Who's Running for School Board in Orange County?

The candidates for the November 8, 2022 Statewide General Election are now set and the future of education in Orange County is on the ballot.

Spotlight Schools is committed to providing hyperlocal coverage on the races for school boards across Orange County’s 28 public school districts. We want to make it easier for you to find out who is running for your school board and what they stand for.

This page is intended to be a comprehensive list of the candidates in these nonpartisan contests. Our goal is to help you find the information you need to vote in 2022.

Below you’ll find:

Links to candidates’ statements that were submitted to the Orange County Registrar of Voters’ office, which oversees local elections.

If a candidate has a campaign website, then you can connect to it by clicking on their name.

We’ve also included links to the races where candidates responded to the Spotlight Schools candidate questionnaire. For the candidates that filled it out, we’ve included links to their responses to  The Orange County Register newspaper’s candidate questionnaire and responses to the  Voice of OC’s candidate survey.

Please note that some seats that were scheduled to be considered in November will not appear on the ballot. That’s because “the number of candidates that qualified for the ballot is equal to or less than the number of seats up for election in that office,” according to the O.C. Registrar of Voters, Bob Page. In these cases, the candidates will be appointed to the seat per election law.

Not sure which district you’re in? Use this  search tool from CalMatters. Find out where you can cast your ballot in Orange County here.

The school districts and candidates are listed in alphabetical order.

Anaheim Elementary School District Board of Education

See the  map.

Voters in this school district will not be casting ballots for candidates for their school board despite three seats being due for consideration. The incumbents in Trustee Area 2,  Trustee Area 4 and  Trustee Area 5 were the only people to file paperwork to qualify as candidates. Therefore, the contests will not appear on the ballot and these candidates will be appointed to the seats per election law, according to the O.C. Registrar of Voters

Anaheim Union High School District Board of Trustees

See the map.

Trustee Area 1

• Billie Joe Wright
• , High School Teacher,
• Candidate Statement
• Linda Martinez
• Jessica Guerrero
• , Education Policy Advisor,
• Candidate Statement

See how two of the candidates responded to Voice of OC’s candidate survey.

In Trustee Area 2 and Trustee Area 5, only the incumbents, Annemarie Randle-Trejo and Anna L. Piercy respectively, turned in qualifying paperwork to run. Therefore, the contests will not appear on the ballot and the candidates will be appointed to the seats per election law, according to the O.C. Registrar of Voters.

Brea Olinda Unified School District Board of Education

See the map.

Trustee Area 1

• Nicole Colon
• , Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• Carrie Flanders
• , Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement

Trustee Area 4

• Andrea Dibsy, Business Owner/Parent,
• Candidate Statement
• Chris Becerra, Educational Consultant/Professor,
• Candidate Statement

Buena Park School District Board of Education

See the map.

Trustee Area 4, Short Term

• Brenda Estrada
• , Educator/Community Volunteer,
• Candidate Statement
• Ralph Lefeber, Student Transportation Manager,
• Candidate Statement

In Trustee Area 1, Trustee Area 2 and Trustee Area 5 only the incumbents turned in qualifying paperwork to run. Therefore the contests will not appear on the ballot and the candidates will be appointed to the seats per election law, according to the O.C. Registrar of Voters.

Capistrano Unified School District Board of Education

See the map.

Trustee Area 2, Short Term

• Kira Davis
• , Small Business Owner,
• Candidate Statement
• Jessica Hubbard
• , Education Nonprofit Executive,
• Candidate Statement
• Michael Parham
• , Parent/Businessman/CPA,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• //
• Voice of OC candidate survey

Trustee Area 4

• James (Jim) Glantz
• , Education Consultant/Businessman,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• Darin Patel, Software Developer,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• //
• Voice of OC candidate survey
• Gary Pritchard
• , Community College Dean,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire

Trustee Area 7

• Judy Bullockus, Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• Jeanette Contreras
• , Library Director,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• //
• Voice of OC candidate survey

In Trustee Area 6, only incumbent Gila Jones filed qualifying paperwork to be a candidate for the seat. Therefore, the contest will not appear on the November ballot and Jones will be appointed to the seat per election law, according to the O.C. Registrar of Voters.

