A joyous mood filled the Arthur Coleman Jr. Administrative Complex on Tuesday as three new Stockton Unified School District trustees were sworn in to office and took immediate action to appoint a new board president, board vice president, and board clerk.
“If you’re like me, you are excited about what’s about to happen at Stockton Unified,” Board President Kennetha Stevens told a packed boardroom after Trustees Frank Silva, Isabel Perez and Shauna Priest took the oath of office.
Stevens thanked former Trustees Alicia Rico, Cecilia Mendez and Ray Zulueta for their service and presented them with plaques. Cheers and applause overtook the boardroom as the three exited the room and Silva, Perez and Priest took their seats on the dais.
In Area 1, Perez succeeds Mendez, who termed out after serving for eight years on the board. Perez defeated real estate agent Anthony Wofford in the Nov. 5 election by 45 percentage points.
In Area 3, Silva replaces Rico, who opted not to run for reelection after serving a single four-year term on the school board. Silva beat out Maximiliano Beas, a community organizer, in the general election by 15 percentage points after a quiet campaign.