Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
Jerome Orlando Torres
Jerome Orlando Torres was a candidate for the Trustee Area 1 seat on the Sweetwater Board of Education in the California general election on November 4, 2014. Jerome Orlando Torres lost the general election on November 4, 2014.
Biography
Torres has a master's degree in Public Administration and serves as Sr. Management Analyst for the City of Coronado in the City Manager’s Office. He has previously been board president for LULAC-Headstart and was the founder/president of the Latino Advisory Committee for the Superintendent of the Long Beach Unified School District.[1]
Elections
2014
The election in Sweetwater featured five seats up for general election on November 4, 2014. There was no primary election.
The only sitting incumbent at the time of the election, former board president John McCann, did not file to run for re-election, but former members Bertha J. Lopez and Jim Cartmill, both of whom pleaded guilty to misdemeanors of accepting gifts above the state limit while serving on the school board, ran to reclaim their seats. A total of 21 candidates ran for the five open seats.
In Trustee Area 1, Arturo Solis won the election. Kevin J. Pike defeated former member Lopez as well as three other challengers to win election to Trustee Area 2. Cartmill was also defeated. His former seat representing Trustee Area 3 was won by Frank A. Tarantino. Newcomers Nicholas Segura and Paula Hall won election to the Trustee Area 4 and 5 seats, respectively.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Arturo Solis |
46.6% | 4,274 | |
| Nonpartisan | Burt Grossman | 37.9% | 3,471 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jerome Orlando Torres | 15.5% | 1,423 | |
| Total Votes | 9,168 | |||
| Source: San Diego County Registrar of Voters, "Gubernatorial General Election Tuesday, November 4, 2014," accessed January 2, 2015 | ||||
Funding
Torres filed Form 470 to indicate he would not be spending or receiving more than $1,000 in this election. Because of that, he did not have to file any additional campaign finance reports.[2]
Campaign themes
2014
In response to a survey published by La Prensa San Diego, Torres answered several questions outlining his campaign themes and vision.
| “ | What do you believe is the number one issue with the district? The #1 issue facing SUHSD in the near future is budgetary. Presently, SUHSD is looking at a potentially significant budget deficit by either the end of the current school year or by the end of SY 2016. This is due a confluence of two major factors: 1) the expiration and renegotiation of the current labor agreements; and 2) the district’s obligation to increase its funding of the CalSTRS pension liability. These two factors will wipe out the projected mandatory (2% and 1%) and discretionary reserves. What qualities are will you looking for in hiring a superintendent? They are two-fold: 1) to be able to take direction by the school board and implement its policy decisions; and 2) to effectively collaborate with all stakeholders in the district so as to create a student-centered learning environment. Board accountability has been lacking, how will you hold the board accountable? I would implement a three-step process. The first step: training. The second step: addressing the by-laws and policies/regulations governing the conduct of the School Board. The final step: establish committees whereby School Board members would be required to serve on no less than two committees.This would change the structure and dynamics of Board governance. What do you believe is your role in interacting with teachers? I believe my primary role is to be supportive. This includes maintaining an open line of communication at all times (even when we may disagree). What are your financial priorities? I would call for an independent audit of SUHSD’s finances. There is so much distrust among the labor bargaining units with regard to the financial condition of the district that we need to “clear the air” on this vital matter. I would look at implementing a sound monitoring system of the district-wide and site-based Local Control Funding Plans. I would call for an update and annual progress reports on how the District is fulfilling the 2011 goal established by the School Board that.[3] |
” |
| —La Prensa San Diego survey (2014)[1] | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Jerome + Orlando + Torres + Sweetwater + School + District"
See also
- Sweetwater Union High School District, California
- Sweetwater Union High School District elections (2014)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 La Prensa San Diego, "Sweetwater board races provide an opportunity for a fresh start!" September 19, 2014
- ↑ San Diego County Registrar of Voters, "JEROME O TORRES-470 Officeholder and Candidate Campaign Statement," October 6, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
