Dr. Stefan Bean is sworn in as Orange County superintendent of schools by his four children during the Orange County Board of Education’s organizational meeting July 8 in Costa Mesa. 
Former Orange County Board of Education Trustee Linda Lindholm, right, administers the oath of office to Trustee Mari Barke during the Orange County Board of Education’s organizational meeting on July 8 in Costa Mesa. 
Trustee Dr. Lisa Sparks, left, is sworn in by former Orange County Board of Education Trustee Linda Lindholm during the board’s organizational meeting at the Orange County Department of Education.
Quick look: Orange County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Stefan Bean and Orange County Board of Education members Mari Barke and Dr. Lisa Sparks took the oath of office Wednesday. The board also elected its leadership for the coming year.
The Orange County Board of Education opened its regular meeting on Wednesday with a familiar tradition that follows each countywide election — the swearing-in ceremony.
This time around, County Superintendent Dr. Stefan Bean joined trustees Mari Barke and Dr. Lisa Sparks in taking the oath of office before family members, colleagues and guests, who gathered in the board room at the Orange County Department of Education’s Costa Mesa campus.
Bean’s four children administered his oath, while former Orange County Board of Education Trustee Linda Lindholm swore in Barke and Sparks.
Bean was elected county superintendent after running unopposed in the June election. First appointed to the position in 2024, he continues to lead OCDE, which serves Orange County’s most vulnerable student populations while providing educational programs and support to the county’s 28 school districts.
Barke, who has represented Trustee Area 2 since 2018, also was reelected without opposition. Sparks similarly earned another term representing Trustee Area 5 after defeating challenger Jason Sams in the June election.
Following the swearing-in ceremony, trustees turned to the board’s annual organizational business, electing Tim Shaw as president, Jorge Valdes as vice president and Dr. Ken Williams as clerk for the coming year.
The Orange County Board of Education consists of five members elected to four-year terms. The board approves the Orange County Department of Education’s annual budget, hears appeals in certain student and charter school matters, and helps represent Orange County’s public education community at the local, state and national levels.
For more information on the county board, including meeting dates and agendas, visit ocbe.us.