Sentinel staff report–
Residents in Citrus Heights who want to serve on San Juan Unified School District’s newly expanded, seven-member Board of Education will have an opportunity to run for one of several open seats this year.
District spokeswoman Raj Rai told The Sentinel in an email Wednesday that seats in trustee areas 3, 5, 6 and 7 will be decided by voters in the November 2022 election — three of which cover portions of Citrus Heights.
Following a decision last year, the five-member board increased its ranks to seven, and created seven distinct trustee areas. Unlike prior years when trustees were elected at-large by voters in the entire district, candidates this year must reside in the specific area they seek to represent.
The two newly created seats, areas 6 and 7, do not have incumbent board members. For the first time ever, Citrus Heights will be guaranteed at least one resident to sit on the school district’s board, due to area 7 being located entirely within the borders of Citrus Heights.
As previously reported by The Sentinel, the Citrus Heights City Council last year formally voted in favor of a resolution supporting the school district’s transition to by-trustee-area elections and increasing the board size to seven members. Several council members cited a history of the city lacking representation on the school board and expressed hope that a new seven-member trustee map would give Citrus Heights a guaranteed seat at the table.
According to the city’s resolution, the last time a resident of Citrus Heights served on the school board was around 20 years ago.
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The district will hold a “potential candidate informational session” on Wednesday, April 27, for anyone interested in learning more about the role and responsibilities of board members and “what it takes to run for office,” according to a posting on the district’s website. The event will take place at 6 p.m. and requires advance registration to participate.
The district says attendance at the event is not required to run for office, but representatives from Sacramento County’s Voter Registration & Elections Office will be on hand to provide information on how to run for office. Participants will be given information on “how board members function, the role they play in connecting community with schools and how they support student achievement.”
A registration form and more information about the upcoming workshop is posted at www.sanjuan.edu/boardelection.
Residents in Citrus Heights who want to serve on San Juan Unified School District's newly expanded, seven-member Board of Education will have an opportunity to run for one of several open seats this year.
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