Centralia School District Board of Education

See the map.

Trustee Area 1

• Robert Alexander, Retired L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy,
• Candidate Statement
• Henry Charoen, Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• Adan Guzman,
• Candidate Statement

In Trustee Area 2 and Trustee Area 5 only the incumbents, Art Montez and Luis Flores respectively, turned in qualifying paperwork to run. Therefore the contests will not appear on the ballot and the candidates will be appointed to the seats per election law, according to the O.C. Registrar of Voters.

Cypress School District Board of Education

See the map.

Read how all four candidates for Cypress School Board responded to the Spotlight Schools election questionnaire here.

Trustee Area B

• Jon Peat
• , City of Cypress Councilman,
• Candidate Statement
• Troy Tanaka
• , Parent/Landlord,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• Voice of OC candidate survey

Trustee Area C

• Sandra Lee
• , Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• Kyle Chang
• , Public Health Statistician,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• Voice of OC candidate survey

Trustee Area D

In Trustee Area D, only the incumbent, Lydia Sondhi, turned in qualifying paperwork to run for the seat; therefore, she will not appear on the ballot and will be appointed to the seat per election law, according to the O.C. Registrar of Voters.

Fountain Valley School District Board of Trustees

FVSD hosts district wide elections meaning every registered voter in the district casts ballots for all of the seats. Three seats will be filled in November and six candidates qualified for the ballot.

• Dennis Cole
• , Educations Operations Director,
• Candidate Statement
• Sandra Crandall, Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• Megan Irvine
• , Nurse/Business Owner,
• Candidate Statement
• Eileen Maeda
• , Credentialed Music Teacher,
• Candidate Statement
• Phu Nguyen
• , CEO/Business Owner,
• Candidate Statement
• Trisha Rintoul
• , Airline Pilot/Mother,
• Candidate Statement

Fullerton Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees

See the map.

Trustee Area 4

• Lauren Klatzker
• , Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• Matthew Van Hook
• , Educator,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire

See how both candidates responded to Voice of OC’s candidate survey.

See the candidates’ responses to questions from the Fullerton Observer.

In Trustee Area 1 and Trustee Area 5, the incumbents, Chester Jeng and Marilyn Buchi  respectively, were the only people to file paperwork to qualify as candidates. Therefore, the contests will not appear on the ballot and these candidates will be appointed to the seats per election law, according to the O.C. Registrar of Voters

Fullerton School District Board of Education

See the  map.

Trustee Area 4

• Rudy Garcia, School Facilities Supervisor
• Ruthi Hanchett
• , Educator/Parent,
• Candidate Statement
• Lisa Wozab
• , Small Businessowner/Parent,
• Candidate Statement

See the candidates’ responses to questions from the Fullerton Observer.

In Trustee Area 1 and Trustee Area 3, the incumbents, Aaruni Thakur and Beverly Berryman respectively, were the only people to file paperwork to qualify as candidates. Therefore, the contests will not appear on the ballot and these candidates will be appointed to the seats per election law, according to the O.C. Registrar of Voters

Garden Grove Unified School District Board of Education

See the map.

Trustee Area 2

• Nicole Jaimes
• , Parent,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• //
• Voice of OC candidate survey
• Lan Quoc Nguyen, Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• Mark Anthony Paredes
• , Healthcare Engagement Manager,
• Candidate Statement

In Trustee Area 4, only incumbent Robert Harden filed qualifying paperwork to be a candidate for the seat. Therefore, the contest will not appear on the November ballot and Harden will be appointed to the seat per election law, according to the O.C. Registrar of Voters.

Huntington Beach City School District Board of Trustees

See the map.

Trustee Area 4

• Autumn DiGiovanni
• , Businesswoman/Parent,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• //
• Voice of OC candidate survey
• Diana Marks
• , Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire

Trustee Area 5

• Paul R. Morrow
• , Incumbent/Retired School Administrator,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• Julie Norton
• , Parent/Business Owner,
• Candidate Statement

In Trustee Area 2 only one person, Meghan Willis, filed paperwork to qualify as a candidate and therefore she will not appear on the ballot and will be appointed to the seat per election law, according to the O.C. Registrar of Voters.

