Meet The Dublin School Board Candidate: Tanner Frye

DUBLIN, CA — Patch reached out to all candidates running in contested races for the Dublin Unified School District Board of Trustees. Two candidates are running for Area 3, and two are running for Area 5.

We reprinted their answers verbatim.

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Below, read the responses of Tanner Frye, an energy code compliance inspector and certified substitute teacher and paraprofessional.

What is your educational background?

I received my Bachelor's in Business Administration with a focus in Information Systems from Howard University. I currently have a CompTIA Security+ certification and a certification from the EPA.

What is your professional background?

I worked as a software application developer for Workday when I first moved to Dublin. Later, I spent time as a paraprofessional and certified substitute teacher in Alameda County. Currently, I work as an Energy Code Compliance Inspector.

Have you ever held public office, whether appointive or elective?

I have not held public office; however, I have experience working with others, while they were campaigning for public office.

What are the top three issues facing DUSD right now?

The top 3 issues to me are the ensuring we continue to plan for any possible budgetary issues, expanding our student mental health program's effectiveness so students' needs are met, and ensuring we have small class sizes, so teachers can attend to each student more frequently.

What is one specific action you would prioritize during your first year in office?

I am preparing to create more transparency within the Board, so parents and teachers are prepared and are more involved with decision making. I will have more meetings with teachers and parents to listen to concerns personally.

DUSD is facing serious financial challenges. What spending would you protect, where—if anywhere—would you support reductions, and would you consider new sources of revenue?

I will look to protect courses that are in a track that students follow for many years. Losing an orchestra class was extremely unfortunate and situations where families spent years preparing should be protected. If cuts need to occur, I would recommend cutting unpopular electives and announcing a tentative list, so students, parents, and teachers can voice their concerns before a final decision is made. I support raising new sources of revenues and balancing our budget with extra funds available if issues continue to arise.

After the 2026 teachers strike, what would you do to improve labor relations while keeping employee compensation and district finances sustainable?

I am extremely proud to be supported by the Dublin Teachers Association in this race. My goal with labor relations is to have more transparency and open negotiations. Having quality instructors is a large contributing factor to the quality of education in Dublin. The board has a responsibility to express our concerns with parents and teachers about our budgetary situation, so we can find the balance of compensating staff appropriately and maintaining the health of the district in the long term.

DUSD has limited the number of AP and honors courses students may take, citing academic pressure and student well-being. Do you support that policy, and how should the district measure whether it is working?

I support the board commissioning a study into the policy to see whether it is effective at helping student's wellbeing and if it adversely impacts high performing students before taking action. Taking many AP courses can be very helpful to the college admissions process; however, extracurricular activities, character, volunteer work, and work experience are also important factors when applications are reviewed.

Measure I would levy a parcel tax of $228 annually for eight years, with possible inflation adjustments of up to 2% per year, to support Dublin schools. Do you support or oppose Measure I, and what assurances would you give taxpayers about how the approximately $3.8 million in annual revenue would be spent?

Yes, I support Measure I and the funds should mostly go to balancing our budget and ensuring the district is protected for years to come.

Why do you feel you're a better candidate than your opponents?

I feel I am a better candidate because I have teaching experience. I learned how to work with students, parents, and administrators to meet educational goals. I learned how to implement an Individual Education Program to teach a child to read. Our board would benefit greatly from having the perspective of a teacher when creating policies that would impact teachers everyday.