Two local candidates backed by teachers touting change unseated longtime incumbents in Tuesday’s election.
While it’s unknown whether the teachers’ efforts were directly responsible, teachers believe their endorsement and information campaigns provided a final push to shake up the boards of trustees for Allan Hancock College and the Orcutt Union School District.
Santa Maria accountant Hilda Zacarias will replace Hancock Trustee Henry Grennan, a retired educator who has represented Area 1 for the past 12 years.
Zacarias, who has a long record of serving on public boards, earned 55.97 percent of votes to Grennan’s 43.72 percent.
In another race, Lizabeth Phillips unseated longtime Orcutt district trustee Kathy Meissner, who sat on the board the past two decades.
Educators from both districts said they endorsed the winning candidates in an attempt to have their collective voices better heard.
Mark Miller, president of Hancock’s part-time faculty association, said Zacarias seemed to be in line with faculty’s thinking regarding binding arbitration — accepting the resolution of third parties in some conflict cases.
“We’re very pleased. We unseated a longtime, long-serving member,” Miller told Noozhawk. “In our view, historic. It’s the first time our local has undertaken a political campaign. The board, in my view, has become very insulated. Generally speaking, the candidates ran unopposed. We felt that it was time to shake the board up. Hilda has been very active in local politics.”
Zacarias said this week that she’s very grateful for faculty support at an institution she used to attend and also taught briefly.
She also has served as a trustee of the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, as a member of the Santa Maria City Council and as the Democratic nominee for the California Assembly District 33.
“I realized a long, long time ago that we live in a community of institutions. If you want to effect real change, you need to be a part of an organization,” Zacarias said. “What’s particularly important to me is picking a new president. We have a responsibility to the public, not to administrators. It’s all about the students.”
In Orcutt, Phillips was backed by the Orcutt Educators Association and the California State Employees Association.
OEA President Monique Segura said it was the first year teachers had mobilized via flier campaigns and precinct walks for a candidate.
“New blood on the board is a different perspective; a fresh face to look at the issues at hand,” Segura said. “The Orcutt Educators Association also was felling like we wanted a friendly school board member to the teachers. Not so much support, but someone to listen. It really was a grassroots effort.”
Among issues with the Orcutt board, Segura said many teachers were not behind a recent decision to limit enrollment at Orcutt Academy High School.
Segura said Phillips’ past volunteer work in schools, including as an active PTA officer and member, made her a desirable candidate.
Meissner said this week that Tuesday’s loss is still sinking in.
“I’m really sad that I’m no longer going to be able to serve the children of the Orcutt school district,” she said.
Neither Phillips, who works in the human resources department at Hancock, nor Grennan could not be reached for comment.
Educators said they hope the board changes will spark renewed partnerships with governing bodies.
“We hope there’s no hard feelings with the process,” Segura said. “It’s a democratic process.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.