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Board names new Eastside elementary school for Ophelia Valdez Yeager after public debate
Summary
After a public nomination and subcommittee review, the Riverside Unified School District board unanimously approved naming the new East Side elementary school the Ophelia Valdez Yeager East Side School. The decision followed testimony for two finalists and a committee process guided by board policy.
The Riverside Unified School District Board of Education unanimously approved May 8 to name the district's new East Side elementary school the Ophelia Valdez Yeager East Side School, following public testimony and a subcommittee process that narrowed nine nominations to two finalists.
Trustee Dr. Hernandez Alexander outlined the naming criteria under board policy 7310 and the subcommittee's work to vet community nominations. "We heard from 10 members of the public and deliberated over nine applications; the committee winnowed the list to two finalists," she said, reading summaries of Dorella Anderson's and Ophelia Valdez Yeager's contributions to the East Side community.
Speakers at the meeting described both finalists as longtime community leaders. Community members urged the board to choose Valdez Yeager for her decades of service: founding or supporting programs such as Upward Bound, leading PTA and community-safety efforts, helping establish child-care resources, serving on the school board as the first Latina trustee, and spearheading local arts and fundraising campaigns. "She was a true hero and a source of inspiration for many," community advocate Art Alcaraz said.
Other speakers recommended Dorella Anderson, noting her work running settlement-house programs, summer offerings and after-school enrichment for generations of East Side children.
Trustee Kinnear said both nominees had lasting impact and voiced support for finding additional ways to honor other East Side leaders. "Miss Anderson changed the lives of so many people on the East Side," he said. The board discussed incorporating "East Side" into the school's formal name and whether additional recognitions for other nominees could follow through the naming committee.
After a motion and second, the board voted in favor of the Ophelia Valdez Yeager East Side School. Trustees also approved three other facility namings on the agenda: John W. North Gymnasium for Coach Jean Hughes; Arlington High School varsity baseball field for Coach Gary Rungo; and Casablanca Elementary School library for Roberto "Tex" Murillo.
