VUSD announces candidates to fill Trustee Area 6’s vacant seat

By Ayla Ozturk

Just two months ago, the Visalia Unified School District [VUSD] Board of Education filled the vacant Trustee Area 4 seat. Last night, they replaced another.

Christopher Pope resigned from his seat earlier this November. The Board had gone back to having the full seven members days before.

With six members, the Board risks a 3-3 tie. Having seven members is vital for the Board to function. 

Unlike Area 4’s nine candidate count, only four people are applying to fill the seat of Area 6: Bob Ainley, Gwendolyn Schrank, Dr. Lucia Vazquez, and Randy Villegas. 

Bob Ainley

Bob Ainley is both the co-founder and an attorney at Ainley Alizpaz Webb PC. He graduated from Golden West High School in 2000 and went on to graduate with a law degree from the University of Oregon in 2011. 

He is a member of both the Visalia Chamber of Commerce Board and the Tulare County Bar Association Board. 

In addition, he is both the Vice President and a member of the COS Foundation Board. Up until 2020, he held the same positions on the Family Services of Tulare County Board. 

Born and raised in Visalia, Ainley went to VUSD schools throughout his entire childhood until graduating from Golden West High School.

He spent his childhood visiting his father teaching at Golden West High School and long afternoons at the baseball and football fields.

VUSD and its students are central to his family’s “lifelong profession and service”

Ainley expresses, “I believe I can be one more board member who puts the children of this district first with every decision that is made.”

As a transactional attorney, he has helped local businesses thrive, helped families prepare to navigate tragedy, and helped parties amicably solve a conflict.

“Basically, I go to work every day to build or improve something in this community.” Ainley says.

Before working in his legal practice, Ainley spent time in the Philippines helping anti-child sex trafficking operations as well as working on legal reform with the government. This is where he met his wife and brought her back to Visalia.

He has also worked with the United Nations and the Fresno County District Attorney. This helped him to work with the vulnerable, especially children.

He has witnessed how children are used and discarded in the “selfish pursuits of adults.”

“I have a heart for this area and its people. I want to see us be the best community in the midst of this State’s pressure to be otherwise.” Ainley expresses.

When it comes to the Human Resources, financial, and legal aspects of board business, Ainley feels his skill set could be useful to the Board.

In addition, he is well integrated into the business community and believes he can help establish connections with those stakeholders.

He believes he can be a stabilizing part of the Board and synthesize complex information then echo it to the community.

Ainley states, “My approach to decision making is judicious and methodical. I hope that approach can lend additional credibility to this board’s decisions and build confidence with the community and administration.”

He feels his experience, education, training, and volunteer work makes him an ideal candidate. Ainley believes he has the skills to understand district operations, budgets, and legal constraints of the district.

Ainley’s personal history and volunteer work give him a “significant buy-in to this district and this community”.

He takes the role seriously, as the failure to engage with the Board will be felt by his children. 

Having years of experience weighing facts, evidence, and balancing interests, Ainley believes he can establish the best possible outcome for VUSD. He feels that community and staff concerns are important and will take them into consideration when making decisions.

“My personal values and beliefs are just who I am. Naturally, I have a lens in which I see the world and I know who I am and what I believe.” Ainley says.

He feels that VUSD’s diversity is its strength and will be for years to come. However, he feels the “concerns of [VUSD’s] decisions’ effects on children need to be paramount” and parents need to be on the same page and find common ground.

Gwendolyn Schrank

Gwendolyn Schrank is the CEO and Founder of Schrank’s Clubhouse, an organization dedicated to removing the stigma around mental illness. 

She believes her qualities and experience are in line with what VUSD is looking for. Serving in public schools for over 20 years, Schrank has won Parent of the Year, been a parent volunteer/tutor, and worked with schools to better the student experience.

She started the Volunteer Buddy Program to aid high-risk students with behavioral issues. They had lunch with them once a week and helped the students keep up with schoolwork.

She has served on many committees in Tulare County, most of which were dedicated to suicide prevention and mental health awareness/support. 

Her focus has always been to raise awareness, improve teamwork, manage more effectively, improve conflict resolution, train without judgment, and improve human connection.

Schrank states, “Building collaborative relationships and partnerships has been the key to success to everything I’ve done and will continue to use these techniques to learn, grow, and advocate for better a partnership with the community, families, and organizations within the county for Area 6 if appointed.”

She feels her involvement in VUSD, church, and the community will benefit the district because it will help people get involved, come together, and take ownership.

Schrank believes she can bring a diverse perspective to the Board due to her different cultural background. In addition, she has a passion for public education and encouraging community involvement.

