Fredy Martinez Targets Low Test Scores, Chronic Absenteeism in Colton School Board Race

Nearly 70% of tested Colton Joint Unified School District students fell below California’s English language arts standard, and about 80% fell below the math standard in 2024-25. Fredy Martinez says improving those outcomes should drive the school board’s decisions.

The lifelong Bloomington resident, district graduate and San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department specialized enforcement specialist is running for CJUSD’s Area 1 board seat in the Nov. 3 election, emphasizing academics, attendance, financial literacy and student safety.

“Our academic scores need to go up,” Martinez said. “That’s the number one focus.”

State Smarter Balanced results show 67.44% of tested district students fell below the English language arts proficiency benchmark, while 80.15% fell below the math benchmark. The English assessment measures broader literacy skills, rather than reading alone.

Attendance presents another challenge. CJUSD’s 2026-27 accountability plan, citing the 2025 California School Dashboard, reports a 21.9% chronic absenteeism rate, down from 23.6% in 2024. The Dashboard indicator covers transitional kindergarten through eighth grade and counts students absent at least 10% of the instructional days they were enrolled.

That represents more than one in five students in those grades.

Martinez wants stronger academic support within after-school programs, additional tutoring and instruction that responds to how individual students learn. He said struggling students may need material explained differently or help before or after school.

“We need to provide every resource to that kid,” he said.

He also wants trustees to visit campuses, ask teachers what supplies and equipment they need, and examine whether successful practices at one school could help others. He views the board’s policy, budget and superintendent oversight responsibilities as tools for improving student outcomes throughout the district.

On attendance, Martinez wants schools and families to identify whether students are struggling with classwork, experiencing bullying or facing other barriers. He said parents need timely information and opportunities to explain what support their families need.

Hearing parents’ concerns at Bloomington Municipal Advisory Council meetings helped motivate his candidacy, he said.

His connection to local schools began long before the campaign.

Growing up a block from Ruth Grimes Elementary School, Martinez and his friends gathered there for basketball and tetherball. A custodian he remembers as Mr. Ray lent them equipment. His parents considered a nearby park unsafe, so the school offered a place to play.

Martinez attended Ruth Grimes Elementary, Bloomington Middle and Bloomington High schools, graduating in 2013. He remembers teachers who connected with students and encouraged them to think about their futures.

“For me, it’s personal,” he said.

His father worked in landscaping, while his mother cared for the family. After high school, while pursuing Sheriff’s Department employment, Martinez helped his parents by taking his younger brothers to school and handling other responsibilities.

“We were a team,” he said.

His mother died of COVID-19 in 2021. He remembers her encouraging his independence, including when he joined the sheriff’s Explorer program at 14.

A school resource officer connected him with the program. Martinez credits mentors, including retired Sgt. Joe Silva, with helping him pursue his career. He began working as a custody assistant in 2015, advanced to custody specialist and later moved into narcotics, he said.

Entering the workforce revealed lessons he wants students to learn earlier.

Martinez said he graduated with questions about deferred compensation, retirement investments and how taxes affected his paycheck. Those experiences helped shape his proposal for a full year of personal finance instruction.

California public high schools must offer a standalone, one-semester personal finance course beginning in 2027-28. Completion becomes a graduation requirement beginning with the class of 2030-31, according to the California Department of Education.

Martinez wants two semesters, supplemented by workshops and practical experiences covering taxes, investing, retirement planning and business ownership.

“I would push for two because I think that’s very important for our kids to learn how to invest their money, learn about their retirement,” he said.

His campaign platform also emphasizes budgeting, saving, responsible credit use and reading a paycheck. He supports involving parents who may be learning those skills alongside their children.

His platform also calls for stronger career technical education, internships, apprenticeships and dual enrollment, with partnerships connecting students to employers, skilled trades and public service alongside pathways to a four-year university.

His student safety priorities include timely responses to bullying and attention to mental health. He said social media can extend harassment beyond campus, undermining a place that provides stability for some children.

He also supports exploring a district police department or assigning deputies to high schools, with funding options to be examined.

His concerns extend to development near campuses.

During his Oct. 20 interview with Inland Empire Community News, Martinez shared a letter, dated Oct. 17, that he plans to mail to Gov. Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta and state environmental, housing, transportation and political watchdog officials.

The letter focuses on the Bloomington Business Park Specific Plan next to Walter Zimmerman Elementary School. County supervisors approved the plan Sept. 22. State environmental filings describe a 213-acre site with maximum development potential of approximately 3.24 million square feet.

The letter requests state action to halt construction and project approvals pending review, an independent environmental health and safety assessment of nearby campuses, and review of housing protections and truck routes.

“Our working-class Hispanic families and school children deserve the exact same clean air, traffic safety, and legal protections guaranteed to every resident of California,” Martinez wrote.

In the interview, he said he supports warehouses as part of the economy but opposes placing them next to schools and homes.

His approach to parent engagement includes families uncomfortable speaking at meetings. At campaign events, he said, he has offered postcards for parents to write concerns or recommendations, including anonymously.

Bilingual in English and Spanish, Martinez supports communication in both languages. If elected, he wants informal coffee gatherings with families to continue throughout the year.

Outside work and campaigning, he spends time with his brothers, friends and two goddaughters. He said his availability to families should extend beyond election season.

“It’s all year round,” Martinez said.

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