East Side Union High School District

Van Le begins her second term of office as an ESUHSD Board Trustee on December 11, 2014.  The Board of Trustees selected Van to serve in the capacity of Board President for the 2015 school year.  She is very pleased to take this additional responsibility and humbled by the confidence shown by fellow Board Members and the community.

With her passion, dedication and commitment to serve East Side students, her focus for the next four years will be to:

• Continue to ensure fiscal responsibility and transparency for budgets and expenditures
• Decrease the student achievement gap
• Form partnerships with new or existing organizations to improve opportunities for students to develop career paths and college opportunities
• Provide a safe and secure learning environment for students, teachers and staff
• Encourage and support recruitment of bilingual teachers, including professional development
• Work with local and state legislators to offer a free college education during the first two years of college, based on President Obama’s directive

Some of Van’s accomplishments include:

• Saving the District approximately $1 million in the operating budget by reducing expenses
• Championed and implemented the Annual McKinney-Vento Program Holiday Dinner for students and families, which provides a warm dinner, gift cards, health check-ups and tickets to events such as San Jose Sharks, SaberCats, Harlem Globetrotters and Walking with Dinosaurs
• Annual visit to all ESUHSD schools, including Adult Education, to observe site programs and activities and be a support to students, teachers and administrators
• Promote the offering of healthy meals in the schools

Van and her family struggled to integrate to the United States after fleeing Vietnam in 1975. As with most immigrants, they worked hard to overcome the shock of physical displacement, language and cultural changes.  In those first few years, Van worked two jobs to help support her family and attended college part-time.  Van completed her studies in business with a Bachelor’s Degree from San Jose State University.

Always committed to giving back to the community, Van established the Children’s Moon Festival in 1992 to share the Vietnamese culture with the next generation, as well as new neighbors and communities.  She volunteered with many organizations over the years, including:

• Board Member of Work2future
• Board Member Boy Scouts of America
• Former Vice President External Affairs of VACNORCAL
• Founder of the Viet-American Cultural Foundation (Viet ACF)
• Former Member, Board of Directors, San Jose Museum of Art
• Former Member, Advisory Board to KNTV Channel 11
• Founder and organizer of the “Children's Moon Festival,” which is the largest Asian festival in the Bay area, 1992- 2011

In 2001, Van successfully established a State Farm Insurance agency.  The business continues to present day.

Van pledges to work collaboratively with fellow Board Members, administrators, teachers, classified staff, students, parents and community members. She will work tirelessly to help make a difference in each student’s life.  She will support and promote educational opportunities that will open doors for students after high school.