Five Elected to Clayton Valley Charter Governing Board

Five of the nine spots on Clayton Valley Charter High School's governing board are now occupied, after parents, teachers and classified staff voted for who they wanted to represent them Thursday night.

Teachers Pat Middendorf and Neil McChesney, who are the co-chairs of the Clayton Valley Charter Steering Committee, ran unopposed and will represent the teachers on the board.

Alison Burcigalupo and Megan Kommer beat out five other candidates to be voted in as the parent representatives.

Burcigalupo is the Parent Faculty Club president for Clayton Valley and is a member of the charter steering committee. Kommer is the Parent Faculty Club president at Diablo View Middle School and has three daughters at Clayton Valley.

The classified staff seat, who represents the office staff, was won by Diane Bailey. Bailey, an 11-year Clayton Valley employee, beat Nancy Kahl for the seat.

Voting took place in the multipurpose room at Clayton Valley and turnout was steady but not huge, said teacher Dylan Pereira who was a poll worker.

Stacey Russell, one of the parents who voted, said she was strongly in favor of the charter effort though she suspects the transition could have bumps in the road.

"I wanted to have my say," said Russell, who is the mother of two Clayton Valley students. "I wanted to vote for the people who have shown they really care about the school."

Four seats still need to be filled on governing board: two community members, one administrator and one retired teacher. Those positions will be appointed by the five members elected.

Clayton Valley becoming a charter school is still not a sure thing. The proposal will go to the Mt. Diablo Unified School District board on Sept. 13. If the board rejects the charter, it can be appealed to the Contra Costa Office of Education.

The Clayton Valley Charter Steering Committee hopes Clayton Valley will open as the first conversion charter school in the Bay Area for the 2012-13 school year.