When Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s newly elected governing members are sworn in Dec. 18, the board will have a drastically different look with at least two new members—and possibly four—if recently released election results hold.
Incumbent Georgia Acosta is far behind challenger Carol Turley for the Trustee Area 2 seat, who took an early—and likely insurmountable—lead when the first results rolled in. As of Monday morning, Turley had garnered 55.7% of the 4,632 votes for that trustee area.
Adam Scow, the incumbent for Trustee Area 6, is losing to challenger Jessica Carrasco, with 55.8% of the 4,115 votes.
While Trustee Area 3 incumbent Oscar Soto pulled ahead of challenger Gabriel Medina in early results released after the polls closed on Election Day, that flipped over the weekend when the Monterey County Elections Department updated its numbers.
Soto is ahead in Santa Cruz County with 53%, ahead by just 26 votes. But that Trustee area straddles Monterey County, where Medina is ahead by 45 votes.
With such a razor’s edge margin, Medina’s advantage could reverse again.
Still, with PVUSD Trustee Kim De Serpa the likely successor to Santa Cruz County Supervisor Zach Friend’s Second District seat—having so far gotten 50.8% of the voters over Kristen Brown—the county’s largest school district is set for a massive facelift next year.
It will also see at least three political newcomers to the board at a time when predictions of a possible economic recession and declining enrollment has the district facing possible budget cuts in the next few years.
The gutting of the Board likely comes in part as a rebuke of the recent decision to end the contract with Community Responsive Education, a company that was providing ethnic studies training to teachers and administrators.
That decision, which stemmed from allegations of anti-semitism by CRE creator Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales, drew a strong backlash from teachers and students demanding the contract be restored.
Acosta’s loss could also stem from the termination in 2020 of then PVUSD Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez. Acosta, who was board president at the time, never explained the decision, which was unanimously overturned days later after more than 10 hours of public comment.
It is unclear whether the PVUSD Board of Trustees will appoint a new member to replace De Serpa. It is also unclear whether that discussion will take place this year, or after the new members are sworn in at the last meeting in 2024.
