The Nominations committee is pleased to present to the following list of nominees for the 2020-2021 CLSBA Officer and Directors election. All candidates have been vetted and confirmed by the Nominations committee. Please review the candidates information. If there is no candidate statement or photograph, it was not received in time for this publication.
The election will be electronic. Current CLSBA dues paying and eligible voting members can vote below.
Voting begins at 4 p.m. Friday, September 18, 2020 and closes on Sunday, September 27, at 11:59 p.m. (In the event of a tie, tie break election will take place on Thursday, October 1 and Friday, October 2, 2020).
Election results will be announced at our Virtual Annual Membership Meeting, scheduled for Saturday October, 3, 2020
2020-2021 CLSBA Board President
Jorge Pacheco Jr.
Vice President
Oak Grove School District
Vice President
Oak Grove School District
The Latinx community is the new majority in California’s public schools. As the new majority, we need our policies, leaders and organizing to reflect this new reality in our public schools. COVID-19 has ravaged our communities and destroyed families. It has also revealed the greatest impediment for our Latinx students to reach their educational goals: the digital divide. EVERY kid has a right to high-speed internet and a device. Without them, their futures are at stake, and this is holding our community back more than any other population in California.
That is why I am running to be CLSBA’s president: to steer our organization to tackle the digital divide, fight for Ethnic Studies K-12, and create world class professional development for our state’s educational leaders to close the gaps for our kids that need it the most. I was elected in 2018 at 28 years old as an elementary and middle school Ethnic Studies teacher, as well as a statewide Ethnic Studies activist. It is time that the next generation of leaders and educators lead CLSBA’s efforts to create a new reality of transformative education for ALL of California’s students, and with your support, we can make that happen together.
That is why I am running to be CLSBA’s president: to steer our organization to tackle the digital divide, fight for Ethnic Studies K-12, and create world class professional development for our state’s educational leaders to close the gaps for our kids that need it the most. I was elected in 2018 at 28 years old as an elementary and middle school Ethnic Studies teacher, as well as a statewide Ethnic Studies activist. It is time that the next generation of leaders and educators lead CLSBA’s efforts to create a new reality of transformative education for ALL of California’s students, and with your support, we can make that happen together.
2020-2021 CLSBA Board President
Deborah Bautista Zavala
Elected Trustee
Woodland Joint Unified School District
Elected Trustee
Woodland Joint Unified School District
Deborah Bautista Zavala was born and raised in Woodland, California and is the first in her family to earn a college degree; Master’s Degree in Education from California State University Sacramento, and Bachelors Degree from the University of California at Davis. Since 2013, Bautista Zavala served as Legislative Aide at the California State Assembly for over seven years, for legislators including Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Nora Campos, Assemblymember Miguel Santiago and Assemblymember Kevin McCarty. In November 2018, she was elected by majority vote to serve as Trustee of Area 1 of the Woodland Joint Unified School District with the drive to advance the education of all students. In early 2020, Bautista Zavala became Legislative Advocate for Los Angeles Unified School District where she is able to advocate for students statewide. Bautista Zavala has served on the Executive board of California Latino School Board Association (CLSBA) since 2019, and has the vision to continue growing the presence of CLSBA at the State Capitol and build a well-rounded legislative agenda that prioritizes the educational equity. CLSBA deserves a voice at the California State Capitol! ¡Juntos, let’s make this happen! ¡Para nuestros estudiantes de California!
2020-2021 CLSBA Treasurer
Gil Rebollar
Elected Trustee
Brawley Elementary School District
Elected Trustee
Brawley Elementary School District
My name is Gil Rebollar and I am a Trustee for the Brawley Elementary School District, BESD, in the Imperial Valley in Southern California.
I am seeking the position of Treasurer because I believe I can help the CLSBA become the premier body to advocate for our Latino students. My fiscal experience consists of previously managing and operating my family’s restaurant located in the city of Westmorland. I currently work for the Imperial County Air Pollution Control District as an Analyst where I am responsible for various grant projects and the allocation of those funds. In addition to those reasons to why I am running, over 85% of my school district is Latino with over 90% socioeconomically disadvantaged. Plain and simple, my students, admin, teachers, and staff need to be heard and advocated for through every avenue and organization possible to ensure our schools are preparing our disadvantaged Latino and non-Latino students for success. I am currently the interim CLSBA Secretary where I am responsible for the Minutes and drafting of the Agenda. I hope I can count on your vote for CLSBA Treasurer.
