Incumbent Shelley Donati and newcomer Evelyn Muro landed the two
vacant seats on the San Benito High School District.
Hollister – Incumbent Shelley Donati and newcomer Evelyn Muro landed the two vacant seats on the San Benito High School District.
Final results showed Muro finishing with 39 percent of the vote, Donati in second place with 32.3 percent, and Ray Rodriguez in third with 28.4 percent. Board Trustee Stephen Hailstone did not run for re-election.
Donati, 30, said she is thrilled she will continue on the board and hopes to achieve “growth and improvements” at the high school during her next term.
“We made a lot of changes in the past four years, looking at ways to best meet the needs of our students as the community changes,” she said late in the evening. “In terms of the budget, we just need to keep monitoring that closely based on state and federal requirements.”
Donati does not have children at SBHS and has never been an employee of the district. She grew up in Hollister and graduated from the high school. Much of her experience in education lies in being a programs coordinator for the Stockton Unified School District as well as also working with the San Benito County Office of Education. She currently works for Heald College in Salinas.
Donati has in the past worked on a program that focuses on students going to college, a program geared toward students who are the first generation of their families to go on to higher education. One of her goals for her future on the board is to bring some of these ideas to SBHS, she said.
Muro, 58, is a former director of human resources for San Benito High School District. She retired last June but decided it was impossible for her to stay away.
“I’m very excited – it’s been a journey,” she said of her campaign. “I’ve had lots and lots of support…. I really look forward to working with the board and working with the district. I really want to help the kids.”
Muro has been in education for 30 years, 24 of which were at SBHS. She has been a teacher, an administrator, and worked in other educational positions. She, however, was not endorsed by the teacher’s union.
Muro thanked the many friends and family members who helped in her campaign.
“A lot of people walked the neighborhoods this weekend and put out fliers and doorhangers,” she said. “They’ve done a really great job.”
Parent Ray Rodriquez wished Muro and Donati luck in their new positions and plans to continue to be active with the school. As for running for the board in the next election, he still must consider that decision.
“I don’t know, we have to see,” he said. “I wasn’t planning on this one. It kind of came up in April or May that I thought about it.”
Rodriquez has actively worked with SBHSD Superintendent Jean Burns Slater to align SBHS curriculum with San Andreas Continuation High School, so that students have a chance to return and graduate.
On Election Night when she heard about the outcome of the high school board race, Slater praised all three candidates, saying voters we lucky to have such a high standard of choices. She has worked with all three at some level of school activity and believes each one would make an excellent board member.
“They had competent candidates,” she said. “I believe that because of the closeness of the race, the community had confidence in all three.”
