Struggle for School Board Seats
Five candidates are deep in their campaigning for the two open seats on the Davis School Board.
Susan Lovenburg, Nancy Peterson, Claire Sherman, Jose Granda and Alan Fernandes will continue their efforts until the Nov. 6 election.
The seats are currently occupied by Richard Harris, who chose not to run for another term, and Lovenburg.
The other four candidates are all new to the school board race, and each has a different motivation for running.
Peterson, 51, is the mother of three children, who are all currently enrolled in the Davis Joint Unified School District. A longtime volunteer in the Davis community, Peterson has been considering running for the school board for several years now, but only filed as a candidate after Harris resigned.
“I’m looking to make sure we have equity across the district,” Peterson said.
She would like the schools in Davis to offer the same programs and opportunities so children won’t be forced to switch schools to meet their individual needs.
Peterson is a strong endorser of Measure E, Proposition 30 and Proposition 38. These all involve raising taxes to fund education systems across the state or within DJUSD.
Granda has a different opinion on Measure E, the DJUSD parcel tax. According to the Davis Vanguard website, he is known for his opposition to the measure.
Sherman, 46, is another DJUSD parent running for the School Board. Sherman has lived in Davis for 15 years and currently volunteers as a math tutor for children of various ages.
Sherman believes that the DHS curriculum focuses too strongly on college-bound students. “I don’t think they [students not going to college] are represented enough,” Sherman said. She would like to see more vocational classes offered to cater to students who would like to get a job immediately after high school.
Sherman has a unique campaign in that it doesn’t accept donations. Sherman would like any and all donations to be made directly to the school district, so that even if she isn’t elected the money is used to support Davis schools.
According to the Davis Patch website, Fernandes is running as a father of young children in DJUSD. According to the site, he wants to make sure someone is there to consider the long term effects of decisions on Davis schools.
Students haven’t expressed much concern as to who is on the school board. “I don’t care about the person as long as they do what they’re supposed to do,” junior Korleigh Tegenfeldt said.
