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Kern High School District, California, elections
| Kern High School District |
|---|
 |
| District details |
| School board members: 5 |
| Students: 43,116 (2023-2024) |
| Schools: 25 (2023-2024) |
| Website: Link |
Kern High School District is a school district in California (Kern County). During the 2024 school year, 43,116 students attended one of the district's 25 schools.
This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.
Elections
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Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 2
General election
General election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 2
Incumbent Steven Rodrigue defeated Manuel Ramirez, Otilia Curiel, and Ronnie Cruz in the general election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 2 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Steven Rodrigue (Nonpartisan) | 35.3 | 8,211 |
 | Manuel Ramirez (Nonpartisan)  | 26.1 | 6,084 | |
| Otilia Curiel (Nonpartisan) | 25.0 | 5,811 | ||
| Ronnie Cruz (Nonpartisan) | 13.7 | 3,180 | ||
| Total votes: 23,286 | |||
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Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 3
General election
General election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 3
Incumbent David Manriquez defeated Penny Lepisto in the general election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 3 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | David Manriquez (Nonpartisan) | 50.4 | 15,023 | |
| Penny Lepisto (Nonpartisan) | 49.6 | 14,775 | ||
| Total votes: 29,798 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 1
General election
General election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 1
Derek Tisinger defeated incumbent Cynthia Brakeman in the general election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 1 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Derek Tisinger (Nonpartisan) | 70.5 | 24,799 |
| Cynthia Brakeman (Nonpartisan) | 29.5 | 10,356 | ||
| Total votes: 35,155 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 4
General election
General election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 4
Kathy Scrivner defeated incumbent Janice Graves, Lillian Lopez, and Martin Higuera in the general election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 4 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Kathy Scrivner (Nonpartisan) | 49.8 | 17,351 | |
| Janice Graves (Nonpartisan) | 26.7 | 9,292 | ||
| Lillian Lopez (Nonpartisan) | 17.4 | 6,069 | ||
| Martin Higuera (Nonpartisan) | 6.1 | 2,112 | ||
| Total votes: 34,824 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 5
General election
General election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 5
Incumbent Bryan Batey defeated Michelle Shaw in the general election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 5 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Bryan Batey (Nonpartisan) | 51.3 | 11,725 |
| Michelle Shaw (Nonpartisan) | 48.7 | 11,134 | ||
| Total votes: 22,859 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 2
General election
General election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 2
Incumbent Jeff Flores defeated M. Dayle Record in the general election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 2 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jeff Flores (Nonpartisan) | 66.6 | 16,692 |
 | M. Dayle Record (Nonpartisan) | 33.4 | 8,379 | |
| Total votes: 25,071 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 3
General election
General election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 3
David Manriquez defeated incumbent Joey O'Connell in the general election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 3 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | David Manriquez (Nonpartisan) | 55.6 | 16,970 | |
| Joey O'Connell (Nonpartisan) | 44.4 | 13,563 | ||
| Total votes: 30,533 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 1
General election
General election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 1
Cynthia Brakeman defeated incumbent Mike Williams in the general election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 1 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Cynthia Brakeman (Nonpartisan) | 54.6 | 20,747 | |
 | Mike Williams (Nonpartisan) | 45.4 | 17,233 | |
| Total votes: 37,980 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 4
General election
General election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 4
Janice Graves defeated Jenifer Pitcher and Bryan Colebrook in the general election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 4 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Janice Graves (Nonpartisan) | 48.5 | 17,131 | |
| Jenifer Pitcher (Nonpartisan) | 26.6 | 9,387 | ||
| Bryan Colebrook (Nonpartisan) | 24.9 | 8,803 | ||
| Total votes: 35,321 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 5
General election
The general election was canceled. Bryan Batey (Nonpartisan) won without appearing on the ballot.
Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 2
General election
General election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 2
Incumbent Jeff Flores won election in the general election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 2 on November 8, 2016.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Jeff Flores (Nonpartisan) |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 3
General election
General election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 3
Incumbent Joey O'Connell won election in the general election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 3 on November 8, 2016.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | Joey O'Connell (Nonpartisan) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 1
General election
General election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 1
Incumbent Mike Williams won election in the general election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 1 on November 4, 2014.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Mike Williams (Nonpartisan) |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 4
General election
General election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 4
Incumbent Phillip Peters won election in the general election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 4 on November 4, 2014.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ |  | Phillip Peters (Nonpartisan) |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 5
General election
General election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 5
Incumbent Bryan Batey won election in the general election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 5 on November 4, 2014.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Bryan Batey (Nonpartisan) |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Recall elections
- See also: States that allow school board recalls
Recall procedures
| State | Specific grounds required? | Signature requirement | Petition circulation time | When recalls can start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | No | 10% to 30% of registered voters (depending on population of jurisdiction) | 40 to 160 days (depending on population of jurisdiction) | Recalls cannot start until an official has been in office for 90 days, and they cannot start in the last six months of an officer's term |
Recall efforts
2025
An effort to recall David Manriquez and Steven Rodrigue from their positions on the Kern High School District school board began in December 2025 and is underway.[1]
The recall effort is related to a vote taken during the October 6, 2025, meeting of the Kern High School District school board. The board voted 3-2 in favor of a resolution titled Resolution of the Kern High School District Board of Trustees in Support of Title IX, a draft of which can be read in full here. Manriquez and Rodrigue voted against the resolution.[2]
Manriquez was first elected to the board to represent Trustee Area 3 in 2020 and was re-elected in 2024 with 50.4 percent of the vote. Rodrigue was appointed to the board to fill a vacancy in Trustee Area 2 in 2023 and was re-elected in 2024 with 35.3 percent of the vote.
About the district
School board
The Kern High School District consists of five members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.
| Name | Seat | Year assumed office | Year term ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steven Rodrigue | Trustee Area 2 | 2023 | 2028 |
| David Manriquez | Trustee Area 3 | 2020 | 2028 |
| Kathy Scrivner | Trustee Area 4 | 2022 | 2026 |
| Derek Tisinger | Trustee Area 1 | 2022 | 2026 |
| Bryan Batey | Trustee Area 5 | 2006 | 2026 |
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District map
Overlapping state house districts
The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.
Budget
The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]
| SOURCE | AMOUNT | AMOUNT PER STUDENT | PERCENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal: | $95,015,000 | $2,217 | 12% |
| Local: | $203,297,000 | $4,743 | 25% |
| State: | $517,720,000 | $12,078 | 63% |
| Total: | $816,032,000 | $19,038 |
| TYPE | AMOUNT | AMOUNT PER STUDENT | PERCENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Expenditures: | $819,271,000 | $19,113 | |
| Total Current Expenditures: | $678,506,000 | $15,829 | |
| Instructional Expenditures: | $341,882,000 | $7,976 | 42% |
| Student and Staff Support: | $117,321,000 | $2,737 | 14% |
| Administration: | $93,360,000 | $2,178 | 11% |
| Operations, Food Service, Other: | $125,943,000 | $2,938 | 15% |
| Total Capital Outlay: | $109,491,000 | $2,554 | |
| Construction: | $101,105,000 | $2,358 | |
| Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: | $15,524,000 | $362 | |
| Interest on Debt: | $12,693,000 | $296 |
Academic performance
Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[4]
The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-2022 | 16 | 44 | 9 | 12 | 11-19 | 26 | |
| 2020-2021 | 15-19 | PS | <50 | 15-19 | PS | <50 | 21-39 |
| 2018-2019 | 21 | 50 | 11 | 17 | 11-19 | 25-29 | 32 |
