By: Ayla Ozturk
Last month, Randy Villegas was appointed to the previously vacant Trustee Area 6 seat on the Visalia Unified School District [VUSD] Board of Education.
Unlike when Catalina Blair [Trustee Area 4] was appointed, Villegas did not have a majority first vote. In fact, the Board was split between Dr. Lucia Vazquez and Bob Ainley.
The Board only had five out of six voting members. Blair abstained from voting due to a conflict of interest, Dr. Vazquez is her aunt.
However, her “vote” still needed to be counted, meaning that there must be a four-vote majority. This made the process exceedingly difficult. Even if the voting members had a 3:2 vote, the motion could not pass.
Unfortunately, the Board ran into this situation. Candidates Gwendolyn Schrank and Randy Villegas did not make it to the final round.
The Board debated between appointing Bob Ainley or appointing Dr. Vazquez. The primary reason for this conflict was the mention of a past board meeting.
During said meeting, Dr. Vazquez allegedly voiced her opposition to Youth Service Officers on middle/high school campuses. Casebeer Soleno argued that the story was taken out of context.
She heavily expressed that she was at that meeting and the discussion was on who had the ability to switch an officer out in the case of an issue with a specific officer.
She was very insistent about the story being told correctly.
Casebeer Soleno says that the Board has no say in the matter, it was this way then and continues to be today.
Board members Walta Gamoian [Area 1 and Board Clerk] and Joy Naylor [Area 3] would not vote for Dr. Vazquez, as they saw the situation the opposite of Casebeer Soleno’s perspective.
Jacqueline Gaebe [Area 7], Board President Juan Guerrero [Area 2], and Megan Casebeer Soleno [Area 5] refused to vote for Ainley.
Since there was not a four-vote majority, the vote was left a tie.
The Board could not come to a decision and was on the verge of asking that Tulare County Superintendent of Schools, Tim Hire, declare a special election.
A special election would have cost the Board $25,000.
The point of the provisional appointment was to avoid taking money away from school budgets.
Right as the district was about to spend thousands of dollars, Casebeer Soleno had a comment and had Interim Superintendent Doug Cardoza put her on speaker phone. She then motioned for Villegas to be appointed.
Casebeer Soleno was unable to attend the meeting in person, as she was in labor. But even over the phone, her voice was as clear as ever; Villegas was her choice.
There was shock, disbelief, and audible criticism expressed among the audience.
However, after some clarification and a second from Gaebe, the motion was passed with a vote of 4:1.
Villegas was then called to the stage of the College of the Sequoias Theatre and sworn into the Board by Assistant Superintendent Dedi Somavia.
Gamoian, who was persistent on Ainley, voted yes. Naylor was the only member who voted against the motion.
Villegas expresses, “It was a bit of a shock to me, but I’m very grateful that taxpayers are saving some hard-earned money on an election.”
Gaebe, who seconded the motion, was pleased when Casebeer Soleno brought up Villegas’s name.
Gaebe voices, “I think we had gotten stuck in deliberating between the 2 candidates and were headed to a special election which I was definitely not in favor of because of the time and expense involved”.
She feels that Casebeer Soleno “truly showed why we [the Board] work better when we [the Board] collaborate and make team decisions”.
“I was so focused on the candidates at hand that this idea never occurred to me yet was a great solution and allows us to move forward with someone that will be a wonderful addition to our board.” she says.
Filling two vacancies so close together is something that has never occurred before.
In an interview from the original Notice of Vacancy, Guerrero pointed out that these situations are not ideal for a school board.
Gaebe remarks, “The process to replace is one I take very seriously because it is not in essence how the system should work.”
She feels strongly that the candidates should be voted in by the community and when chosen by a small group, there is no way to “replicate a traditional vote of the people”.
“In these situations, you try to do your very best, but you are always a bit uncomfortable because you are overstepping the power you should typically have in decision-making.” she adds.
As mentioned, Blair was in the position of Villegas very recently. She says, “The interview seemed pretty surreal watching it from the other side.”
After serving one month on the Board, Blair says Villegas can expect emails from deeply invested community members and robust public comments at meetings.
“He will meet a lot of wonderful staff and board members who are all doing their best to improve student achievement and create wonderful experiences for students.” she adds.
Board members gave truly kind remarks about Villegas and working with him in the future.
Guerrero notes, “He appears to be a bright caring person as well as educated.” Blair spoke to Villegas and welcomed him to the Board. She also expressed her excitement to work with him.
Gaebe voices, “I think Randy will be a very positive addition to our school board. I think he has a political lens and experience that will help us better advocate for student equity and create systems that serve our students and community more effectively.”
Villegas will serve until the election in 2022, that is of course if he does not run for reelection.
Regarding reelection, he states, “I’m leaning towards yes, but I’d like to talk to my wife and, of course, voters in Area Six to ensure that they would like me to represent them as well.”
He enjoyed the process of applying and loved listening to all the answers of all the applicants.
“I believe I can learn a lot from continuing to listen to perspectives of others, whether that’s community members, [or] the candidates.” he says.
As the Board President, Guerrero feels it is important to get “back to business and up to speed.”
The Board is attending a training this coming January to supplement the older members and train the newer ones.
In addition, the Board is holding a planning session to focus on academic and board goals. Guerrero notes that this is great for the new members.
He hopes that the process of appointing Villegas was very transparent, as the Board wants to be as open as possible with the community.
After a hectic night, Casebeer Soleno welcomed her child at 3:27 am the next morning. She will have an interesting story to tell in the future.
Ayla Ozturk
Ayla Ozturk, class of 2024, is a fourth-year journalism student passionate about leading the News section. She is dedicated to informing students and amplifying their voices through Government and Politics writing.
You can reach her at ayla.oz3769@vusd.us.
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