Catalina Blair Appointed to Vacant Board Seat

By Ayla Ozturk

Last week, the Visalia Unified School District [VUSD] Board of Education appointed Catalina Blair to fill John Crabtree’s seat on the Board.

The Board held a special meeting at L.J Williams Theatre to publicly interview then swear in the chosen applicant.

The process took around two and a half hours.

The candidates started with a two-minute opening statement before they went into a “round-robin” of questions that came from various places within Visalia’s community.

Gail Zurek, the CEO and President of the Visalia Chamber of Commerce, moderated the interviews.

She presented the applicants with four questions, giving them two minutes per question to respond.

At the start of each “round”, she drew a name. The person chosen answered the question first then went around the table.

The candidates were asked about topics such as budget cuts, student connection, parent involvement, and how they stay informed on issues affecting students.

After each candidate answered all four questions, there was a “lightning round” question.

Each applicant had one minute to answer the final question before each Board member chose their top three candidates and discussed.

Initially, the list of nine candidates would be narrowed to three, and each of them would answer one final question.

However, four board members had Blair on their “top three” list.

Walta Gamoian [Area 1] made the motion to appoint her and Christopher Pope [Area 6] seconded.

Megan Casebeer Soleno [Area 5] and Jaqueline Gaebe [Area 7] expressed their concern about skipping over other candidates, but after further discussion, they agreed with their colleagues.

Once it was decided that Blair had a clear lead, the Board unanimously decided to skip the final round and immediately appoint her.

Blair says that hearing the discussion made her feel “heard and understood” and it was “wonderful” for her.

Assistant Superintendent Dedi Somavia then swore Blair into office.

She says that it is “an honor” to swear in new board members.

Somavia is excited to continue to “[serve] students and staff”.

Blair says that being sworn in was the most emotional part of the night for her. She expresses, “Our Oath of Office is very special, and choosing to support and defend our Constitution is an honor.”

Soleno, Gamoian, Joy Naylor [Area 3], and Pope had Blair in their “top three”.

Gamoian says that Blair’s “heart for the community” and want to “build the bridge” between the board and the community stuck out to her.

“I think that is the number one thing of being on the board, kids first, and I feel like that is her attitude. Our students come first.” Gamoian states.

Soleno says that Blair’s “parent perspective” stood out to her.

She also points out that Blair was “familiar with the school environment” from working in her children’s classrooms and volunteering at schools.

She says, “Honestly, [Blair] just came up, very poised, well-spoken, and all those things, I like about her.”

Blair says the interview process was both “thrilling and terrifying” at the same time.

She expresses, “I felt confident because I was being myself and presenting my answers honestly.”

Naylor felt that Blair “knew what to look for” when it came to a parent’s perspective.

“She represents the community as a parent, and when I look at the answers to advocate for our schools, she’s helped out, things like PTA and cultivating the community, I think she would be a good addition.” Naylor states.

Blair caught Pope’s eye with her response to the third question, asking about maintaining engagement with parents and students.

Blair said that “parents bring life to school”, and Pope feels that it is “vital” to a school district.

Board President Juan Guerrero [Area 2] says now that the seat has been filled, everybody needs to “get up to speed”.

He says that the Board will attend the California School Board Association [CSBA] conference in December.

Blair and other members will learn about Open Meeting Law [the legislation granting the public the right to watching Board meetings], curriculum, facilities, budgets, laws that the Board needs to be aware of, and the California Education Code.

“There’s going to be a lot of information they [Blair and other members] have to experience and learn.” Guerrero states.

The conference will host workshops over four days for members to learn these skills.

Guerrero feels this is important because a Board member needs to “know their role”.

Soleno was elected by Trustee Area 5 last year.

She says that she is still “figuring out the dynamics” of how a Board works and that it will be interesting working with somebody that is “newer” than she is.

Guerrero mentions that to his knowledge, this is the first time the Board has had a large majority of female members.

Before Blair was appointed, four out of seven members were women. Now that number is five.

He states, “Generally it’s been a lot of men and you know, right now there are five female board members that are serving as Board Trustees for Visalia Unified. I think that’s significant. That’s a good thing.”

Soleno feels that it is “great and exciting” to have this majority.

Both the Board and the community have a lot to look forward to.

Blair wants to help the Board find “creative solutions” to solve problems the district faces today.

“I’m looking forward to conducting business, there’s a lot going on, there’s a couple of things happening right now.” Guerrero states.

Gamoian looks forward to working with Blair and her skillset in addition to “rebuilding trust with the community”.

Soleno is looking forward to seeing how Blair “fits in” and hearing her perspective.

She is also excited to see how the Board can “continue to work together as a board to make good decisions for our schools”.

Guerrero wants to thank the applicants who applied for the position. He says that the Board “had good applicants” who wanted to represent Area 4.

 “I am really looking forward to collaborating with the board and the community to find creative solutions to the challenges our schools face today.”

-Catalina Blair

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