Growth, campus safety and securing a site for a fourth high school are some of the issues for the eight candidates running for the three seats on the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees on Nov. 7.

One incumbent, one former board member and six newcomers say they are looking forward to facing the challenges of school overcrowding, meeting state academic requirements and community involvement.

The candidates are Gabriel Morales, Jonathan Milder, Daniel Cadena Jr., Gerald “Jerry” Walsh, Joel Ruvalcaba, Dean Reece, Kevin Kaden and Carol Karamitsos.

The three candidates with the most votes win four-year terms.

Daniel Cadena Jr.

Though he is not an incumbent, Cadena has more than six years of experience serving on the board.

Cadena, a mechanical engineer, was appointed to the board in 1998. His first year he was elected as board president. He ran for re-election in 2004 but lost.

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If re-elected, Cadena said, he would focus on safety on high school campuses. He is a standing member of the city's police advisory council.

“I would like to set up emergency response plans where the Santa Maria Police Department would be involved in practicing safety drills on campus,” he said.

All three of his children are graduates of Santa Maria High School. His two youngest children are in college and his oldest works in real estate, he said.

Kevin Kaden

With a background in business, Kaden said he will keep the best interest of his “clients” at heart.

“If I'm elected, I'm plenty sure that I would make changes that definitely will rock the boat,” he said.

Kaden, a Realtor with Why USA Preferred Properties, is also a father of five. Two of his children attend Santa Maria Joint Union high schools and the other three attend schools in the Orcutt Union School District.

Kaden said he wants to raise test scores by creating programs that students would enjoy being in.

“We need programs that appeal to all demographics in the Santa Maria Valley,” he said.

As a board member, Kaden wants to create a broader curriculum and offer award-winning education programs.

“I want each child to have the best opportunity available to them,” he said.

Kaden said he considers himself approachable and welcomes any feedback from the community.

Carol Karamitsos

As a physician and a board candidate, Karamitsos strives for a healthy community that can serve the needs of everybody.

“Education is essential for children so they can lead productive lives as adults,” she said.

Serving on a board of trustees is not a foreign concept for Karamitsos. She is a board member at Marian Medical Center, where she was chief of staff from 2003 to 2004.

Her father, the late Dr. John Karamitsos, served on the Orcutt Union School District board for 14 years.

Karamitsos said she would like to see the district's fourth high school built. She said she will work as effectively as possible with the board.

“One of the issues that faces our city is the rise in our population over a short period of time,” she said. “In order to prevent the serious problem of overcrowding, we need to have the fourth school built.”

Karamitsos has three children who attend schools in the Santa Maria Bonita School District.

Jonathan Milder

As a parent of a Righetti High School senior, Milder said, he knows first-hand what parents experience when it comes to their children's education.

Milder said his experience as an attorney in construction law and real estate transactions can help set the board on the right path. He is also a member of the High School Bond Oversight Committee, which makes sure that tax money is spent as described in the bond's ballot language.

As a board member, Milder said, he would work to make sure that the fourth high school is built without wasting tax payers' money.

“The board admitted that there was not enough money to build the new high school,” he said. “This has been unacceptable.”

Milder said he also wants to work on raising teacher morale.

Gabriel Morales

An educator and businessman, Morales said he has the right expertise to bring to the school board.

Morales, director of the Center for Employment Training, said one of his first priorities, if elected, is to work with the community in building a fourth high school.

“The public passed a bond to build a new high school,” Morales said. “It's the responsibility of the board to see that the fourth high school is built.”

He said community involvement in school board meetings is another thing he wants to work on.

“We need to have a community that is aware of the issues that face the district,” he said.

He said he also wanted to strengthen parent involvement in school matters, because “parents are a major part of student behavior and performance.”

Dean Reece

Reece's 38 years in education range from teacher to principal to superintendent.

The only incumbent in the race, his experience with the school district and community is what gives him an edge, he said.

“I have a lot to give and I'm looking forward to doing it again,” he said.

Growth and securing a site for a fourth high school are two of his main concerns. He said he wants the district to find a site that is centrally located and affordable.

Safety on campus is another issue that is important to him, he said. “You want as much security on campus as possible.”

Hiring the best teaching staff will also continue to be a high priority, he said.

Joel Ruvalcaba

An advocate for farmworkers' rights, Ruvalcaba has been active in migrant education programs and with the nonprofit California Rural Legal Assistance.

Ruvalcaba, a bus driver for Santa Maria Area Transit and a father of eight, said running for the school board is a challenge for him since he has done little publicity and campaigning.

However, he said, he could bring a fresh perspective to the board by strengthening communications with the community.

“We need to bring more information to the parents and the community,” he said. “It's important that they know how to be active in education.”

He also emphasized the importance of including the Latino population in school board issues and in the board's decisions.

Gerald “Jerry” Walsh

As a retired educator, Walsh has more than 30 years of experience under his belt.

“I'm one of the candidates who knows more about the district and how it runs and how to make it run,” he said. “That experience is priceless.”

If he is elected, Walsh said, one of the first things he would focus on is finding the district's next superintendent.

“The current superintendent will retire before 2010,” he said. “I want to be a part of the decision when the next superintendent is selected.”

He said he wants to see shared decision making continue between classified and certificated staff and district officials.

One of the important goals in making decisions on the board is making sure that the students' best interest is served, he added.

“Sometimes we forget that kids come first,” he said. “The resolution to a certain problem is what's best for the kids.”

Kimberlina Rocha can be reached at 739-2216 or krocha@

santamariatimes.com.

Oct. 29, 2006