Jeremy Fontes
Jeremy Fontes was a candidate for the Trustee Area 3 seat on the San Jacinto Unified School District school board in California. Fontes was defeated in the by-district general election on November 8, 2016.
The 2016 election was Fontes' first time running for office.[1] He participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 school board candidate survey. Click here to read his responses.
Biography
Fontes is an Air Reserve technician. He served in the United States Air Force from 2001 to 2007. Fontes is a graduate of the San Jacinto Unified School District. He also earned an associate degree in business administration from Mt. San Jacinto College.[1]
Elections
2016
Three of the five seats on the San Jacinto Unified School District board of trustees were up for by-district general election on November 8, 2016. In their bids for re-election to Trustee Areas 1 and 2, incumbents Trica Ojeda and Willie Hamilton, respectively, ran unopposed and won re-election by default. The Trustee Area 3 race featured incumbent John Norman and challenger Jeremy Fontes. Norman won re-election.[2][3]
Results
| San Jacinto Unified School District, Trustee Area 3 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 John Norman Incumbent |
53.62% | 1,311 |
| Jeremy Fontes | 46.38% | 1,134 |
| Total Votes | 2,445 | |
| Source: Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "Consolidated Presidential Election Official Results," accessed December 2, 2016 | ||
Funding
Fontes filed an exemption form detailing he would not spend or receive more than $2,000 for this campaign. Because of this, he did not have to file additional campaign finance reports.[4][5]
Campaign themes
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Jeremy Fontes 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 September 7, 2016:
| “ | I am an experienced Aircraft Quality Control Inspector willing to bring the San Jacinto School Board a broad perspective which includes a foundation of service before self; an ability to be objective and fair; and an appreciation of the diverse needs of SJUSD including the community. I will bring to SJUSD an open mind and the objectivity essential in performing all of the responsibilities of a school board member. I am eager to devote the time and energy that this community deserves in fulfilling the duties of a board member. I am a strong proponent of class size reduction and accessibility to advanced technological devices for all students.[6][7] | ” |
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 |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| “ | N/A[7] | ” |
| —Jeremy Fontes (September 7, 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. |
| 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. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| N/A |
| 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? |
| Offer additional training options. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| N/A |
| 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 |
Political philosophy
Fontes described the following as his political philosophy:
| “ | I would be honored to serve as Trustee for Area 3 of the San Jacinto Unified School District. I am a San Jacinto resident and father of three children preparing to attend SJUSD. I have successfully worked in a cohesive military environment for 15 years and currently serve as a Master Sergeant in the Air Force Reserves. I am a proud graduate of San Jacinto Unified School District and Mt. San Jacinto College.
I am an experienced Aircraft Quality Control Inspector willing to bring the San Jacinto School Board a broad perspective which includes a foundation of service before self; an ability to be objective and fair; and an appreciation of the diverse needs of SJUSD including the community. I will bring to SJUSD an open mind and the objectivity essential in performing all of the responsibilities of a school board member. I am eager to devote the time and energy that this community deserves in fulfilling the duties of a board member. I am a strong proponent of class size reduction and accessibility to advanced technological devices for all students.[7] |
” |
| —Jeremy Fontes (August 15, 2016)[1] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Jeremy Fontes San Jacinto Unified School District. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- San Jacinto Unified School District, California
- San Jacinto Unified School District elections (2016)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ballotpedia's Biographical Information Submission Form, "Jeremy Fontes' responses," August 15, 2016
- ↑ Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "Contest/Candidate Proof List," accessed August 15, 2016
- ↑ Riverside County, "Consolidated Presidential Election," accessed November 9, 2016
- ↑ Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "County of Riverside Public Portal for Campaign Finance Disclosure," accessed October 4, 2016
- ↑ California Fair Political Practices Commission, "Filing Schedule for Candidates and Controlled Committees for Local Office Being Voted on November 8, 2016," accessed September 30, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "Jeremy Fontes's responses," September 7, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2016 San Jacinto Unified School District Elections | |
| Riverside County, California | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | Trustee Area 1: • Incumbent, Trica Ojeda Trustee Area 2: • Incumbent, Willie Hamilton Trustee Area 3: • Incumbent, John Norman • Jeremy Fontes |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
