Three candidates are running for two seats on the The North County Joint Union School District board in the November 6 election. They are incumbents Ted Zanella and Cindy King, and challenger Eduardo Navarro. The district covers an area of approximately 190 square miles, mainly in San Benito County and the southeast portion of Santa Clara County.
Ted Zanella has lived in San Benito County for 56 years. He is married, a father of three and owns a construction company, Commercial Exteriors Inc., that works on high rise buildings. He also was a union ironworker for 27 years.
BENITOLINK: How does your life outside of politics factor into what you bring to the table as a candidate?
ZANELLA: Being a successful business owner always motivates me to do my very best. I am equally committed to my role on the North County School Board. My vast experiences helps me to thoughtfully advise my fellow board members and our administration on personnel issues, programs we adopt and tough decisions that sometimes must be made. I work hard to use my knowledge to keep Spring Grove fiscally sound and remain a top performing school in San Benito County.
Why are you running for this office?
I’m very committed and passionate about Spring Grove School students and their education. We are leaders in education in our community and employ the most dedicated teachers and staff in San Benito County. Continuing the tradition is a huge priority. Spring Grove is the best school in the county and I enjoy finding new ways to keep all students engaged in a positive learning environment and give the teachers the tools they need to succeed.
What issues are most important to your district?
Staying on top of our students academics is of the utmost importance. Pinpointing our students’ strengths and weaknesses and then using the correct programs to give our students the best education they deserve. We strive for all students to have a great learning experience at Spring Grove and we as a board members need to provide and protect this in our district.
What obstacles and challenges does the district face?
The State budget is always a challenge. Our board is always been committed to keeping Spring Grove fiscally sound. Social Media can be a challenge. We at Spring Grove deemphasize the importance of social media in our students’ lives. Cultural barriers can be a challenge. Spring Grove has proven to knock them down time and time again. No matter what the challenges in public education, Spring Grove overcomes them. I will work hard to continue this tradition as long as I’m on the North County School Board.
Cindy King has lived in San Benito County for 20 years. She is married with three children and works for the Coyote Ranch as an event planner. She also volunteers to support the kids of San Benito County in a variety of ways.
BENITOLINK: How does your life outside of politics factor into what you bring to the table as a candidate?
KING: I don’t really consider myself to be in politics. I’m an elected official although I don’t think a school board is a place to have a political agenda. I have vast experience in problem solving for multimillion dollar companies. I not only look for gaps in what’s being provided, I also look for solutions.
Why are you running for this office?
I initially decided to run for school board because of my passion to support all the students of Spring Grove School and that continues to be what drives me in my role on the school board. I chose to run for re-election because I feel with my previous professional experience and vast school board member experience I continue to have so much to offer the district.
What issues are most important to your district?
We are always focused on our students’ academic achievements. Our CAAPSS results have been improving by a minimum of 5 percent per year for the last four years. We provide a variety of interventions to all our students. Redesignation of our English Learner students is also a high priority. Our goal is to redesignate these students as fluent in English within five years and we have a celebration each year to acknowledge the students who reach that goal.
What obstacles and challenges does the district face?
North County Joint Union School District is considered a small rural school district, therefore the funding provided is lower than a large district. Since our funding is lower, keeping a close eye on our budget is key. The distance of our district is rather large so providing free transportation for our students is very important. This has been challenging because the funding provided for this service isn’t near the expenditures. We purchased three buses in the last five years so our students could have reliable transportation to and from school each day.
Eduardo Navarro is a lifelong resident of San Benito County except for the years he attended college. He graduated from UCLA and works for the Youth Alliance as a development and community engagement specialist. He also tutors in French and works as a substitute teacher for San Benito High School when available.
BENITOLINK: How does your life outside of politics factor into what you bring to the table as a candidate?
