The filing period for Benicia’s school board election is not until tomorrow, but if a panel at Thursday’s Progressive Democrats of Benicia (PDB) meeting was any indication, the race has already begun. Among other things, the panel saw the emergence of a potential challenger and the announcement by an incumbent that she would not seek re-election.

What remains to be seen is if the election will be a repeat of 2016, in which no election was held since only three candidates ran when three seats were available. One thing is for certain though: No matter the outcome, there will be new faces on the school board.

This year, three seats are up for grabs: those belonging to President Diane Ferrucci and trustees Celeste Monnette and Peter Morgan. Morgan announced at a previous school board meeting that he does not intend to seek re-election, and Monnette— a social worker who has served on the board since 2016—made the same announcement at Thursday’s PDB meeting.

“It’s been a really intense and also gratifying experience in a lot of ways,” she said. “I’ve learned a ton, but there’s still a tremendous amount to learn.”

Monnette said she chose not to run because of changes in her personal life and responsibilities.

“I don’t have the time and energy, and it really requires a lot of time and energy,” she said.

Nonetheless, Monnette participated in the panel to discuss what the role is like for prospective candidates, noting that the experience is “not for the faint of heart” due to the politics involved but does provide opportunities for personal growth.
“I think your temperament and how you’re built is quite intense, but it’s also a great learning opportunity and a great way to find your voice and your sense of yourself too,” she said.

The panel was intended as a way for the club to kickstart discussions of the school board race for potential endorsements later on, but it also shed light on the election process and current feelings within the Benicia Unified School District. Other panelists included parent Paula Schnese, who detailed her frustrations in getting the district to adopt a new bell schedule with a later start time for Benicia High School; Jenny Manzo, the founder of Benicia Arts Now Community who said the organization would be supporting candidates who value art education; and Lara Ruark, a Mary Farmar Elementary School teacher and board member with the Benicia Teachers Association.

Ruark, who is serving as BTA’s political action committee chair, noted that the relationship between the school board and teachers is more strained than it has been in many years, citing the recent tentative agreement between the district and the union which BTA voted to reject.

“I would like to change the relationship between board members and teachers,” she said. “We’d like to endorse candidates who we feel would be willing to talk to us and have our backs.”

Ruark said BTA would begin conducting endorsement interviews on July 23, which is in the midst of the candidate declaration period.

“We want to get a head start on finding good candidates and endorsing them,” she said. “Once they’re endorsed, we can help them write a ballot statement, we can help them with the campaign.”

The panel was rounded out by one potential candidate: four-year resident Sheri Zada. While Zada has not officially declared a candidacy yet, she came with a prepared speech to introduce herself. Describing herself as someone with a lifelong passion for education and children, Zada raised her two sons in Southern California and frequently volunteered in schools. She served as a room mother, headed fundraising efforts for a new school library, served on a foundation to raise funds for a new technology committee and worked as an elementary school librarian.

“I’ve got a variety of things where I’ve always been giving back to the community,” Zada said.

Since moving to Benicia, Zada  has volunteered to work on the STEM program at Robert Semple Elementary and in the garden at Farmar. Most notably, Zada helped organize the citywide March for Our Lives, which was held in response to the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. back in February. The event drew a crowd of hundreds on First Street and in City Park.

“I was told this had never been done before,” she said. “Maybe World War II, they had some kind of interest, but this had never been done in Benicia before. It was very exciting to put together and work with people of all different areas to make this happen.”

Zada describes herself as not a politician but an advocate for children in the community.

“I now have the time necessary to devote to such a commitment and give back,” Zada said.

Zada said she would run a platform on lifting up the quality of education in BUSD schools and encouraging the school board to take chances on new ideas.

“Just because we’ve always done things a certain way does not mean that it’s the correct way,” she said. “We sometimes need to revisit and make necessary changes to improve our schools.”

Additionally, Zada said she would be a strong advocate for students and teachers.

“The board must take input from all groups and weigh all facts before making a final decision,” she said. “My efforts as a board member would center on serving all children of a community. One child is no more important than another.”

Zada also expressed her opposition to taxpayer dollars being used to fund private charter schools and teachers having guns in classrooms.

“Our teachers are there to teach, not be security guards,” she said.

Zada summed up her campaign as one that was community-focused.

“I believe working together, we can make our school district exceptional,” she said. “I would be honored to be your voice.”

The period of declaring candidacies, filing nomination papers and submitting candidate statements for all Solano County elections begins July 16 and runs through Friday, Aug. 10. For more information, visit the Solano County Registrar of Voters’ website at solanocounty.com/depts/rov/.