Board Member — Compton Unified School District

I am a 3rd generation resident of Compton, and I hail from a family rich in community service. I am the oldest daughter of retired public administrator Clarence Zurita and retired two term City Councilwoman Delores Zurita. My sister, Janna, represents the First District on the Compton City Council.

I am currently finishing my third as a member of the Compton Unified School District Board. In this role, I have helped turn our district around by increasing graduation rates, lowering drop-out rates, making our campuses safer, and expanding parent involvement.

I currently serve as a Senior Administrative Analyst with the City of Compton’s Department of Public Works. My past work experience includes serving as:

General Manager – Compton Ramada Hotel & Convention Center

Facility Manager – Martin Luther King, Jr. Transit Center

Project Manager – Federal Aviation Administration

Project Manager – United States Air Force Base, El Segundo, CA

My long record of community service also includes:

Board of Director – Compton Council of Campfire, Inc.

Board of Director – Boys and Girls Club

Board of Director – Jarambe Community Housing Development Organization

PTA President – Drew Child Development Corporation

Assistant Director – Compton Summer Arts Program

Outstanding Achievement Award – Brotherhood Crusade

Outstanding Achievement Award – Brothers of the Sun

I completed undergraduate studies at the University of California at Irvine, Loyola Marymount University, California State University, Long Beach, and California State University, Dominguez Hills. I hold certificates in Meeting Planning and Special Event Coordination from California State University, Long Beach.

As a native Californian, born and raised in Compton, and a graduate of Compton Adult School,  my life experience has prepared me for such a time as this.  As a single mother of three and a foster mother of many children their education was very important to me, because I knew it would determine their future.  The same is true for all the children that attend Compton schools.  Their educational experiences will not only shape their lives, but also how they view the world and determine their place in the world. 

It is because of my passion for education that I worked very hard to continue my education, despite working a full time job and parenting my children and foster children.  While working at a factory in Hawthorne, I attend UCLA Extension to earn a certificate in purchasing.  Then at McDonnell Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach I pursued and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Management.  When the industry took a dive and I found myself laid off I continued my education at the University of Southern California where I earned a Master’s in Social Work.

After working for the Department of Children and Family Services for two years I sought and secured a position with Los Angeles Unified School District as a Pupil Services and Attendance Counselor.  It was at this time that I returned to California State University Dominguez Hills and earned a Master’s in Education and an Administrative Credential.

I truly believe Education is the great equalizer and it is this strong belief that motivates me to want to be in a position to guide policy and decisions that impact children’s lives, a create high achieving schools.  Schools are the heart of the community, and children spend the majority of their lives in schools, therefore, schools should be maintained and staffed with the best people. 

For nearly two decades, I have worked with parents, faculty and staff members to collectively advance the education and welfare of children.  Currently I work at the district level supporting 122 schools and nearly 80,000 students implementing a philosophy that will dismantle the school to prison pipeline and keep our students in school and out of the juvenile justice system. 

My 5-Point Plan of Excellency is as follows:

·       College and Career Readiness

·       Safe and Equitable Learning Environment

·       High Achieving Trauma-Sensitive Schools

·       Faculty and Staff Professional Development

·       Student, Parent and Guardian Empowerment

My current endorsements include but are not limited to:

·       Aja Brown, Mayor of Compton

·       Dr. George McKenna, LAUSD Board of Supervisors, District 1

·       Reverend Dr. Michael Hopwood, Retired Educator and Community Advocate

·       Damone Hale, Esq., Attorney and Community Advocate

 Tracy has a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from the University of Southern California (USC) and a Bachelor of the Arts in Sociology from San Diego State University (SDSU). In addition, Tracy studied Law at the University of La Verne Law School and has an ABA approved Paralegal Certificate from the California State Los Angeles.

Tracy is a United States Marine Corps distinguished Veteran who served 8 honorable years and earned the rank of E-5 Sergeant.

During Tracy’s studies at USC he also assisted with the Hurricane Katrina Crisis in 2005. Tracy traveled to New Orleans and researched the effects of Hurricane Katrina with 25 University of Southern California Masters of Social Work and Public Policy students. Tracy and his colleagues visited different communities throughout New Orleans and spoke to residents who did not evacuate during the hurricane; Tracy listened to and witnessed their devastation first hand.

Tracy was also able to study abroad during summer vacations at the University of the Philippine (2007). Tracy traveled to the Philippines with 25 Masters of Social Students and studied with a Women Feminist Outreach collective class. Tracy and his colleagues participated in daily classes and group sessions and visited the poor communities throughout the Island of the Philippines.

Tracy has provided over 20 committed years of service to working with Compton’s disadvantage youth and their families throughout multiple settings. These settings include; group home settings, youth camp settings, providing Therapeutic Behavior Service (TBS) to disadvantage youth who were on level 12 and living in the community or residential settings, provided supervision to TBS counselors who were working with level 12 youth as a Therapeutic Behavior Services Supervisor, and worked as a Children Social Worker III with the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services as Emergency Response Child Abuse Investigator.

Tracy has worked as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California (USC) providing graduate level instruction to student’s participating in the USC School of Social Work Masters program 8/2012-5/2013.

Tracy is currently employed as a Financial Professional at Prudential The Greater Los Angeles Financial Group and is on his second year as the volunteer Head Flag Football Coach at Bethany Christian Middle School playing in the Christian Athletic League (CAL). Bethany Christian won the CAL Flag Football championship in 2016.  In addition, Tracy also volunteers with Special Olympic Athletes during sporting events; and is a volunteer on the Watts Learning Center Board assisting with developing educational curriculm and enhancing the educational experiences for intercity youth and families.

Since graduating from High School, Tracy has been committed to serving his country and his community and after discharging from the military has focused his efforts on improving the quality of live of individual residing in his community.

     Tracy Wiggins Journey originated in a small rural town in Georgia where he was raised by his maternal grandmother. Tracy learned early on in life that “anything worth having is worth working for” and his grandmother instilled in him to always follow his dreams and to always lend a helping hand to those who are in need. Tracy attended public school during his childhood and is a strong supporter of the public school system. Tracy believes that building strong partnerships in the community with large organizations such as the film industry, local college film school or large computer manufacturers/programmers can be away to enhance the student’s learning experience at little to no cost because many of these organizations could volunteer their time by coming to the high school campus and interacting with our youth. It has always been a desire and goal of Tracy to do his best to improve the quality of life for low income and disadvantages youth and families.

     Tracy believes that all students in Compton’s school district can and will be successful with the proper support and guidance. Tracy is a strong advocate of parents’ participation in their children’s academic success and is pushing for fathers to get their participation up to par with the mother’s participation in the academic setting. “I believe that traditionally women have done a great job holding our children and community values together but I believe with increased father participation our children would flourish even more and become more excited about achieving their academic goals.”

Tracy believes that the environments on and around the school grounds should be safe and free of negative influences this should also include the local community parks. Tracy believes that children should have a safe place to play and participate in extracurricular activities after school and on the weekends as a positive reward for excelling in the classroom. Tracy believes that it is the responsibility of our elected official to ensure that our children and families have a safe place to participate in extracurricular activities and relax as a family. Tracy will continue to center his focus on Children’s Rights, Children’s Needs and fight to secure proper services for our children in Compton.