The Perris school district board has two open seats, with two incumbents and three challengers vying.
Five candidates will be on the Nov. 8 ballot when voters go to the polls to select two members for the Perris School District board.
Incumbents Virniecia Green-Jordan and Tom Elliott are facing challengers Ezekiel “Zeke” Martin, Louis D. Armmand and Gilberto Acevedo.
The district serves kindergarten- through sixth-grade students in the Perris Valley area.
Green-Jordan cites her experience as a teacher and a longtime school board member in seeking re-election and points to her experience in setting policies that resulted in higher state test scores.
She believes more can be done.
“There are still some things that still need to be completed in the area of education and programs,” Green-Jordan said.
Along with continuing to improve test scores, Green-Jordan said programs to help reduce teen crime and social programs, such as scouting, are needed.
“That’s character building,” Green-Jordan said. “The bridge is the school district.”
Elliott, in his first term, is a retired teacher and school principal. In seeking re-election, he, too, points to the success the district has had in raising test scores and his advocacy for parents and teachers.
He is running because he believes his job on the board is not finished.
“I just think we have a lot of changes we can continue to do,” Elliott said. “I like the challenge. I like being involved in education.”
Elliott worked 39 years as a teacher and principal, along with another four years on the board.
Martin, a retired mechanic, has lived in Perris for 26 years has been active with his church and with youth sports for the schools and the city.
He said he wants to make sure adequate funding is available for teaching and that students are pushed to learn.
“I want to make sure that more resources are going to the children in the classroom,” Martin said. “Our kids need to be challenged.”
Martin also said he would like to restart a program called the Fatherhood Academy, which called on absentee fathers to become more involved in the lives of their children.
Acevedo, a retired bus driver and custodian, began working for the Perris School District in 1988 and retired in 2004.
He is a member of the Perris Alliance for Community Empowerment, whose goal it is to ensure that the city’s elected officials represent the diversity and needs of families.
Acevedo said he is running for the school board because he believes current board members are not making the best use of district funds.
He also believes he can help provide a better opportunity for the students if he is on the school board.
“My decisions will be based on whatever helps out the children,” he said. “I decided to try to help to do something better.”
Armmand, who graduated from Yale and UCLA and has worked as a school teacher, said he is running for the school board to help give parents in the district a stronger voice before the board.
“One of the key issues is parental input in policy making by the board,” Armmand said. “I want to change that around.”
Armmand said if he is elected, he would hold neighborhood meetings to help parents gain the confidence they need to approach the school board.
“I think parents are concerned about achievement and the quality of the education,” Armmand said. “I really want to bring up the academic quality of instruction.”
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