What you need to know:
- FUHSD will hold its first ever by-trustee area elections this cycle.
- Candidates Aegean Lee and Danny Choi are running for Area 5 trustee.
- Candidates Frances Renteria and Pat Carpio-Aguilar are running for Area 2 trustee.
*Candidates not directly quoted were unable to comment before publication.
In the leadup to the first-ever FUHSD by-area trustee elections, four candidates total are contending for the positions of the next Area 2 and 5 trustees: Pat Carpio-Aguilar and Frances Renteria for Area 2, and Danny Choi and Aegean Lee for Area 5.
The decision for FUHSD to transition from at-large to by-area trustee elections was made final by a resolution passed by the current Board of Trustees on March 7, 2023. This means that voters will elect not multiple trustees per election cycle for the entire district, but one trustee to represent the area in which they live. The decision split the district into five areas encompassing the cities of Cupertino, West San José and Sunnyvale.
This system aims to create more board representation across the district, as previous trustees were disproportionately from Cupertino and West San José. At the request of the Board, the Community Trustee Area Districting Committee was formed in October 2023 to facilitate a smooth transition.
“This is the first time that northern Sunnyvale, the two northernmost zip codes, will have any representation historically on the board,” Carpio-Aguilar said.
Along with approving policies and budgets, FUHSD trustees lay out the visions and directives for how they would like to see the district handle challenges and goals, such as school construction.
“At each school, we have at least one project under construction and additionally one under design,” Clark said. “The trustees will take the time to approve those contracts and designs, and so there’s extra work associated with all that.”
The transition process was tumultuous at times, with many community members requesting that the district delay the process. CTAD moved forward with the process while taking community feedback into account, producing a final map that the board unanimously approved on April 24, and that was followed by approval by the County Committee on School District Organization.
“We’ve generally had very good trustee boards over our district’s 100-year history,” FUHSD Superintendent Graham Clark said. “Although we are moving to a new way of electing trustees, we are hopeful and confident that we’ll continue to have great boards that will lead the whole district.”
For the upcoming elections, trustees Rod Sinks and Jeff Moe will reach the end of their term lengths, paving the way for Areas 2 and 5 to elect their new trustees. Area 1, 3 and 4 elections will be held in 2026, when the terms of trustees Rosa Kim, Naomi Nakano-Matsumoto and Stanley Kou end.
Area 5 candidate and Lynbrook alumus Choi started his public service career as a teacher and currently teaches English at Liberty Alternative School in San José. He was initially hesitant to run for the trustee position, but decided to seize the opportunity after remembering the advice he always gives to his students about growth mindsets.
“I’m naturally an introvert, so learning to be comfortable in speaking with people in public settings was comparable to your first time going to a school dance,” Choi said. “You’re just standing in the middle of the floor, not knowing what you’re supposed to do, and all these insecurities and awkwardnesses get to you. But now I feel competent and prepared to handle the socializing elements of the campaign trail.”
Choi’s priorities include tackling declining FUHSD enrollment and improving student mental health and safety. He also plans on ensuring high-quality programs and options for students by fostering a multitude of world language course offerings.
“I’ve worked with students from all sorts of different socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds, so I’ve been exposed to a large array of humanity in a way that is almost impossible to replicate if you’re not a fellow teacher,” Choi said. “Teachers, admin, parents and the rest of the community play a role in leading our students, but ultimately, when you’re making decisions at the board level, you should be thinking about how district policies and changes actually impact its young people.”
As a parent of a Lynbrook graduate, Area 5 candidate Lee has been involved in the community such as through her role as a Boy Scout Leader and a Program Director of the IDEA Educational Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to serving the community through the creation and development of educational programs. Her campaign centers on providing high-quality education, ensuring transparency and accountability regarding district finances and engaging community members, especially parents, in public forums.
A former firefighter and Deputy State Fire Marshal, Area 2 trustee candidate Frances Renteria aims to increase parental transparency, academic excellence and parent-teacher partnership. Furthermore, she plans to ensure student safety and encourage diversity of thoughts, background and culture in schools.
A teacher at Columbia High School in Sunnyvale, Area 2 trustee candidate Carpio-Aguilar seeks to utilize her experience as an educator to deliver proper high school education and experiences for FUHSD students.
“Having a teacher as a board member would be great since their background would be applicable to the decisions that will take place in the boardroom,” Carpio-Aguilar said. “High school is a big deal, and I bring the credentials, the experience and the deep knowledge of what it’s like to live and breathe education.”
As a trustee, Carpio-Aguilar plans to create equitable and efficient transportation to enable students to travel to and from school on time. Along with supporting representation, identity and inclusion, she also plans to increase student representation in board meetings and decisions.
“I want student voices in the boardroom and for them to feel comfortable coming to the boardroom,” Carpio-Aguilar said.
With Election Day on Nov. 5, this will be a historic moment for FUHSD as this is their first by-trustee area election, giving constituents the ability to choose from a pool of dedicated candidates to serve in their district.
“We have great candidates, and they’ve been running a good election,” Clark said. “No matter how the elections turnout, we will have some great new candidates on the board.”
