Travis Unified interviews two military‑family candidates to fill Area 1 trustee vacancy; motion to appoint Extrom recorded

The Travis Unified School District board interviewed two candidates Tuesday to fill the Trustee Area 1 vacancy created after Trustee Melinda “Mindy” Buers resigned in 2024.

Tiara Extrom, a military spouse and parent of students in the district, and Manuela Galan each gave opening statements and answered a series of questions from trustees about priorities for students who live on Travis Air Force Base, special education services, and school funding.

Extrom said she would prioritize giving parents and students a voice in district decisions, suggesting surveys or temperature checks to gather family feedback. She described herself as an active volunteer and site council member at Travis Elementary and cited accessibility as a concern on base: “there’s only one park that is ADA‑compliant,” she said, urging the district to support inclusive play spaces.

Galan, who also described extensive volunteer work on base and in the county, said Travis Unified has worked well with her family around an individual education plan and that she wants to give back: “If I don’t get selected that is totally fine, but if I do that would be amazing because I would learn and give it my best to represent the Travis Air Force base,” she said.

During the interview the board asked both candidates to name top challenges in education. Extrom highlighted funding, teacher pay and diminishing extracurricular opportunities; Galan cited bullying, respect and funding — noting that parent completion of impact‑aid forms affects how some funding is calculated.

Trustees also questioned candidates about practical matters for the base community, including whether they expected to remain on station long enough to serve a term; both said they planned to stay for at least several years. Candidates expressed support for moving sixth grade to Golden West if the district proceeds, saying it would help student adjustment and site capacity.

After closing remarks the board discussed the choice and a member moved to appoint Tiara Extrom; another member seconded the motion and the board began calling the roll. A staff member told attendees that the person chosen under the district’s failure‑to‑elect process will be sworn in with the newly elected trustees at the December meeting. The provided transcript ends after procedural remarks and does not include a recorded vote tally or the formal announcement of the appointment.

The board’s interview packet—read into the record—stated that the district received two applications during the Sept. 11–Oct. 29, 2024 filing window. Candidates were notified and interviewed in public session under the Education Code process for filling a vacancy resulting from a failure to elect.

Next steps: the board expected to conclude its selection process as part of the meeting’s roll‑call vote and to swear in the new member at the December board meeting; the final roll‑call outcome is not included in the available transcript.