Incumbents, Walker win in Modesto City Schools board race

Dissatisfaction with state testing and standards helped a challenger push ahead in the Modesto City Schools board race.

With some absentee ballots left to count, incumbent Amy Neumann held a commanding lead with 31 percent of the vote and veteran trustee Steve Grenbeaux appeared likely to hold his seat with 25 percent of the vote. For the third seat, John Walker held onto 23 percent of the vote, with Chad Brown at 21 percent.

Walker ran as an establishment outsider, the only one anxious to challenge Common Core state standards and the computer-adapted testing California elected to use alongside those standards.

“I’m optimistic,” said Walker on Tuesday night. “It’s very tight and the turnout is very low. My hope is I get a shot to have a voice.”

Brown, a property manager by trade, ran on his experience with facility needs, expertise gained on the Sylvan Union Elementary School District board and in working with at-risk youths on the board of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Stanislaus County.

Brown said arranging a national speaker on helping very difficult children had kept him from focusing on his campaign, and said if the polling trend held he wished the new board well.

“I think his (Walker’s) focus on Common Core and the fact that people are upset with test scores resonated with very conservative voters,” Brown said. No matter the final tally, he said, “I’m still going to be very active in promoting opportunity for kids.”

Neumann, first elected in 2011, campaigned as a proponent of the higher standards and hands-on learning. She raised the most money early in the campaign, while Grenbeaux, going for his sixth term, ran a low-key campaign without spending anything.

“I want to keep our focus on student achievement, making sure our kids are getting what they need,” said Neumann on Tuesday after the first count was released. “We also have a lot of facility needs, that enormous list of to-dos, which would be a second priority, and then to maintain fiscal responsibility as we do all those,” she said.

Grenbeaux said he was hopeful his lead would hold. The veteran trustee said safety remains his top concern, but added during the campaign he spoke with the Building Trades Council about possible collaboration on an apprenticeship program.

Desiree Romo, appointed to Rubén Villalobos’ seat after he resigned, ran unchallenged for the remaining two years of the term. On Tuesday, she sent a statement via email, thanking her supporters.

“My work will continue to explore avenues in career and college readiness, technology, and competitive education for all. I look forward in working diligently with the trustees to achieve our mission of serving our students and community,” Romo wrote.

The new board will be seated in early December, and will face challenges from the start. Tuesday afternoon, the Modesto Teachers Association declared negotiations for its 2015-16 contract at an impasse. The state Public Employment Relations Board will be notified and the district and union will enter a mediation phase, said MTA President Doug Burton by email.

As a mark of the teachers’ dissatisfaction with the board, the MTA declined to endorse anyone in the election for the first time in its history.

The district has already settled with its support staff union and managers group for the year, giving 4 percent raises and a slightly improved benefits package. Teachers originally asked for a 9 percent raise, and at board meetings have cited a widespread teacher shortage as making more generous raises necessary.

Superintendent Pam Able has raised the possibility of her retirement, mentioning 2017 to the board, but has since said the timing will depend on a number of goals she wants to achieve before leaving.

Modesto City Schools has also recently unveiled a facilities study finding its campuses and other properties require $1 billion worth of repairs and upgrades. The study only cataloged existing needs, and did not consider changing needs or population shifts.

With no school building money available from the state, facility needs will compete with employee salaries and student needs for the district’s general fund money.

Modesto’s overall funding will increase in the next few years, in large part because of its large number of poor children, English learners and foster kids. How best to serve high-needs children – through additional services, better buildings or a more stable teaching staff – will be up to the next board to decide.

This story was originally published November 3, 2015 at 8:24 PM with the headline "Incumbents, Walker win in Modesto City Schools board race."