Five new faces sworn in to Coachella Valley school boards after being elected in November
December signifies a turning point in the school year as winter break and then a new semester loom on the horizon.
It also marks a shift in local school board governance as roles change and new members are sworn in after winning their respective November elections.
Here's a round-up of the changes across the Coachella Valley:
Palm Springs Unified
Charlie Ervin (Trustee Area 4) is the only new member on PSUSD's Board of Education. Ervin replaces Timothy Wood, who did not seek reelection. He joins Madonna Gerrell and Sergio Espericueta on the dais as well as John Gerardi and Karen Cornett, who were both reelected to new four-year terms in November.
Ervin has lived in Palm Springs for over 40 years. He has served as a city planning commissioner, president of the Palm Springs Unified African American Parent Advisory Council and an ambassador on a school district budget committee.
He lives in Desert Highland Gateway Estates, a community he says has been underserved and misrepresented.
"For me the most important part of that community is love," Ervin said at his first board meeting Tuesday night.
In his campaign, Ervin said he aimed to help PSUSD continues its work to become a leader in diversity and equity. For example, he plans to focus on how the district can lower suspension rates for students of color and boost reading scores for younger Black students.
Desert Sands Unified
The Desert Sands Unified Board of Education was radically changed by the 2022 elections.
For months, the board had only three trustees. Two members resigned earlier in the year, a third did not run for reelection and a conservative community group successfully ousted a board-appointed replacement by collecting hundreds of signatures on a petition.
Now, the board is back to having five members — with three new faces.
Returning board members Linda Porras and Tricia Pearce are joined by Kailee Watson, Humberto "Beto" Alvarez and Michael Duran.
Duran (Trustee Area 5), a high school counselor and water polo and swim coach, previously served on the board from 2006 to 2018.
In his campaign, he said he was focused on guiding the district toward further investments in physical education, music, the fine arts and social-emotional learning, including counseling.
Alvarez (Trustee Area 2) is an elementary school principal in Coachella Valley Unified.
"I'm thankful for all the support that I got from the community," Alvarez said in English and Spanish at his first board meeting Tuesday night. He beat out five other candidates to win his first four-year term on the board.
Alvarez said there are opportunities in the district to improve services for English learners, career and technical education and special education.
Watson (Trustee Area 1) is an optometrist with three children enrolled in the school district.
"I look forward to meeting with all of the principals and learning the needs of all of the schools, not just in my trustee area," Watson said Tuesday. She said she already has a schedule in the works to visit every school, beginning with James Carter Elementary in Palm Desert on Friday.
In her campaign, Watson said her top priority was school safety, followed by expanding career and vocational opportunities and transparency with community, parents and faculty.
Coachella Valley Unified
The seven-member Coachella Valley Unified Board of Education has one new face after newcomer Valerie Garcia joined incumbent Joey Acuña in defeating former board president Blanca Hall and challenger Ventura "Ben" Gutierrez in a four-person race for two seats to represent Trustee Area 1.
Acuña, a trustee from 1992 to 2000 and again since 2014, said during his campaign that the board must continue to address academic learning loss, mental health and safety.
"I want to thank the community for allowing me the honor of serving for another four years," he said Thursday. "I really appreciate their confidence and support."
Garcia is a field services specialist for the California Teachers Association.
In her campaign, she said her top priority is to make sure the district's budget is "student-centered, transparent and fiscally responsible."
She also committed to supporting student and educator mental health and advocated for increasing investments in STEM, arts and music education.
"Thank you all for the confidence in me," she said at her first board meeting Thursday. "I'm honored to represent our school district, the district that I grew up in and returned home to make a difference and have my own some and be proud to be educated here."
Jonathan Horwitz covers education for The Desert Sun. Reach him at jonathan.horwitz@desertsun.com or @Writes_Jonathan.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella Valley school boards get 5 new members after election wins
