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Miriam Sequeira
Miriam "Stephanie" Sequeira was a candidate for an at-large seat on the West Contra Costa Unified School District school board in California. Sequeira was defeated in the at-large general election on November 8, 2016.
In addition to choosing two new board members, citizens of the West Contra Costa Unified School District voted on whether the district should extend its funding measure for eight more years. The candidates running in this race discussed the measure in a candidate forum on September 29, 2016. Those in favor of passing the measure said it was necessary after a forensic financial audit revealed the district had misspent construction bond funds, leaving little funding left to complete renovations. Those opposed to extending the measure suggested the district instead look to private funding sources.
The controversy surrounding the district's misspent bond funds led to the resignation of former superintendent Bruce Harter and the hiring of new superintendent Matthew Duffy. In an effort to regain community members' trust, board member Valerie Cuevas proposed limiting campaign contributions to $1,000 for school board elections. Cuevas said such limits would help the voters have faith in the district again, but other board members and school board candidates disagreed.
The district was also involved in other funding conflicts. In June 2016, the district had to amend its spending plan for state funds after a complaint filed with the California Department of Education revealed $4.3 million had been omitted from a fund earmarked for services for high need students. In March 2016, the district settled a lawsuit with the California Charter Schools Association that alleged the district had not shared previous bond money with its charter school students.
Biography
Sequeira is involved with the Bay Area PLAN workshops and has served as chair of the West Contra Costa Unified School District’s Multilingual District Advisory Committee. She also served on the district’s Local Control Accountability Plan Committee, where she served as chair from 2013 to 2015. Sequeira has four children.[1]
Elections
2016
Two of the five seats on the West Contra Costa Unified School District Board of Education were up for at-large general election on November 8, 2016. No incumbents filed to run for re-election, guaranteeing two new members joined the board. Former candidates Mister Phillips, Antonio Álvarez Medrano, and Ayana Kirkland Young and newcomers Don Gosney, Tom Panas, Miriam "Stephanie" Sequeira, and Carlos Taboada ran for the seats.[2] Phillips and Panas were elected to the board.[3]
Results
| West Contra Costa Unified School District, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Mister Phillips |
22.63% | 28,018 |
| Tom Panas |
18.57% | 22,990 |
| Miriam Sequeira | 15.98% | 19,777 |
| Ayana Kirkland Young | 12.55% | 15,529 |
| Antonio Álvarez Medrano | 12.08% | 14,954 |
| Carlos Taboada | 11.05% | 13,683 |
| Don Gosney | 6.84% | 8,468 |
| Write-in votes | 0.29% | 363 |
| Total Votes | 123,782 | |
| Source: Contra Costa County , "Presidential General Election Official Results - Final," accessed December 7, 2016 | ||
Funding
Sequeira reported $15,590.95 in contributions and $1,909.54 in expenditures to the Contra Costa County Elections Division, which left her campaign with $13,681.41 on hand as of October 31, 2016.[4]
Endorsements
Sequeira was endorsed by CCSA Advocates, Education Matters, and the Students for Education Reform Action Network (SFER AN) of West Contra Costa.[5][6][7]
Campaign themes
2016
Candidate website
Sequeira highlighted the following issues on her campaign website:
| “ | Transparency & Data-Driven Decisions
What’s working and how do we know? Stephanie believes this vision should be created using solid data on best practices in the classroom. Information on programs, activities, and technologies, that elevates a student’s academic achievements and gains, need to be reviewed, implemented, and duplicated where they are of most use to students. Raising four children of her own, Stephanie realizes the voices of students, parents, and teachers need to be heard. Stephanie knows that in order to analyze, comprehend, and vote on policy with the potential to affect student outcomes for years, different perspectives need to be taken into consideration. West Contra Costa students deserve to receive a world-class education in a safe and nurturing environment. Miriam "Stephanie" Sequeira is ready to fight for all West Contra Costa District students and help them succeed. Community Engagement & Parent Involvement Who has a seat at the table? As a parent, Stephanie encourages other parents to express their concerns on policy or issues they see as problematic and praise teachers and programs when they see them working to benefit student outcomes. As a member of the West Contra Costa Unified School Board, Stephanie will ensure parents remain a vital component of the education solution process. Student Achievement & School Culture How are our kids doing? With supplemental and concentrated grant funding from the Local Control & Accountability Plan (LCAP) being provided to our District, Stephanie wants to re-focus efforts to greatly improve student gains. Allocating available resources will help students succeed. Stephanie believes we must invest in keeping all students engaged and reduce our suspension rates. Reviewing how the District deals with bullying and consequences related to such activities are among Stephanie’s top priorities. As a community, Stephanie believe that by improving the climate of our schools we can increase attendance - helping to fund much needed programs offered to students across the district. Join Stephanie in building a brighter future for West Contra Costa Students and vote Sequeira on November 8, 2016 for West Contra Costa School District Board of Education![8] |
” |
| —Miriam "Stephanie" Sequeira (2016)[9] | ||
Priorities
Sequeira listed the following as her top three priorities, according to Voter's Edge California.
| “ |
|
” |
| —Miriam Sequeira (2016)[10] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Miriam Sequeira West Contra Costa Unified School District. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- West Contra Costa Unified School District, California
- West Contra Costa Unified School District elections (2016)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Stephanie for School Board, "About Stephanie," accessed October 13, 2016
- ↑ Contra Costa County, California, "Contest/Candidate Proof List Presidential General Election," accessed August 18, 2016
- ↑ Contra Costa County, "Unofficial Results - Election Night Final," accessed November 9, 2016
- ↑ Contra Costa County Elections Division, "Contra Costa County Public Portal for Campaign Finance Disclosure," accessed November 1, 2016
- ↑ Education Matters, "Community Panel Endorses Panas, Sequeira for West Contra Costa School Board," September 19, 2016
- ↑ Stephanie for School Board, "Endorsements," accessed October 13, 2016
- ↑ CCSA Advocates, "Our Endorsements: November 2016 Elections," accessed October 27, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Stephanie for School Board, "Issues," accessed October 13, 2016
- ↑ Voter's Edge California, "Miriam Stephanie Sequeira," accessed October 13, 2016
| 2016 West Contra Costa Unified School District Elections | |
| Contra Costa County, California | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Don Gosney • Antonio Álvarez Medrano • Tom Panas • Mister Phillips • Miriam "Stephanie" Sequeira • Carlos Taboada • Ayana Kirkland Young |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
