Children and Youth

Candidates for high school, elementary school district will be at ‘Use Your Voice’ forum tonight

Seven candidates are on the ballot for two spots on the San Benito High School District board, while three candidates are in the running for two spots on the Hollister School District board
san benito high school_11.jpg
san benito high school_11.jpg
hollister school district building_6.jpg

On the November General Election ballot, voters will have the opportunity to select board members for both the Hollister District School and San Benito High School District. These candidates will be discussing their views during the second "Use Your Voice" forum on Thursday, Oct. 13, at 6:30 p.m., at Hollister City Council Chambers, 375 Fifth St.

BenitoLink and the San Benito County Farm Bureau are co-sponsoring the forum and media partner CMAP-TV will be  broadcasting the forum live on BenitoLink’s homepage and on cable Channel 17. 

San Benito High School Board Of Trustees

There are seven candidates running for two San Benito County High School District trustee positions: grant writer/project manager Jennifer Coile, agriculture manager John W. Corrigan III, retired San Benito High School teacher Mary Encinias, office manager Ellen Miller, retired San Benito High School teacher Frank Muro, Spring Grove School teacher Patty Nehme, and incumbent trustee Ray Rodriguez.

The San Benito High School Teachers’ Association has endorsed candidates John W. Corrigan and Patty Nehme.

Union President Katherine Foster said, “90 percent of the teachers voted to endorse them. Teachers and members of the community feel like there needs to be change. There has been trust issues between the community and the school. We need someone who wants to involve the teachers because teachers are the ones who know what goes on in the classroom. We are endorsing those new candidates because we know that we need the bond. We’re hoping that buy bringing in those candidates it will restore community trust and support.”

Hollister School District Board of Trustees 

Hollister School District has three candidates vying for two positions: incumbents Mike Baldwin and Elizabeth Martinez and challenger Robert E. Bernosky.

Baldwin was appointed to the board after former board member Ben Flores resigned in 2015 when he moved outside the district boundaries. He is a field investigator for a repossession agency. Baldwin’s children attend Ladd Lane School and Rancho San Justo Middle School. He is a current board member for the Sunnyslope Christian Center and Men of Integrity.

Martinez is the president of the HSD Board of Trustees and works for the San Benito High School migrant education program.

Bernosky is a chief financial officer, regional vice chair for the California Republican Party, and is a member of the Citizen's Bond Oversight Committee for the Hollister School District. He is a former elected trustee of the North County Joint Union School District, and has served on numerous other boards, including the Heritage Foundation of San Benito County.

 

 

Laura Romero

Laura Romero has been a reporter and handled marketing/social media for BenitoLink. She has covered education and city government. Formerly, she worked as an assistant account executive at Pembroke PR in San Francisco, where she assisted with press outreach, event coordination, and social media planning. With her PR skills, she has helped to implement social media strategies and develop online giving campaigns for BenitoLink. Laura continues to contribute to BenitoLink on a freelance basis.