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Coachella board sets timeline, agrees to provisional appointment process for vacant trustee seat
Summary
The Coachella Valley Unified School District board approved a timetable and process to fill a vacant trustee seat by provisional appointment, directing staff to advertise applications and interview all qualified candidates at a public meeting.
The Coachella Valley Unified School District Board of Education on July 24 agreed to move forward with a provisional appointment process to fill the vacancy left by former trustee Sylvia Paz.
The board approved a schedule that calls for the district to advertise the vacancy beginning July 25 for 10 business days, close applications at 5 p.m. on Aug. 7, provide a list of qualified applicants to trustees on Aug. 11, conduct public interviews of all applicants on Aug. 12, and select a provisional appointee at the regular board meeting on Aug. 14. The board directed staff to confirm applicants’ voter registration in the district and to accept oral and written public comment during interviews.
Why it matters: A provisional appointee will assume the office immediately and hold it until the next regularly scheduled district election. Trustees emphasized transparency in the selection process and that all applicants should have an opportunity to speak publicly to the board.
Trustee Joey Acuna made the motion to move forward with a provisional appointment, and Trustee Trinidad Arredondo seconded; the board later took the formal action under Education Code section 5091(a). During discussion trustees debated logistics and dates; Trustee Thomas Tortoise asked about scheduling and availability, and Superintendent Dr. Esparza confirmed the district had coordinated the timeline with the county.
Several trustees said they favored interviewing every applicant. The board adopted the change to advertise for 10 business days rather than 10 calendar days to give applicants extra time to prepare. The board also requested that the superintendent provide suggested interview questions drawn from legal counsel.
The board voted to initiate the provisional appointment process under Education Code section 5091(a). Clerk Valerie Garcia read the board’s subsequent action into the record: “the board took action to move forward with the provisional appointment to fill the existing vacancy for former board trustee Sylvia Paz as provided by Education Code section 5091(a) and directed the superintendent to initiate the process to backfill the vacancy.” The clerk recorded the motion as made by Trustee Acuna, seconded by Trustee Arredondo; the motion was recorded as unanimous.
The district said it would post application materials and a press release the next day and that trustees would receive applicant names as they were submitted.
Next steps: Staff will advertise the position, verify candidate residency with the registrar of voters, provide the board with a list of qualified applicants, and hold public interviews on Aug. 12 before the board decides at its Aug. 14 meeting.