NAVARRO: While working at Youth Alliance, I have come to the realization that there is so much work to be done in our community. Our youth need support, not just by their families but also by schools. We as a community can no longer let our students suffer for our mistakes. At Youth Alliance, we work with at-risk students who have been systematically marginalized by a system that pays no attention to them. My work with youth has been focused on traditionally at-risk youth and providing pathways to success and spaces and platforms for them to showcase their talents where everyone else has said no to them. My direct experience with youth, my ability to connect, and my dedication to work with and for them enables me to have a genuine tenacity as a candidate and to be a role model for our students.
Why are you running for this office?
I believe that quality and equitable education is the key to success.
I am committed to representing our district’s diverse youth, families, teachers and staff. I am dedicated to being a voice for the community and work tirelessly to represent all of our students and families, including our Spanish-speaking population, to ensure everyone has the resources they need to thrive and succeed. I am focused on ensuring that our district continues to be the leading school district in San Benito County.
I will work vigorously to ensure that 1) equitable quality education, 2) youth and family engagement, and 3) sound fiscal discipline are at the forefront of our district’s priorities.
My work will also expand to collaborate with our local politicians and other school districts to establish a youth center for our community, to offer a safe haven for all students. Together we can become catalysts of change and make an everlasting impact in our youth.
Overall, I want to ensure our students have the best avenues to success as possible. I want to be a living example that success is possible.
What issues are most important to your district?
Overall, I want to make sure that parents, specifically non-English speakers, have a voice on matters regarding the district. This becomes especially important when talking about the LCFF (Local Control Funding Formula) because school districts are required to have direct action plans that target English learners, foster youth and low-income student in an effort to level the playing field historically linked to socio-economic and racial disparities. LCAP (Local Control and Accountability Plan) funds are supposed to be allocated to make it easier to respond to students’ needs. I want to ensure these needs are being provided for and that if other ones may arise, they can be presented transparently to parents, students, community members, school employees and other stakeholders.
I also have a vision to have a youth center in Hollister. A youth center is something that has always been needed in Hollister especially now that we’re seeing exponential growth in our community. Youth needs must become a priority in our city agendas and budgets. However, not as much emphasis has been given to building a youth center as it has been to the new housing developments. Our student’s voices are not being heard.
A space that can hold a stage, theater and arts facilities, technology, tutoring, and spaces for them to hang out after school, is ideal for healthy learning and enrichment. A space dedicated to social activities and that can leverage the wealth of resources north of us and create innovative pathways for our youth. We need to invest in them, plain and simple.
Community-based organizations like the YMCA, Youth Alliance, etc., are important, but the biggest entities that should be advocating and fighting for a youth center are the schools and their boards. It only makes sense to me to work collaboratively with other school boards in the community and push our elected officials to allocate funds for a youth center. Agencies like Hollister Rec do a great job in the community but can’t provide all the resources and extracurricular activities that our kids need. Growing up, the common phrase was “There’s nothing to do in Hollister.” This remains true. It’s time to change that and create tangible change for our community’s students—all of which we are responsible for. This even delves into the topic of mental health and how our system is broken. These issues are deeply intertwined and interconnected because a lot of depression and mental illnesses stem from not having safe and healthy learning environments for our youth outside of school hours. I truly believe that we need to come together, look beyond the world of money and politics, and genuinely prioritize our youth. Some of our students are hurting, and so long as there is one that could benefit from it, then the fight to open a youth center is worth it.
What obstacles and challenges does the district face?
The district has had its issues with having a sustainable water supply for the field at Spring Grove School. Maintenance of the field requires its own water well to ensure that our facilities are in top shape for our students. As a board, we need to strategize closely to see what the logistical and financial implications may be and proceed in ensuring the district acquires a sustainable water source that will maintain its facilities.
Furthermore, we need to provide summer activities in partnership with other agencies and community-based organizations. Our district, being a rural district, has its own challenges when it comes to finding after school and summer activities for our students that don’t require parents to go into town. We need to have activities and bring in media, arts, music and theater to the schools with culturally relevant curriculums that add to student’s enrichment and education.
You must be logged in to post a comment.