Four newcomers seek two Sunol Glen board seats as a $6.1 million bond for the century-old school goes to voters

Voters in the Sunol Glen Unified School District, Sunol's one-school, kindergarten-through-eighth-grade district, will fill two of its three board seats on Nov. 3 and decide a $6.1 million school bond.

All four candidates are first-time office seekers: Gagan Bassi, Jennifer Kavouniaris, Karen Newcomb and René Turnbull. They are running to replace trustees Peter "Ted" Romo and Chris Bobertz, neither of whom sought reelection, the Pleasanton Weekly reported from an Oct. 14 forum the paper hosted, which about 40 people attended.

A second bond in four years

Sunol Glen School turns 100 this year. Voters approved Measure J, a $10.9 million bond, in 2022 to pay for new roofs, accessibility work and a renovated kitchen and cafeteria. District officials said early phases of that work turned up more structural problems than expected, and the board placed Measure K, a $6.1 million bond, before voters this fall to pay for that work.

Measure J was only the second bond the district's voters have approved; the first passed in 1999.

Newcomb and Turnbull backed Measure K at the forum. Newcomb said she understood why some residents might hesitate so soon after Measure J, but argued the school is among the region's lowest-funded through bonds and has a good record and a plan for spending the money. Turnbull, a former dean at Contra Costa College, said the district wants to finish what Measure J started.

Bassi and Kavouniaris did not take a position, saying voters should decide, though both said the work addresses real infrastructure needs.

Enrollment, transfers and the recent past

All four called interdistrict transfer students, who live outside Sunol, essential to the school. Budget advisory committee minutes from Sept. 22 note enrollment has slipped from about 260 to about 235 students, with transitional kindergarten numbers rising. Newcomb proposed marketing the school more widely; Kavouniaris and Bassi suggested adding programs such as robotics and more extracurriculars.

Candidates were also asked about the 2023 pride flag dispute and the recall of two former trustees. Kavouniaris, who supported the board's 2023 decision to stop flying the flag, said her views have changed and she wants to focus on students. Bassi, Newcomb and Turnbull each spoke about helping the community move past those years.

On fiscal transparency, Bassi called for plain-language quarterly financial updates, and Turnbull pointed to the district's new budget advisory committee.

Sources

pleasantonweekly.com