There will be no vote this fall in the Newark Unified School District Board of Education election.
That's because only three candidates filed for the three seats up for grabs on the Newark Unified School District race that was scheduled to appear on the Nov. 6 ballot.
And of those three individuals, parent and volunteer Gary Stadler is the only one who is not an incumbent.
Board President Ray Rodriguez and Board Vice President Jan Crocker, whose seats were set to expire in December, are the incumbents who filed for re-election. Incumbent Janice Schaefer, who is said to be school board’s longest standing member, did not file to run for re-election.
While there will be no election and Stadler's seat won't be official until he is sworn in, Stadler said enthusiastically Wednesday evening that he's excited.
“It’s an honor,” Stadler said. “I think we’re really, honestly, going to have a strong board now and a board that will take the district into the direction that it needs to go.”
Stadler – who was 747 votes shy of landing a seat on the school board in the 2010 elections – is no stranger to Newark Unified School District.
The 57-year-old has served Newark students in various capacities, including subbing as a school monitor at the high school and a yard duty at numerous elementary schools over the past several years.
He also played a key role in campaigning for – a $63 million bond passed by voters in November 2011 that will help pay for facilities upgrades in Newark Unified.
Stadler is also known around the district for his willingness to volunteer. This eagerness resulted in him being named 2007 School District Volunteer of the Year, according to Smartvoter.org.
And five years later, Stadler is still volunteering. He, along with other parents and Newark Memorial High School students, has devoted his summer vacation to inside of the high school’s Marine and Science Technology (MaST) Institute Center .
Although he only has one child in the school district, Stadler said he considers all of the students he assists his and that he is thrilled to serve their parents and the entire district as a school board member come January.
The official swear-in for Stadler will be held in early December. For more information about Newark Unified and its governing board, visit http://www.nusd.ca.schoolloop.com.
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