By Uy Pham
For 27 years out of her 37-year teaching career, Cathy “Leo” Lichodziejewski taught a wide spectrum of mathematics courses at Fountain Valley High School (FVHS), ranging from Algebra 1 to Precalculus to AP Statistics.
She served as a member of various boosters clubs, Mathematics Department Coordinator, the District Educators’ Association (DEA) FVHS Site Representative and, eventually, DEA President for teachers across Huntington Beach Union High School District (HBUHSD).
Now, this former mathematics teacher is looking to expand her history of service by running for the HBUHSD Board of Trustees.
Leo moved from Michigan, where she grew up, to California with her husband in 1985. After teaching in various schools in Compton, Orange and Whittier, her family moved to Fountain Valley. Her children attended Plavan Elementary and Masuda Middle School, and they graduated from FVHS. She described FVHS as a collaborative and supportive environment where students, teachers and parents are all committed to students’ education.
“We chose Fountain Valley in large part because it’s a nice place to live. The schools are good, so I was delighted to get a job here since dropping off [our son] and driving almost an hour to Whitter was a challenge and worrisome,” Leo said. “When my children were in school, I was very involved. I belonged to many booster organizations whenever they were involved in a club, sport or band — I was all hands-on.”
Following her retirement last June, Leo is running for school board because she believes that her plethora of experiences, including being in the classroom daily, qualifies her to serve on the school board. She cites the reconstruction of the 300s buildings as an example of why the school board needs to hear grassroots solutions from those involved in the classroom.
“Because FVHS is located on top of liquefaction, the 300 buildings started sinking, and the district’s solution at that time would shrink the square footage during a time of increasing enrollment,” Leo said. “It was FVHS that found a solution, researched it and proposed to the school board to maintain full square footage under the cost of the previous proposal.”
If she is elected, Leo would focus on listening to stakeholders.
“Listening to students when they speak at board meetings, hearing the issues and seeking out people whose lives are affected by that to hear what solutions and ideas they have — that will be a priority,” Leo said. “I would like for students and teachers to be heard and for communication across the district to improve … Because of the relationships I have with people, I believe that people will be freer to talk to me about issues and solutions.”
Leo identified the following areas as key responsibilities of a school board: student and staff safety, student wellness, student education and fiduciary responsibility. She emphasizes that these areas will be best addressed with collaboration and communication, which she has demonstrated throughout her teaching career.
Throughout her time leading both the DEA and FVHS Math Department, she interacted with groups districtwide to address the goals of each role.
“There’s real camaraderie throughout the district. In my two terms as DEA President, I was able to work closely with the superintendent so that teachers’ voices were clearly heard with a collaborative pursuit of problem-solving,” Leo said. “In the math department, when Common Core came about, I attended many districtwide department chair meetings. Collaboration holds in those groups, and I’ve been privileged to work with a lot of quality people across the district.”
In the 2024 election, Leo vies to be elected as the representative for the newly formed Trustee Area One of HBUHSD. This will mark the first election utilizing the new trustee area map system for elections after the HBUHSD Board of Trustees approved the process last year.
The trustee areas were not designed to align with school attendance boundaries. Although Trustee Area One does include FVHS and neighboring Valley Vista High School, not all residents within these schools’ attendance boundaries are included. Additionally, one student who may fall under the attendance boundaries of Ocean View and Westminster High Schools may be included in the trustee area.
Only those who reside in this trustee area will be able to vote for their respective representative. There is no incumbent for this seat, as no current board members reside there.
“If I am elected this November to represent Trustee Area One residents, my first duty will be to those students and families living in that community, whether they attend FVHS or [Westminster High School] or another school in our district,” Leo said. “My second priority would be to represent the people in the district as a whole.”
To reach voters, Leo plans to create pages on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. If voters wish to contact her, Leo invites them to contact her via email: CathyLeo12@gmail.com.
“I love our district. My pledge is to do everything in my power to make sure that our schools are thriving, safe and a fun place to learn while preparing students for a phenomenal future,” Leo said. “If I’m meant to serve and if I am elected, I will do my very best for the students in the district.”
