Candidates interested in filling the open First District seat on the Orange County Board of Education have until 4 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 5 to submit their resumes and notices of intention.
At its regular meeting on July 6, the board announced plans to provisionally appoint a new trustee to succeed Beckie Gomez, who stepped down on July 1 following a legal challenge over whether she could simultaneously serve on the Tustin City Council.
According to an announcement posted on the county board’s website, those who successfully complete an initial screening process conducted by the board’s Executive Committee will be invited for interviews on Aug. 17. The candidate who is ultimately selected will serve the remaining balance of Gomez’s term, which extends through June 30, 2024.
Unless a valid petition calling for a special election is filed with the county superintendent’s office within 30 days of the provisional appointment, the selection “shall become an effective appointment,” the state’s Education Code says.
Requirements for appointment
The Orange County Board of Education’s First District covers the cities of Fountain Valley and Santa Ana, along with portions of Garden Grove and Tustin.
Candidates must be legal residents of that trustee area and registered Orange County voters at the time of their appointment. OCDE staff members and other Orange County school district employees are not eligible to serve on the board.
Based on Brown Act requirements, all resumes and letters filed by the Aug. 5 application deadline will become public information.
About the OC Board of Education
The Orange County Board of Education is made up of five elected officials who each serve four-year terms. According to the board’s website, its responsibilities include:
- Approving the annual budget of the Orange County Department of Education
- Receiving the annual audit of the Orange County Department of Education
- Maintaining an awareness of the operations and financial conditions of the school districts in the county
- Approving the purchase of property for department programs
- Serving as Orange County’s appeal board for the adjudication of expulsion appeals and inter-district attendance appeals
- Representing Orange County’s education community and families at the local, county, state and national levels
- Informing local communities about the programs and achievements of the Orange County Department of Education