Huntington Beach Union High School District  Board of Education

HBUHSD holds district wide elections. Three seats are open and voters will choose from eight candidates that qualified for the ballot.

• Diana Lee Carey
• , Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• Bonnie Castrey, Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• Duane Dishno
• , Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• Matthew Harper, Businessman/Business Owner,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• Christine Hernandez
• , Nonprofit Program Director,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• Saul Lankster, Criminal Justice Professor,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• Scott Rogers
• , Software Sales Executive //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• Angela Salinardi
• , Parent/Holistic Practitioner,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire

See how three of the candidates responded to Voice of OC’s candidate survey.

Irvine Unified School District Board of Education

See the map.

Trustee Area 2

• Marlene Bronson, Parent/Server,
• Candidate Statement
• Debra Hilton Kamm
• , Parent/Educator,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• Katie McEwen
• , Parent/Teacher,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• //
• Voice of OC candidate survey

Watch the Oct. 12 candidate forum sponsored by the Irvine Unified Council PTA here.

In Trustee Area 4, only one person, Jeff Kim, filed qualifying paperwork to be a candidate for the seat. Therefore, the contest will not appear on the November ballot and Kim will be appointed to the seat per election law, according to the O.C. Registrar of Voters.

La Habra City School District Board of Education

La Habra has district wide elections for its five-member board. Three seats are up for election and five candidates qualified for the ballot.

• Cynthia Aguirre
• , Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• Joshua Atwater, System Administrator/Parent
• Rocio Carmona, Business Owner/Parent
• Emily Pruitt
• , Incumbent
• Adam Rogers
• , Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement

See how two of the candidates responded to Voice of OC’s candidate survey.

Laguna Beach Unified School District Board of Education

Voters in this school district, which has district wide elections, will not be casting ballots for candidates for their school board despite three seats being due for consideration. That’s because only three people filed qualifying paperwork to be candidates for the three seats on the ballot. Therefore, the contests will not appear on the ballot and these candidates, Joan Malczewski, Dee Perry and James J. Kelly, will be appointed to the seats per election law, according to the O.C. Registrar of Voters

Los Alamitos Unified School District Board of Education

See the map.

Trustee Area 1

• Marlys Davidson
• , Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• Colin Edwards
• , Parent/Orange County Business Owner,
• Candidate Statement

Trustee Area 3

• Diana Hill
• , Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• Rona Goldberg
• , Parent,
• Candidate Statement

Read how all four candidates for the Los Alamitos School Board responded to the Spotlight Schools election questionnaire here.

Lowell Joint School District Board of Education

See the map. (LJSD’s boundaries cover parts of Orange County and Los Angeles County.)

Trustee Area 2

• Christine Berg, Retired Teacher,
• Candidate Statement
• Kathi Lundstrom, Retired Elementary Teacher,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• Voice of OC candidate survey

Trustee Area 4

• Karen Shaw, Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• Esther Evangelista, Elementary School Counselor,
• Candidate Statement

In Trustee Area 2 only the incumbent, Anastasia Shackelford, filed paperwork to qualify as a candidate; therefore, she will not appear on the ballot and will be appointed to the seat per election law, according to the O.C. Registrar of Voters.

Magnolia School District Board of Trustees

See the map.

Voters in this school district will not be casting ballots for candidates for their school board despite three seats being due for consideration. In Trustee Area 1, Trustee Area 2 and Trustee Area 5 only the incumbents submitted qualifying paperwork to run for the seats that were up for election. Therefore these contests will not appear on the ballot and the incumbents will be appointed to their seats per election law, according to the O.C. Registrar of Voters.

Newport-Mesa Unified School District Board of Education

See the map.

Trustee Area 2

• Danielle Mills
• , Parent,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• Michelle Murphy
• , Nonprofit Executive/Parent,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• //
• Voice of OC candidate survey

Trustee Area 4

• Barbara George
• , Business Owner/Mom,
• Candidate Statement
• Kristen Nicole Valle, Executive Assistant,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• Voice of OC candidate survey
• Lisa Pearson
• , Retired Educator/Parent,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire

Trustee Area 5

• Michelle Barto
• , Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• Reina Shebesta
• , School Counselor/Parent,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire

Trustee Area 7

• Ashley Anderson
• , Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• Vicky Rodriguez
• , Tax Preparer/Notary,
• Candidate Statement
• Kristen Seaburn
• , Executive Assistant/Parent,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire

See how two of the candidates responded to Voice of OC’s candidate survey.

