Community speakers back Superintendent Walker at Adelanto Elementary School District special meeting; board recesses to closed session

Adelanto Elementary School District — Community members used a public-comment period at a special school board meeting on Sept. 30 to publicly praise Superintendent Dr. Walker and urge the board to keep district leadership stable, before trustees recessed into closed session and later reconvened with no reportable actions.

The meeting, called to order at 5:30 p.m., moved quickly through roll call and a routine adoption of the agenda. Trustee Keier moved to adopt the agenda and Trustee Krauss seconded; the board recorded the motion as passing by voice vote (reported as 4-0 during the early meeting vote).

Public commenters focused on supporting the superintendent. Jennifer Raider told the board she appreciated Walker’s classroom visits and said the district’s “Strive for 95” attendance campaign appeared to be raising daily attendance, calling on trustees not to allow frequent leadership turnover. “I implore you not to let that revolving door swing again — this district cannot take it,” Raider said.

Kim Smith, another public speaker, criticized what she described as repeated evaluations of the superintendent and said the board’s conduct had felt “disrespectful.” “There is no valid reason to be talking about changing the guard when it comes to Dr. Walker,” Smith said. Carissa Coke, appearing by Zoom, added that she was grateful to see Walker on campus and thanked the superintendent for her visits to classrooms.

After public comment, Trustee Keier moved, and Trustee Krause seconded, that the board recess to closed session for agenda items 1–2. The chair announced the board recessed into closed session at 5:42 p.m.; the meeting later reconvened to open session at 8:02 p.m. The board announced there were no reportable actions taken during closed session.

The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn that passed and the board departing at 8:02 p.m.

While speakers urged trustees to retain district leadership amid ongoing mediation, the board took no public action on personnel matters at the meeting. The district’s public-comment rules — as read into the record by Clerk Hyre — limit individual speakers to three minutes and total public input to 20 minutes per closed-session agenda item, and prohibit board dialogue during public comment.