Sabrena Rodriguez is once again president of the Ventura Unified School District board of trustees, replacing Matt Almaraz, who resigned April 13.
Almaraz, who had been a board member for three years and was elected president in December 2021, said he had taken a job that could pose a conflict of interest because the company does business with the city of Ventura.
Jerry Dannenberg, a former school administrator and district board member since 2018, was chosen to replace Rodriguez as vice president on a 3-0 vote.
To avoid a special election, the board decided it would have an appointee serve the remainder of Almaraz’s term, which expires Dec. 12. The trustees approved a timeline for selecting a replacement by May 18.
Almaraz’s seat representing Area 5 is up for election in November as are Area 1 and Area 4 seats currently held by Velma Lomax and Dannenberg, respectively.
The Ventura Unified School District (VUSD) has announced that applications are now open to fill a vacancy in Trustee Area 5 on the Board of Education for the next seven months. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, May 10 at 4 pm.
At the Board meeting of April 21, 2022, the Board announced the process to fill the vacancy by a provisional appointment from among qualified applicants. The appointee will hold office through the next regularly scheduled election on November 8, 2022. This provisional appointment shall expire on December 12, 2022. While not required, the appointed person will have the opportunity to run in the November 2022 election if they so choose.
The District requests all those interested in serving on the school board to apply. Once open, the applications will be available on the District website https://www.venturausd.org/about/board-of-education and at the District Office, located at 255 West Stanley Avenue, Suite 100, Ventura, CA 93001. To be eligible to apply for appointment to the Board of Trustees, an individual must be at least 18 years old, be a resident of the Ventura Unified School District in Trustee Area #5, be a registered voter in the State of California, and not be disqualified from holding civil office by the constitution or any law of the State of California.
The Board position vacated by former President Matthew Almaraz, represents Trustee Area 5. Trustee Area 5 is located on the east end of Ventura, in the Montalvo area. The area borders Highway 101, Telephone Rd., the railroad, and Petit Ave. To view an interactive county map that includes the streets in this area, go to https://www.venturausd.org/about/board-of-education for a link to the map and directions on using the map.
“Board members are our elected representatives and a vital link between the school district and the community,” said VUSD Superintendent Dr. Roger Rice. “The Board sets the foundation and vision for the District, directs resources where they are most needed, and ensures accountability to the community by monitoring progress toward goals. Their end goal, of course, is to support and elevate student achievement.”
More information, including a link to the application, is available on the District website, https://www.venturausd.org/about/board-of-education.
