Residents who are keen to serve their communities as school board members can begin filing for candidacy next week. In total, there will be 12 seats up for election on Nov. 5 across the Coachella Valley's public K-12 and community college school boards.
Riverside County's candidate filing period for the 2024 presidential general election will open on Monday, July 15, and close at 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 9. Applications can by filed by mail or in person at the Riverside County Registrar of Voters Office located at 2720 Gateway Drive in Riverside.
Similarly, Imperial County's candidate filing period will begin on July 15 and continue through Aug. 9. Applications can be submitted at the Imperial County Registrar of Voters Office , located at 940 W. Main St., Suite 206 in El Centro.
To serve on a school board, an eligible candidate must be at least 18 years old, a citizen of the state, a resident of the school district, a registered voter and not disqualified by the constitution or laws of the state from holding a civil office. Newly elected trustees will serve four-year terms overseeing the policies and proceedings of their respective districts starting in December.
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Three seats to open at College of the Desert (Desert Community College District) in the November 2024 election
College of the Desert will have three out of its five trustee seats up for grabs this November, representing the following areas:
- Trustee Area 2 (Desert Hot Springs, Thousand Palms, Sky Valley, Indio Hills, Desert Center, Sun City, Cactus Summit and a portion of Palm Desert): Vice Chair Beatriz Gonzalez has served this area since 2020.
- Trustee Area 3 (Palm Springs and a sliver of Cathedral City): Ronald Oden was appointed to serve this area in 2023, after the resignation of Fred Jandt.
- Trustee Area 5 (Indio, Bermuda Dunes, La Quinta and parts of Palm Desert): Chair Bonnie Stefan has served this area since 1999.
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Four seats to open at Coachella Valley Unified School District in the November 2024 election
Coachella Valley Unified School District has a seven-member board, the largest in the desert. Four seats will be open for candidacy. Some trustees represent overlapping areas in the east valley with other school board members:
- Trustee Area 1 (Coachella): Trinidad Arredondo has served this area since 2020, alongside Board President Joey Acuña Jr. (Acuña is running for election to the California State Assembly to represent District 36.)
- Trustee Area 2 (Thermal): Jesus Gonzalez has served on the board since 2020. Clerk Silvia Paz also represents Thermal.
- Trustee Area 3 (Oasis and the Salton Sea): Before stepping down in late June, Adonis Galarza-Toledo had served on the board since 2020.
- Trustee Area 4 (Mecca and North Shore): Jocelyn Vargas has also served on the board since 2020. She ran unopposed and automatically received the seat.
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Three seats to open at Desert Sands Unified School District in the November 2024 election
Three seats on Desert Sands Unified School District's five-member board will be up for election, representing the following areas in the mid-valley:
- Trustee Area 1 (Palm Desert): President Kailee Watson has served on the board since 2022, after the resignation of Wendy Jonathan.
- Trustee Area 3 (La Quinta): Since 2020, Vice President/Clerk Tricia Pearce has served as the representative of this area.
- Trustee Area 4 (Indio): Linda Porras, first elected in 2016, ran unopposed in 2020.
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Two seats to open at Palm Springs Unified School District
Palm Springs Unified School District's board of education is comprised of five elected trustees in the west valley, with two seats set to become open:
- Trustee Area 1 (Thousand Palms and parts of Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City and Rancho Mirage): President Madonna Gerrell has served on the board since 2016.
- Trustee Area 2 (Cathedral City and some areas of Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage): Board Member Sergio Espericueta was elected in 2020.
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Jennifer Cortez covers education in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 12 Coachella Valley school board seats up for election in November; filing period opens July 15
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