If Rachael Sedgwick takes her place on the TUSD Governing Board dais in January, she will get noticed.
She would not only be the sole newcomer on the five-member volunteer board, it will be the moment Sedgwick could cement her place as the likely swing vote.
Sedgwick was winning the race for one of three governing board seats up for grabs in this year’s election, with the remaining two being retained by incumbents Mark Stegeman and Kristel Foster.
Sedgwick would fill the position held by Cam Juarez who failed in his effort for a second term. However, late Friday an updated vote count by the county showed Sedgwick’s lead over her nearest opponent, Betts Putnam-Hidalgo, was getting more narrow. No major vote-count updates were expected over the weekend, county officials said Friday.
The departure of Juarez breaks up an alliance with Foster and Board President Adelita Grijalva who as a majority often voted against Stegeman and Michael Hicks.
The prospect of being stuck in the middle of the two camps is not overwhelming Sedgwick. In fact, she describes the role as “pretty fabulous.”
“Typically as a brand new board member, I wouldn’t have very much authority at all to make any change on a board,” Sedgwick said. “But the fact that there are two members each on either side means I get to be the swing vote, and I really get to consider things and decide according to my intellect and what I know is best and based on what parents, teachers and community members have shared with me.
“I feel like it actually puts me in a pretty powerful spot.”
Despite the power post, Sedgwick says she is not planning on joining any particular alliance. Still, she admits approving of the job being done by Stegeman over the last several years and says she disagrees on a number of issues with Foster and Grijalva.
Sedgwick says her commitment is to students and schools, not her fellow board members. And Sedgwick says she feels she can best serve parents by holding the district and its superintendent, H.T. Sanchez, accountable.
“I feel like one of the most important things the school board does is to ask the superintendent the right questions and make sure he is focused on the things that are important to parents and students,” Sedgwick said.
It is that sense of independence that Sanchez says he appreciates.
“Throughout the race there were a couple of candidates that really maintained a separation from any other candidate, and she was one,” Sanchez said.
“I feel that she’ll be somebody who comes in, much like I did, as an outsider who will look at things and weigh them for what they’re worth and will ask questions. “What strikes me is she is a law student, which speaks well to someone who will read through information, research information and make informed decisions.”
Throughout the campaign season, there was talk of Sanchez looking to leave TUSD if the board majority changed. But Sanchez says he is not job hunting.
“I have another year on my contract, and I intend to fulfill it,” Sanchez said.
“As long as we’re able to do work to move the district forward and improve all of the areas we’ve been working hard on — getting to unitary status, dealing with teacher recruitment and helping students improve their academics — as long as we can continue to work together to brainstorm solutions and solve those challenges, I’m committed to continuing to work in the district.”
