Dear Clayton Valley Governing Board, Clayton Valley Community, and Contra Costa County Office of Education,

We, the undersigned members of the Clayton Valley Education Association (CVEA) and Clayton Valley Classified Association (CVCA), are writing as educators and professionals committed to the success of our students, the integrity of our educational system, and responsible charter governance.

We formally petition the Board to support and implement the election of both the teacher and staff representatives to the governing school board with full voting rights, in accordance with the Clayton Valley Governing Board bylaws, California’s ethics laws and principles of fair and inclusive governance.

Teachers and staff bring firsthand knowledge of the classroom, curriculum implementation, student needs, and the real-world impacts of board decisions. Despite this, our voices are advisory at best without a vote or even the ability to have our representative in the room during discussions, we lack meaningful participation in shaping the policies that most directly affect our students and profession.

Clayton Valley Charter was a teacher-led charter conversion, and our charter claimed we would “(Maintain) an adaptive, flexible, democratic, and transparent governance and organizational structure that ensures shared decision-making and input from all stakeholders on educational issues and promotes student achievement." When CVEA surveys our membership on how accurate this statement is reflected at Clayton Valley Charter High School, overwhelming majorities do not agree.

California Education Code and relevant ethics laws do not prohibit the inclusion of certificated staff as voting members on local school boards, provided there is no financial conflict of interest, and the representatives are elected or appointed through a transparent, fair process.

Our Demand

We urge the Board to:

Establish a process for electing all teacher and staff representatives to the governing board through a democratic vote of certificated employees. As this is within the 90-day window of a regular election, per your own bylaws this is allowed explicitly.
Grant those elected representatives full voting rights, in accordance with California ethics law and existing precedent.
This petition is not just about representation, it is about responsible governance, shared leadership, and a stronger future for our students. We believe that bringing teacher voices to the table, with full participation and voting power, is a necessary and just step forward for our district.

We welcome the opportunity to meet with you to further discuss this proposal and work together toward a governance model that truly reflects the values of democratic engagement, ethical responsibility, and educational excellence.

Sincerely,

 James Corcoran
 President, Clayton Valley Education Association

Nakezsa Daniel-Fletcher
President, Clayton Valley Classified Association