Ana Petero
Ana Petero was a candidate for the Trustee Area 6 seat on the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District school board in California. Petero was defeated in the by-district general election on November 8, 2016.
Petero participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 school board candidate survey. Click here to read her responses.
Elections
2016
Four of the seven seats on the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District Governing Board were up for by-district general election on November 8, 2016. No incumbents filed to run for the Trustee Area 1 and 2 seats, guaranteeing at least two newcomers joined the board. Three candidates—Spencer Marks, Bethany Smith, and Mike Wright—ran for the open Trustee Area 1 seat, and two candidates—Melvin Cockhren II and Joan Gaut—ran to take the Trustee Area 2 seat. Smith and Gaut won election to the board. In her bid for re-election to Trustee Area 3, incumbent Judi Honeychurch ran unopposed and won re-election by default. Trustee Area 6 incumbent John Silva defeated challenger Ana Petero to win another term.[1][2]
Results
| Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District, Trustee Area 6 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 John Silva Incumbent |
50.71% | 3,760 |
| Ana Petero | 48.86% | 3,623 |
| Write-in votes | 0.43% | 32 |
| Total Votes | 7,415 | |
| Source: Solano County Registrar of Voters, "Final Official Results," accessed December 5, 2016 | ||
Funding
At the time of this election, the Solano County Registrar of Voters did not publish school board candidate campaign finance reports online. Ballotpedia staff directly requested this information, but the county did not provide it.
Endorsements
Petero was endorsed by the Democratic Party of Solano County.[3]
Campaign themes
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Ana Petero participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on October 24, 2016:
| “ | Candidate did not answer the question.[4][5] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in California. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Blank | |
| “ | I do not wish to comment.[5] | ” |
| —Ana Petero (October 24, 2016) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer nine questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. Public funds require accountability to the public. That charter schools are privately operated is problematic; there are too many charter schools under investigation to warrant establishing charter schools in my district. I believe we need to fix the public schools in our district, and this begins with providing teachers with the resources they require, the respect they deserve, and a seat at the table. Teachers are the front lines of education and the backbone of our society. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should defer to school board decisions in most cases. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. Standardized tests do not accurately measure student achievement, because teachers are then pressured to teach to the test or focus instruction. This disadvantages different learning styles, creativity in teaching, and drives teachers out of the profession. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| I believe there are many benefits to common core, particularly student participation in their education. I believe that the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) will be an added benefit to Common Core. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. Enforce Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) programs within the school district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| No. There are many factors that determine student achievement and performance. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. Improving the public school system will prevent the need for a voucher system. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Sparingly. I believe in preventative measures. Students become disruptive when they don't feel valued and are neglected. Smaller class sizes ensure that students don't fall through the cracks, but receive the attention they require to succeed. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Student-teacher ratio Smaller class sizes allow teachers to focus on each of their students individually. Students will not fall through the cracks because they are receiving the attention and instruction they require, and teachers can better assess their students' learning styles and tailor their instruction to best benefit their students. This will also serve to retain the excellent teachers we have and attract more teachers. |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Ana Petero Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District, California
- Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District elections (2016)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Solano County Registrar of Voters, "Candidate Filed Log (On The Ballot) - November 8, 2016 General Election As Of 08/22/2016," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ Solano County, "Solano County, CA 2016 General Election - November 8, 2016," accessed November 9, 2016
- ↑ Democratic Party of Solano County, "2016 General Endorsements," accessed October 16, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "Ana Petero's responses," October 24, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2016 Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District Elections | |
| Solano County, California | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | Trustee Area 1: • Spencer Marks • Bethany Smith • Mike Wright Trustee Area 2: • Melvin Cockhren II • Joan Gaut Trustee Area 3: • Incumbent, Judi Honeychurch Trustee Area 6: • Incumbent, John Silva • Ana Petero |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
