Screenshot by The Matador Staff
Running for school board
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Buying a lottery ticket, getting a tattoo, registering to vote—these things are only on the tip of the iceberg of what one can do when they turn 18. However, one little-known privilege that students can gain when they turn 18 is the ability to run for the Alhambra Unified School District (AUSD) Board of Education.
Currently, there are five different districts within AUSD, which means that there are five board seats. Each seat in the board represents a different school precinct. Current board members are President Patricia Rodriguez-Mackintosh of District 3, Vice President Jane C. Anderson of District 2, Clerk Joanne Russell-Chavez of District 5, member Adele Andrade-Stadler of District 1, and member Robert L. Gin of District 4. As of 2016, three seats will be open for reelection in the Nov. 2016 election: seats for Districts 1, 2, and 3.
As a member of the AUSD board, one will be serving a four-year term and will be entrusted with governing and overseeing the district’s public schools. The main duty of a school board is to ensure that every school in their respective districts are following educational requirements in accordance to the values and beliefs of the community. School boards accomplish these goals by providing support for schools, setting structure and efficiency, advocating for projects, adopting new policies, hiring the superintendent, managing the collective bargaining process for employees of the district, and handling the annual budget.
In addition, members are required to attend scheduled board meetings, which are usually once a month. A typical school board meeting will encompass many items on the agenda, such as approving field trips, adopting curriculum, overseeing construction, discussing potential budget reforms, and citizens addressing the board with their concerns.
Generally, the basic requirements to run for school board are as follows: A potential candidate for the AUSD Board of Education must be a citizen of the United States that is 18 years of age or older, an elector of the AUSD (An elector is a United States citizen 18 years of age or older and is a resident of an election precinct within the AUSD boundaries at least 15 days prior to an election), a registered voter in the Nominating District that they wish to represent at the time they file the Declaration of Intention required by Sec. 107(a) of the Alhambra City Charter, and a resident of the Nominating District from which they are nominated for at least one month prior to their nomination.
To begin the application process, a candidate can obtain a Declaration of Intention form from the Alhambra City Clerk’s office between June 20 and June 28. Nomination papers must also be obtained from the City Clerk and issued in the name of the candidate. Second, nominating certificates must be secured and circulated no earlier than 113 days or no later than 88 days prior to Election Day (July 18 through Aug. 12). At least 75 qualified electors of the nominating district from and by which the nomination is made must sign the nomination papers of members of the Board of Education; signatures will be checked by the City Clerk using the County of Los Angeles voter registration records for sufficiency and authenticity. The Declaration of Intention form required by Sec. 107(a) of the Alhambra City Charter must be filed, in person, with the City Clerk’s office no later than June 28 at 5 p.m.
Voters will vote for AUSD Board of Election Member candidates at their designated polling place on election day, Nov. 8. Polling places will be established by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office closer to election day, but polling place locations will be provided to all registered voters in the AUSD area prior to election day. A registered voter seeking to obtain the location of their polling place can do so by contacting the City Clerk’s office or by checking the County of Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s website at <www.lavote.net> where polling places can be looked up based on their address.
The term of each elected member is four years from Dec. 1, 2016, starting at 12 p.m., until the next successors are elected and qualified.
Source: City Clerk, City of Alhambra.
