School board votes 4-0 to pursue provisional appointment, names two-member interview committee for Trustee Area 4 vacancy

The Board of Education voted 4-0 Aug. 5, 2025, to pursue a provisional appointment to fill the vacancy in Trustee Area 4 and to form a two-member interview committee to screen applicants.

The vote followed a public comment urging an open interview process and a staff presentation outlining the two options available under state law: order a special election or make a provisional appointment. Board member Nao moved to pursue the provisional appointment (option 2); the motion was seconded by Cervantes and passed unanimously. The board named Cervantes and Nao to serve as the board’s interview committee.

Why it matters: The seat became vacant after the board received the resignation of Trustee Monroe effective Aug. 15, 2025. Choosing a provisional appointment will allow a qualified resident from Trustee Area 4 to be selected and seated sooner than a special election, and the district will not pay the cost of a special election if it proceeds by appointment.

District staff described the two options and the timelines. Under the special-election option, staff said a special election would be scheduled for April 14, 2026, and the Register of Voters would then take roughly 38 days to certify results; that timeline would leave the seat unfilled for about nine months and the winning candidate would serve only until the November 2026 election. The transcript contains two different cost figures for a special election: an earlier item description cited an estimated cost of $495,200, and a staff speaker later cited a figure stated as "$404,195,200" then described that as "about a half a million dollars." The board did not resolve that discrepancy at the meeting; the district’s written budget documents should be consulted for an authoritative cost estimate.

Under the provisional-appointment option the board set an application period that staff will open Aug. 15, 2025, through Aug. 29, 2025; the process will include public notice in two newspapers of general circulation and administrative support from the superintendent’s office. Staff said candidates must live in Trustee Area 4 and that the board or a select committee of fewer than a quorum would interview and select a provisional appointee. Staff also said an appointment made under that option would serve until the November 2026 election (about 15 months).

A member of the public who spoke during the public-comment period urged the board to choose appointment over election and described a prior appointment process in Chino Hills as "the most democratic, that's the most open, and the most transparent, process that you could probably do." The speaker recommended adding a representative of the Associated Chino Teachers to any interview committee to incorporate a classroom perspective; the board did not vote to add a nonboard member to the committee at this meeting.

Next steps: The board’s selected committee (Cervantes and Nao) and district staff will open and process applications, verify residency, schedule interviews, and return to the full board with a recommendation. The superintendent or a designated staff member was authorized to manage administrative functions related to the application and interview process and to post public notice that the vacancy exists.

All direct quotations in this article are taken from the meeting transcript.