| 2017-2018 | 21 | 50 | 12 | 16 | 25-29 | 30-34 | 33 |
| 2016-2017 | 21 | 45 | 11 | 17 | 20-29 | 30-34 | 31 |
| 2015-2016 | 23 | 59 | 15 | 17 | 20-29 | 30-34 | 33 |
| 2014-2015 | 24 | 52 | 14 | 19 | 11-19 | 25-29 | 36 |
| 2013-2014 | 58 | 81 | 45 | 54 | 40-49 | 65-69 | 68 |
| 2012-2013 | 57 | 79 | 44 | 51 | 60-69 | 65-69 | 69 |
| 2011-2012 | 54 | 81 | 44 | 48 | 50-59 | 60-64 | 65 |
| 2010-2011 | 52 | 70-74 | 37 | 47 | 60-64 | 55-59 | 64 |
The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-2022 | 47 | 73 | 33 | 43 | 40-49 | 56 | |
| 2020-2021 | 89 | >=80 | >=50 | 86 | PS | PS | >=95 |
| 2018-2019 | 51 | 73 | 37 | 47 | 40-49 | 60-64 | 62 |
| 2017-2018 | 49 | 74 | 33 | 45 | 55-59 | 55-59 | 59 |
| 2016-2017 | 51 | 72 | 36 | 47 | 50-59 | 65-69 | 60 |
| 2015-2016 | 51 | 79 | 39 | 46 | 60-69 | 55-59 | 62 |
| 2014-2015 | 51 | 71 | 38 | 46 | 40-49 | 60-64 | 63 |
| 2013-2014 | 53 | 70 | 44 | 47 | 40-44 | 65-69 | 67 |
| 2012-2013 | 55 | 70 | 44 | 49 | 60-69 | 65-69 | 71 |
| 2011-2012 | 52 | 75 | 39 | 44 | 50-59 | 70-74 | 66 |
| 2010-2011 | 57 | 70-74 | 45 | 51 | 55-59 | 60-64 | 72 |
The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-2022 | 89 | 95 | 83 | 89 | 75-79 | 90-94 | 90 |
| 2020-2021 | 86 | 94 | 79 | 85 | 70-79 | 80-84 | 88 |
| 2019-2020 | 88 | 94 | 81 | 88 | 70-79 | 85-89 | 90 |
| 2018-2019 | 89 | 95 | 85 | 89 | 80-84 | 85-89 | 91 |
| 2017-2018 | 89 | 95 | 86 | 89 | 70-79 | 90 | 88 |
| 2016-2017 | 89 | 95 | 86 | 89 | 80-89 | 90-94 | 90 |
| 2015-2016 | 87 | 94 | 84 | 87 | 75-79 | 80-84 | 88 |
| 2014-2015 | 87 | 93 | 86 | 86 | 80-89 | 85-89 | 89 |
| 2013-2014 | 84 | 91 | 80 | 83 | 80-84 | 80-84 | 88 |
| 2012-2013 | 80 | 89 | 74 | 78 | 85-89 | 75-79 | 83 |
| 2011-2012 | 81 | 88 | 78 | 78 | 85-89 | 70-79 | 86 |
| 2010-2011 | 82 | 90 | 79 | 79 | 80-84 | 60-69 | 86 |
Students
The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]
| Year | Enrollment | Year-to-year change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-2024 | 43,116 | 0.2 |
| 2022-2023 | 43,020 | 0.4 |
| 2021-2022 | 42,863 | 1.2 |
| 2020-2021 | 42,370 | 2.2 |
| 2019-2020 | 41,451 | 2.7 |
| 2018-2019 | 40,340 | 2.0 |
| 2017-2018 | 39,520 | 2.1 |
| 2016-2017 | 38,705 | 1.6 |
| 2015-2016 | 38,070 | 2.0 |
| 2014-2015 | 37,318 | 0.6 |
| 2013-2014 | 37,100 | 0.1 |
| 2012-2013 | 37,070 | -1.2 |
| 2011-2012 | 37,505 | 0.1 |
| 2010-2011 | 37,452 | -1.3 |
| 2009-2010 | 37,928 | 0.4 |
| 2008-2009 | 37,783 | 1.2 |
| 2007-2008 | 37,341 | 3.4 |
| 2006-2007 | 36,086 | 1.9 |
| 2005-2006 | 35,394 | 4.6 |
| 2004-2005 | 33,776 | 4.2 |
| 2003-2004 | 32,357 | 4.3 |
| 2002-2003 | 30,953 | 3.8 |
| 2001-2002 | 29,788 | 1.5 |
| 2000-2001 | 29,333 | 3.0 |
| 1999-2000 | 28,452 | 0.0 |
| RACE | Kern High School District (%) | California K-12 STUDENTS (%) |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander | 3.7 | 12.1 |
| Black | 5.4 | 4.9 |
| Hispanic | 71.8 | 56.1 |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Two or More Races | 1.9 | 5.8 |
| White | 16.4 | 20.2 |
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Staff
The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[6]
As of the 2023-2024 school year, Kern High School District had 1,828.94 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 23.57.
| TYPE | NUMBER OF TEACHERS |
|---|---|
| Prekindergarten: | 0.00 |
| Kindergarten: | 0.00 |
| Elementary: | 0.00 |
| Secondary: | 1,828.94 |
| Total: | 1,828.94 |
Kern High School District employed 99.85 district administrators and 58.55 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.
| TYPE | NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS |
|---|---|
| District Administrators: | 99.85 |
| District Administrative Support: | 182.00 |
| School Administrators: | 58.55 |
| School Administrative Support: | 329.20 |
| TYPE | NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF |
|---|---|
| Instructional Aides: | 296.57 |
| Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: | 6.00 |
| Total Guidance Counselors: | 136.27 |
| Elementary Guidance Counselors: | 0.00 |
| Secondary Guidance Counselors: | 136.27 |
| Librarians/Media Specialists: | 1.65 |
| Library/Media Support: | 0.00 |
| Student Support Services: | 77.00 |
| Other Support Services: | 754.01 |
Schools
The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[7]
About school boards
Education legislation in California
Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.
See also
| School Boards | Education Policy | Local Politics | California |
|---|---|---|---|
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 |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ BakersfieldNow, "Kern High School District Board members receive notice for recall after transgender athletes resolution," December 9, 2025
- ↑ KGET, "Kern High School District board approves resolution supporting Title IX, opposing transgender student athletes," October 6, 2025
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2021-22 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed October 18, 2025
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
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