Voters elected Joe Navarro to Hollister school board in November
2010
The Hollister School District has announced first-term Trustee
Joe Navarro has resigned from the board, citing health reasons and
stress caused by the district’s financial situation.
In the statement, the district said Navarro
”
noted in his resignation statement that the ongoing reductions
of state and federal funding for schools and the effects of reduced
funding for the Hollister School District have become too stressful
for him to continue serving the District.
”
Voters elected Joe Navarro to Hollister school board in November 2010
The Hollister School District has announced first-term Trustee Joe Navarro has resigned from the board, citing health reasons and stress caused by the district’s financial situation.
In the statement, the district said Navarro “noted in his resignation statement that the ongoing reductions of state and federal funding for schools and the effects of reduced funding for the Hollister School District have become too stressful for him to continue serving the District.”
Navarro did not return a phone call seeking comment.
Navarro, a retired teacher, was elected to the board in November 2010. He was a strong proponent of the teachers union and the June measure for a $96 parcel tax that failed at the polls – a revenue source that could have eased some of the district’s financial burden in the wake of annual, multimillion-dollar deficits.
He arguably became the board’s most outspoken trustee in his first year and frequently wrote on a blog to share his views. He also had health issues that caught up to him in the wake of continued funding shortages in Hollister and throughout the state.
As required, the district last week notified the county superintendent of the vacancy on the board. It had 60 days to decide between holding a special election or making a provisional appointment. Superintendent McIntire said he is recommending a provisional appointment due to an election’s cost. The same district just paid $146,000 for the parcel tax election.
“I’m assuming the board at this point is going to be thinking dollars and cents,” said McIntire, who recently noted that the financially troubled district expects to lose its “negative certification” tag by the end of the calendar year that requires a state adviser who can veto spending decisions.
With Navarro informing McIntire on the afternoon of Sept. 7, officials did not have enough time to have an item regarding the vacancy on the agenda for a special meeting Saturday, two days later. McIntire expects that Hollister trustees will consider their options at the next regular meeting set for Sept. 27, or they could decide to set a date for a special meeting over the topic. His expectation is to have someone appointed at some point in October, he said.
As for Navarro’s reasoning over his health, McIntire underscored the difficult economic times. In “normal times,” he said, elected school leaders are focused on considering the ideal staffing level and curriculum.
“Normally, we’re not taking things away,” he said. “We’re very thankful to have had Joe on the board.”
Regarding a potential appointment, McIntire said his “inclination” tells him the board would want to “consider what the community’s voice was” during the November election and see if the No. 4 vote-getter on the ballot, David Redman, is interested.
Redman could not be reached immediately for comment.
