Community speakers urge board to prioritize students, endorse candidates amid budget strain

A sustained public-comment period before the board’s candidate interviews featured union testimony and multiple endorsements for individual candidates.

Joe Herman, speaking as president of the California Teachers Association of Berryessa, asked trustees to select a candidate who will scrutinize district spending and prioritize classrooms. Herman cited district spending figures in his remarks: "In the last 5 years, spending on outside contracts has increased from 7,000,000 in the 2021 school year to over 15,000,000 last year," he said, and noted the district’s expense overrun and impacts on staffing and services. CTAB officially recommended Shauna Brewer and Randy Lee as finalists.

Multiple parents and students addressed the board in support of Anita Chen, noting her combination of local teaching experience, an MBA and a forthcoming PhD in Educational Technology and her Mandarin‑language connections. A parent, Fanny Ho, said Chen’s experience "helps her to understand how to manage budget, allocate resources wisely, and make responsible financial decisions," while a student said simply: "I support Miss Anita to represent us on the school board because she is very helpful to her students."

Speakers across the night emphasized declining enrollment, fiscal strain and the need for school‑district leaders who will ask hard questions, support teachers and pursue programs that can attract and retain students. Those themes informed trustees’ deliberations and the subsequent finalist selection.