Ocean View School District Board of Trustees

Elections in the OVSD are held districtwide. Three seats of the five-member board are up for consideration and five candidates qualified for the ballot.

• John Briscoe
• , Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• //
• Voice of OC candidate survey
• Dan Pearce, First Responder,
• Candidate Statement
• Patricia Singer,
• Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• Jack Souders, Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• Morgan Westmoreland
• , Nurse/Parent,
• Candidate Statement

Orange Unified School District Board of Education

See the map.

Trustee Area 1

• Andrea Yamasaki, Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• Angela Williams
• , Teacher/Parent,
• Candidate Statement

Trustee Area 4

• Madison Klovstad Miner
• , Educator/Parent,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• Voice of OC candidate survey
• Kathy Moffatt
• , Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement

Trustee Area 5

• Kristin “Kris” Erickson
• , Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• Timothy Surridge
• , Educational Consultant,
• Candidate Statement

Trustee Area 7

• Sean Griffin
• , Teacher,
• Candidate Statement
• Rick Ledesma
• , Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• Mike Nguyen, Engineer/Businessman,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• Voice of OC candidate survey

Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District Board of Education

See the map.

Trustee Area 4

• Todd Frazier
• , Local Business Owner,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• Karin M. Freeman
• , Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• Steve Slawson
• , Orange County Small Business Owner,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire

Trustee Area 5

• Carrie Buck
• , Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• Richard Ingle, Attorney/Business Owner,
• Candidate Statement

Saddleback Valley Unified School District Board of Education

See the map.

Trustee Area 1

• Greg Kunath
• , Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• Dan Walsh
• , Teacher,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire

Trustee Area 5

• Jennifer L. Richter, Teacher,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• Voice of OC candidate survey
• Barbara Schulman
• , Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire

Santa Ana Unified School District Board of Education

See the map.

Trustee Area 4

• Katelyn Brazer Aceves
• , Family Community Liaison,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• Slyvia Iglesias
• , Parent/Administrative Manager //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire
• Andrew Linares
• , Attorney/Parent,
• Candidate Statement
• //
• The O.C. Register candidate questionnaire

See how the candidates responded to Voice of OC’s candidate survey.

In Trustee Area 5, only one candidate, Hector Bustos, turned in qualifying paperwork to run for the seat; therefore, he will not appear on the ballot and will be appointed to the seat per election law, according to the O.C. Registrar of Voters.

Savanna School District Board of Trustees

See the  map (scroll to the bottom of the page).

Trustee Area 2

• Joyce Burdette, Curriculum Specialist/Office Clerk/Parent,
• Candidate Statement
• Elizabeth Winkler
• , Educator/Parent,
• Candidate Statement

In Trustee Areas 1 and 3, only the incumbents, Gay Zambrano and John Shook respectively, turned in qualifying paperwork to run for their seats. They will not appear on the ballot and will be appointed to the seat per election law, according to the O.C. Registrar of Voters.

Tustin Unified School District Board of Education

See the map.

Trustee Area 3

• Lynn Davis
• , Incumbent,
• Candidate Statement
• Kelly Felton
• , College Science Professor,
• Candidate Statement

In Trustee Area 5, only the incumbent, Jonathan Abelove, turned in qualifying paperwork to run for the seat. He will not appear on the ballot and will be appointed to the seat per election law, according to the O.C. Registrar of Voters.

Westminster School District Board of Trustees

See the map.

The  incumbents in Trustee Area 2 (Tina Gustin-Gurney), Trustee Area 3 (Khanh Nguyen) and Trustee Area 5 (Jeremy Khalaf) were the only people to file paperwork to qualify as candidates. Therefore, the contests will not appear on the ballot and these candidates will be appointed to the seats per election law, according to the O.C. Registrar of Voters.