Education Equals Opportunity
In order to create a system of great schools in our county, San Joaquin A+ collaborates with local families, education, and workforce partners to set a vision for how our community can prepare students to be successful and responsible citizens.
Our Purpose & Vision
Together we can help students in San Joaquin County achieve quality educational outcomes, and in doing so, create a brighter future for our region.
What We Do
San Joaquin A+ is a group of educators, business leaders, active citizens and philanthropists. Collectively, the organization has supported education since 1996 and has almost a quarter century of experience and commitment to Stockton and SJ County.
We are encouraged by the momentum we see at leadership levels across our region, and are engaging in a renewed effort to improve schools for our young people.
Our primary goals include:
Exceed the Need
Bring More Great Educators and School Leaders to San Joaquin County.
Inform Our Community
Provide Transparent and Valuable Information About School Quality.
Fuel the Workforce
Prepare Young People with the Knowledge and Skills to Earn a Family-Sustaining Income.
How You Can Help
Here are a few ways you can work with us to create a better future for the youth in our community.
- Keep doing what you are doing: Make the pledge to continue to serve the children and families of San Joaquin County.
- Participate in working groups, visits, and discussions to create a shared vision for quality education in SJ County.
- Raise your hand for partnership or grantee opportunities when they arise, by becoming a friend of San Joaquin A+ and subscribing to our mailing list (below).
Subscribe for email updates to learn how to get involved through partnerships, grantee opportunities, and more.
Who We Are
Our Board Members include:
Don Shalvey
CEO, San Joaquin A+
Jose Rodriguez
President & CEO, El Concilio
Kathy Lagorio Janssen
Chief Executive Officer, Lagorio Companies
Jane Butterfield
Susan Grupe Depolo
Local Education Advocate & Former Executive Director, San Joaquin A+
Donald Wiley
President & CEO, St. Joseph’s Medical Center of Stockton
Kevin Shafer
Founding Partner, The City Fund
Updates
San Joaquin A+ CEO, Don Shalvey, interviewed about the challenges facing students in the Central Valley as schools re-open
Our CEO, Don Shalvey, and Stockton Unified Interim Superintendent, Brian Biedermann, were recently invited by EdSource to participate on a podcast discussing the multiple challenges facing the Central Valley as school re-opens for the fall.
Veteran educator returns to his roots to lead Central Valley organization
After more than 50 years in public education, veteran educator Don Shalvey is returning to his early stomping grounds in education to head an organization dedicated to improving the education outcomes of students in California’s Central Valley. Shalvey will become executive director of San Joaquin A+, a nonprofit organization based in Stockton that was founded in 1996, and is devoted to improving education and workplace outcomes for students in the region.
Get your San Joaquin A+ License Plate Today!
We encourage friends of San Joaquin A+ to contact us if you are interested in putting a San Joaquin A+ license plate on your car. We will reward those we see driving around with their San Joaquin A+ license plate by posting their photos on the website and with a surprise gift. Thank you to all those who have already participated!
Read the Exceed the Need Task Force Report
This report presents a comprehensive accounting of Exceed the Need: An Extraordinary Teacher in Every Stockton Classroom. This effort exemplifies the ingenuity and passion of the educators of Stockton, whose greatest desire is to serve the students of Stockton in an outstanding way.
Open Letter: Play to Our Strength—Let’s Come Together Around Great Schools
Every year, too many young people in the San Joaquin Valley exit our K-12 school system without the education they need to be successful in life.
Reintroducing San Joaquin A+
Working together to create a shared vision for education in our region.