No changes made on LVUSD Board of Education

By Stephanie Bertholdo Acorn Staff Writer

Terilyn Finders and Patricia Schulz were easily reelected to the Las Virgenes Unified School District’s Board of Education in Tuesday’s election. Two board seats were up for grabs and there were three challengers.

Finders, who’s currently serving as president of the LVUSD Board of Education, earned the confidence of 2,829 registered voters (42 percent). Schulz, a four-year school board incumbent, followed Finders closely with 2,660 votes (40 percent).

Challenger Dylan Loewe, 20, garnered an impressive 1,198 votes, which equates to 18 percent. He said, "I have tremendous respect for both of my opponents. While we may disagree in a number of issues, we are united by our concerns for the students of Las Virgenes. I am more than willing to work with them in whatever capacity they may require."

The incumbents are ready to go back to work.

"I look forward to serving the students of the district for another four years," Finders said. "I’m glad a team that has proven to be strong and focused has the opportunity to continue working together."

Schulz expressed similar sentiments. "I’m really appreciative and want to thank everyone who voted for me, had confidence in me," she said. "Now it’s time to continue with business and there is a lot to be done," Schulz said. "By overwhelmingly reelecting Terilyn and me, the voters expressed that they want experience and honesty."

The most pressing business is whether or not to place a parcel tax on the ballot this spring. Another issue is where to cut the budget, possibly up to $3 million, Schulz said. The budget is already extremely lean, she said.

Collaboration is a central component to Finders’ and Schulz’s popularity. They’ve been credited with improving labor relations at the school board and creating a stronger team effort between teachers and administrators.

Finders created the Legislative Coalition to advocate at state and federal levels benefiting public education. The coalition is currently fighting for additional funding in special education. The duo also collaborated on the development of the district nutrition and health task force. Junk food and soda has been removed elementary and middle schools and replaced with more healthful choices, including water. In the spirit of cooperation, Finders and Schultz also work closely with student leaders.

Voter turnout for the school election was meager. Only 21 percent of registered voters came out to the polls or submitted absentee ballots.

There are 31,633 registered voters in Las Virgenes Unified School District, including the cities of Calabasas, Hidden Hills and Agoura Hills. The district also serves some parts of Bell Canyon.