Incumbents File For School Board Seats, Gain Union Endorsement

With school board elections set for November 8, 2011, the Charter Oak Educators Association has established its endorsement of candidates for the Charter Oak Unified district school board.

The Charter Oak Educators Association is endorsing school board members Joseph Probst, Bob Cruz and Brian Akers for the three open positions.

Probst, Cruz and Akers are the only three COUSD candidates so far who have filed their candidacy. The deadline to file is August 12.

All three incumbents have longtime ties to the Charter Oak school district.

Akers is the owner of Aborta-Bug Pest Control Service, whose daughters attended schools in the district. He also works closely with the Charter Oak Education Foundation to provide scholarships for COUSD graduates.

Cruz has worked for the Southern California Gas Company for 34 years. His children have also attended schools in the district, with his youngest child still attending Charter Oak High School.

Probst, a retired speech professor from Pasadena City College, has served on the school board for more than 19 years. His children also attended Charter Oak schools.

“Akers, Cruz, and Probst have shown us that they will make students and staff a priority.  They have avoided and/or minimized cost cutting measures keeping cuts as far away from the classroom as possible, “ said Beth Smith, COEA President.

Glendora Unified School District is scheduled to hold an election for two vacancies in November. Only incumbents Doris Blum and current School Board president Douglas Ferrell have filed candidacy so far.

Should the incumbents in both school districts run unopposed, districts may forego an election and the district money needed to hold the election may be waived.

This was the case for Glendora Unified’s school board election in 2007. Incumbents Blum and Ferrell ran unopposed, saving the district $120,000, said Assistant Superintendent Marc Chaldu.