I am seeking the position of Treasurer because I believe I can help the CLSBA become the premier body to advocate for our Latino students. My fiscal experience consists of previously managing and operating my family’s restaurant located in the city of Westmorland. I currently work for the Imperial County Air Pollution Control District as an Analyst where I am responsible for various grant projects and the allocation of those funds. In addition to those reasons to why I am running, over 85% of my school district is Latino with over 90% socioeconomically disadvantaged. Plain and simple, my students, admin, teachers, and staff need to be heard and advocated for through every avenue and organization possible to ensure our schools are preparing our disadvantaged Latino and non-Latino students for success. I am currently the interim CLSBA Secretary where I am responsible for the Minutes and drafting of the Agenda. I hope I can count on your vote for CLSBA Treasurer.
2020-2021 CLSBA Secretary
Dora Sandoval
Elected Trustee
Little Lake City School District
Elected Trustee
Little Lake City School District
* No candidate information available
2020 - 2021 CLSBA At- Large Directors Four seats are available
Melissa Moreno
Elected Trustee
Yolo County Board of Education
Elected Trustee
Yolo County Board of Education
I am running to assure that in this time in history school board members are more empowered than ever before with knowledge to create policy that will sustain and increase P-12 Latina/o/x student retention, persistence, and academic success. With a sense of purpose and legacy, I want to collaborate with others to improve educational equity and academic success for our students.My experience has prepared me to serve. As the daughter of farmworkers, I attended Head Start, Migrant Education, and ESL programs. Schools prepared me to become the first college graduate in my family and to earn a doctorate in education. As a parent, I have been involved in the English Language Advisory Committee, participated in the Local Control Accountability Plan (LACP) review process, and served on the CA Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. Today I serve as a YCOE trustee and work as a professor/director of Ethnic Studies.
My priorities are:
• Collaborate with CLSBA President and consult members to determine the best activities and policies for the organization during and post-pandemic
• Listen and represent the urgent needs of the region and build effective partnership across regionsI ask for your vote.
My priorities are:
• Collaborate with CLSBA President and consult members to determine the best activities and policies for the organization during and post-pandemic
• Listen and represent the urgent needs of the region and build effective partnership across regionsI ask for your vote.
Tony Perez
Elected Trustee
Elk Grove Unified School District
Elected Trustee
Elk Grove Unified School District
* No candidate information available
José Magaña
Elected Trustee
San José Unified School District
Elected Trustee
San José Unified School District
My name is José Magaña and I hope to earn your vote to be a member of the 2020 CLSBA Board of Directors. I am proud to be the youngest elected trustee in San José Unified School Districts 160+ year history. I am a former kinder and first grade teacher, as well as a former national math, literacy, and technology coach. I also serve as Vice Chair of the Library and Education Commission for the City of San José, as well as the Managing Director of Impact at City Year San José-Silicon Valley. I have dedicated my whole career to equity and education due to my experience as a child in the Central Valley and hope to bring my personal and professional experiences to the Board of Directors. My goals as a member of the Board of Directors would consist of continuing to increase the profiles of our Latinx leaders throughout the state, increasing our membership, and working to organize board members across the state to address the need for Ethnic Studies, as well as the digital divide. I hope to earn your vote and support. Please send me a message if you have any questions (jmagana@sjusd.org or 209-581-3699). ꜟGracias!
Peter Ortiz
Elected Trustee
Santa Clara County Board of Education
Elected Trustee
Santa Clara County Board of Education
I grew up in East San Jose, to a single mother. As a young Latino man, I have experienced institutional racism, gang violence, seen friends go down the wrong path, and I myself was a victim of the school to prison pipeline. I have been able to overcome this and utilize this experience to bring change to the families of San Jose. I got involved in politics at a young age. My mother, an active member of SEIU, would bring me to her rallies and picket lines to ingrain in me the values of working families. She raised me to be outspoken for the rights of the community and that is something I have taken with me to this day.My political career began as a community & union organizer, and I have taken those values to my role in elected office. I envision the CLSBA being a strong body of advocacy and have proven my dedication to that vision by organizing a local CLSBA group in Santa Clara County, in which we have advocated for important issues like countywide Ethnic Studies, the removal of police officers from our schools, and electing more Latino school board members.
Paul Solano
Vice President
Bassett Unified School District
Vice President
Bassett Unified School District
My name is Paul Solano, I am a school board member representing the Bassett Unified School District in Los Angeles County, about 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. We are a K-12 district of 3,500 students, with 93% of our student being Latino/Latina, and 93% of our students coming from low income families. I am the son of immigrant parents from Mexico, raised by a single mother who hailed from Juarez. I was the first in my family to graduate from college (University of Southern California). I was elected to the school board in 2001, at the age of 22. In 2014 I increased my involvement as a school board member when I was elected by my peers regionally to the CSBA Delegate Assembly. In that same year I ran for CLSBA Board of directors, again being elected by my peers, statewide. I have served both organizations for 6 years. I bring experience, perspective and ganas to the table. I hope to have your support so that I can continue to work to ensure that CLSBA’s footprint on CSBA policy and in the state legislature continues to grow to new heights. Adelante!