November 2026 Election - Vote for Schools and Communities

Vote to support our students, our schools, our communities, and our teachers!

For the upcoming November 2026 elections, ESTA endorses the following candidates:

ESUHSD School Board Race

• Tony Lam for Trustee Area #4

• Mer Curry Nunez for Trustee Area #1

• Anthony Montes for Trustee Area #2 (ELECTED)

For larger races, check out https://www.cta.org/our-advocacy/election-2026

In ESUHSD, five School Board Trustees are elected from five Trustee Areas. Collectively, the publicly elected School Board serves as the highest policy- and decision-making body in the district. Three of the five must agree on an issue to compel the Superintendent to act. Any action taken by the Trustees must happen at a publicly held School Board meeting through an official motion and subsequent vote.

Trustees are publicly elected, which means they answer to the voters of East Side. As such, you have every right to communicate with them about issues that are important to you. If you want them to know about problems at your school, tell them. If you want them to know something amazing about your school, tell them. You can even invite them out to see for themselves.

Most importantly, when election season comes around every two years, it’s critical that we as ESTA rally behind our endorsed candidates to ensure they either take or remain in office. Rallying behind our endorsed candidates means taking time to get out and talk to voters via precinct walks. The more voters hear about the candidates from us, the more likely they will elect Trustees who work with ESTA and truly value students and staff.

Why Care About School Board Elections?

School boards make decisions that affect and impact every student, family, staff, and school in your district.

School boards have a lot of power as they oversee district resources, hire and appoint leadership, approve curriculum, and more!

HOWEVER, school board elections have some of the lowest voter turnout rates. In some cases, as low as 10% of registered voters cast a ballot.

Why is the School Board (Trustees) so Important to ESUHSD?

During negotiations, who votes on behalf of the district on your salary?	School Board
During negotiations, who votes on behalf of the district on your benefits?	School Board
During negotiations, who votes on behalf of the district on working conditions?	School Board
Who hires or fires the superintendent?	School Board
Who oversees the district budget?	School Board
Who votes on district policies?	School Board
Who hears most member appeals and ensures due process?	School Board
Who approves new text books and curriculum?	School Board
Who approves graduation requirements?	School Board
Who approves course offerings?	School Board
Who approves staffing levels?	School Board
Who approves staffing allocations within the LCAP?	School Board