The candidates for the various openings across all of the Santa Clarita Valley’s five K-12 school district governing boards have been finalized, with 16 candidates across 11 races expected to be on the ballot in November.

Across the 11 races, only four are expected to be contested, each of the two open seats on the William S. Hart Union School District Governing Board and Saugus Union School District Governing Board, respectively.

Each of the other seven school board vacancies appear to be pursued unopposed, according to filings with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office.

Below is an overview of the available vacancies for each board and the candidates on the ballot:

William S. Hart Union School District Governing Board (Trustee Area No. 1)

• Gordon Kirkpatrick – a parent, business owner, educator and Valencia resident.
• Linda Storli – incumbent board president, first elected to the board in 2015, former 30-year Canyon High School history teacher.
• Alyssa Williams – mother of a Hart District student and educator teaching English as a second language.

William S. Hart Union School District Governing Board (Trustee Area No. 4)

• Steve Sturgeon – the incumbent and a board member for 21 years with previous experience serving as board president.
• James Webb – a former English teacher at Saugus and West Ranch High Schools, now a teaching consultant, parent of a 7th grader in the district and a 6th grader in the Saugus Union School District.

Saugus Union School District Governing Board (Trustee Area No. 3)

• Katherine Cooper – a local CPA and mother with leadership experience on the Old Orchard Elementary School PTA and Highlands Elementary Parent Faculty Organization.
• Chris Gadbois – a veteran with 30 years of experience across a wide range of roles in Public Service, most recently as an Air Rescue and Firefighting Helicopter Pilot.

Saugus Union School District Governing Board (Trustee Area No. 4)

• Sage Rafferty – a retired U.S. Army Captain, currently working as an aerospace manufacturing manager at PPG Industries.
• Matthew Watson – a career educator with experience as a teacher across a variety of grades and in school administration as an assistant principal and principal.

Castaic Union School District (Two Seats Open)

• Fred Malcomb – the incumbent and current president of the Castaic Union School District governing board, a 22-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force who went on to become an Air Force JROTC instructor locally. Now works as a Counselor at the Palmdale Aerospace Academy.
• Janene Maxon – a career educator with 32 years of experience in Santa Clarita schools, she was most recently the assistant superintendent of educational services for the Castaic Union School District for 12 years until her retirement this year. 

Newhall School District (Two Seats Open)

• Isaiah Talley  – the incumbent candidate, previously appointed to the board on Sept. 6, 2016, President of local security company Copper Eagle Patrol and Security. Running unopposed in Trustee Area No. 4.
• Sue Solomon – the incumbent and current board president, Solomon first joined the board in 1999 and is currently its longest-serving member as she seeks her sixth term. She runs unopposed in Trustee Area No. 5.

Sulphur Springs Union School District (Three Seats Open)

• Rochelle “Shelley” Weinstein – the incumbent candidate and member of the board since 2003, she also serves on the SCV School Trustees Association Executive Board and the L.A. County School Trustees Association. She runs unopposed in Trustee Area No. 1.
• Denis DeFigueiredo – the incumbent candidate, he currently works as an information technology professional. He runs unopposed in Trustee Area No. 2.
• Paola Jellings – the incumbent candidate appointed to the board in June 2020. Previously Jellings has worked in other Santa Clarita school districts in administrative positions. She runs unopposed in Trustee Area No. 3.

Candidate filing status for all elections on the ballot in Los Angeles County in Nov., including local school board elections, is available to search through the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office’s tool here.

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.