teaching full-time I earned a Master’s Degree from George Washington University.

I believe strongly in local control of schools. I want high standards for our students, but I want students to learn real world skills, not just how to pass a standardized test. That is why I am thrilled with the CTE programs at the high school as well as the Spanish Immersion Program. I want a renewed emphasis on humanities education, with a priority on civics and what it means to be a citizen of our nation and of the world. I want to protect and expand arts education and make sure every student has the opportunity to discover their inner creative voice.

I am running for School Board to fight for every child, regardless of their background, because I believe a good education is a human right.