BIOGRAPHY
Gloria Tuchman, Santa Ana
Taft School Teacher of the Year in 1988 and 1999, Santa Ana Unified School District Co-Author of English for the Children Campaign Initiative, Prop. 227 Statewide Candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction in California in 1998 Early Childhood and Headstart Program Teacher Named One of the Top Ten Trendsetters for the U.S. by Hispanic Magazine
Gloria Matta Tuchman is a first grade teacher at Taft Elementary School in Santa Ana. Since 1964 she has specialized in teaching students limited in their English proficiency. Gloria Matta Tuchman began her career teaching Head Start with minority students in Phoenix, Arizona. She was named Taft Elementary Teacher of the Year in 1988 and 1999. She is a strong advocate of phonics and adopting basic skills to be taught in the state curriculum frameworks.
Locally, Gloria Matta Tuchman was first elected to the Tustin Unified School District Board of Education in 1985 and served twice as Board President until 1994. She was named L.U.L.A.C. (League of the United Latin American Citizens) Woman of the Year in 1988 because of her efforts as a supporter of reforms in the state and national bilingual teaching programs. Co-Chair/Founder of the Tustin Childcare T.A.F.F.Y. Committee,appointed as a community liaison by the Tustin School Board and Tustin City Council.
Nationally, in 1987 Gloria Matta Tuchman, was appointed by William Bennett, former U.S. Secretary of Education, to serve on an Advisory Council for Bilingual Education and later served on two other national committees in Washington D.C. She co-chaired the National and State Hispanic Conferences for the Hispanic Caucus of California School Board Association.
Statewide, Gloria Matta Tuchman has chaired the Governmental Relations Committee for the California School Board Association (C.S.B.A.) and served as Treasurer for the Hispanic Caucus of C.S.B.A. for 3 years. In 1992 she founded the "Campaign for California's Kids," which lobbied to end mandated bilingual education. She was summoned as an expert witness in 1993 for the Little Hoover Commission hearing on Bilingual Education. She was invited to the 1994 State Education Summit Meeting to participate as a panelist for the session of "Children and Leaning." In 1995 she was named Chair of the state committee to Reform Bilingual Education (REBILLED). In 1997, she became Co-Chair and Co-Author of the English for the Children Initiative, Prop. 227.
She was a 1998 candidate for State Superintendent of Public Instruction for California. She was named one of the Top Ten Hispanic Trendsetters for 1998 in the United States by Hispanic Magazine.