She can make decisions and is willing to give her time and energy to the position. Schrank feels her personal and professional experiences will help VUSD create equal opportunities for students. 

Her 18+ years of experience gives her the ability to maintain government standards, lead by example, create/review/evaluate policies, manage finances, and encourage the community. She is committed to helping VUSD adopt policies that are sound, legal, and ethical.

Schrank will make decisions by listening, getting the facts, not jumping to conclusions, building relationships, funneling through problems with the Board and Superintendent, and having proper perspective.

She is trained to handle emotional concerns, which helps her find solutions that show fair and ethical values.

“Teachers and Administrators who really care about students and families [are one of the district’s strengths]. That was one of the reasons that drew my family to this area from Wisconsin. I’ve seen principals knock on doors to check on students. I’ve witnessed principals painting over tagging every morning. I witnessed people in the school district coming together to support and love each other.” Schrank expresses.

She feels that society is divided as a whole, but not necessarily the district. She reasons that people have brought politics into the district to control the community.

Her beliefs include utilizing community organizations as resources to create more involvement.

Dr. Lucia Vazquez

Dr. Lucia Vazquez sat in the Area 6 seat up until Christopher Pope’s election in 2020. Losing the 2020 election, Vazquez took this opportunity to reclaim her seat. 

Graduating from Mount Whitney High School, Vazquez worked her way up to multiple degrees, including a Doctor of Education. 

She has a current position as President of the Cultural Heritage Foundation. 

Her past experiences include Grant Manager of Chicano Art History Engagement Project, a member of the VUSD Property Committee, nine years of Parent-Teacher Association/School Site Council as a member/President, and Hispanic Advisory to Visalia Police Chief through four chiefs. 

Dr. Vazquez is a part of the Tulare County Redistricting Commission and is familiar with the Voting Rights Act and Education Code guiding the current redistricting process. 

She is also serving as a substitute teacher for surrounding school districts and has years of experience working with not-for-profit organizations.

According to Dr. Vazquez, she is the first Latina elected to the VUSD Board. Because of this, she would bring a unique perspective to the Board.

Vazquez expresses, “Choose me. I am willing to work with and to listen to all views. There has been much emotion, hurt, exhaustion, and loss in these last two years. I am willing to study the ever-changing guidelines and mandates of this pandemic. I am ready to support students, families, staff, admin, and again be part of the governance team.”

She knows VUSD, its staff, students, and history and will always put students first. Dr. Vazquez acknowledges the difficulty of the job, as she has done it before.

To Dr. Vazquez, being involved with staff and students will lead to better decisions. 

Her views on the strengths of the district include VUSD’s ability to serve students. At the high school level, VUSD has a traditional, alternative, and concurrent education with the College of the Sequoias [COS].

VUSD is the largest school district in Tulare County. Dr. Vazquez feels families have a variety of choices when it comes to their child’s education. Even adults have opportunities in VUSD.

Dr. Vazquez feels that VUSD needs stronger leadership and better communication systems. The pandemic and the lack of a Superintendent have been big obstacles for the district.

She looks forward to watching strong leadership guiding the district through the pandemic. 

Randy Villegas

Randy Villegas is an Associate Professor of Politics at COS and is working on a doctorate in politics. He is a member of two non-profit boards, Power California and Alisal Community Arts Network. 

In addition, he works on many committees at COS and volunteers for the Golden West Marching Band plus many other community organizations. 

Being someone who has been both a student and a teacher in education, student equity is Villegas’s top priority in both the classroom and the community.

As a Latino student, he attended a school district that was sued for expelling students of color at an extremely disproportionate rate.

Witnessing and experiencing racial discrimination throughout his education, Villegas had a different experience as a student.

According to an Atlantic article cited by Villegas, Visalia was the second most discriminatory city to Latinos seeking higher education.

Going through these hardships is why he is dedicated and committed to serving the students of VUSD. He wants the valley to grow out of the discriminatory statistics and to be a part of that change.

“As a school board member, I believe I can contribute my experiences, perspective, and passion for student success and education in a manner that seeks to rise above partisan politics in order to fulfill the needs of students and our community.” Villegas states.

His volunteer work has allowed him to develop connections with the students of Visalia and listen to their concerns

According to Villegas, the data reflects the VUSD’s strengths. 70% of people believe VUSD is a good place to attend school and or work. The average attendance rate of 97% reflects students’ and their families’ commitment to the education VUSD provides. 

He says, “This [the data] speaks to the culture, pride, and commitment that community members and employees have in our district.” 

The programs that VUSD offers have, according to Villegas, “have allowed students to flourish in their careers and goals”.

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