There are only three contested races for elementary school board seats in the Santa Clarita Valley for voters to decide on in Tuesday’s election.  The Newhall School District, Castaic Union School District and Saugus Union School District each have one contested race, though plenty of other seats are being filled due to candidates running unopposed.  In Castaic, Erik Richardson and Steve Sansone are running for the seat representing Trustee Area A. The incumbent for that seat, governing board President Janene Maxon, is not running for reelection.  In Saugus, incumbent Katherine Cooper is running for reelection to represent Trustee Area No. 3. Her opponent is Mark White, who previously ran for Santa Clarita City Council.  In Newhall, incumbent Sue Solomon, the current governing board president, is running for reelection to represent Trustee Area No. 5. Her opponent is Mayra Cuellar, a former student and employee in the district.  Other local school districts with contested races include College of the Canyons, via the Santa Clarita Community College District board of trustees, and the William S. Hart Union High School District.  Here’s a look at the candidates in the contested races for elementary school district seats:  Castaic  An eight-year resident of the Castaic area, Richardson is the father of one child in the district and one more who will be starting next year. He works for Anheuser-Busch as the senior director of marketplace for Southern California and is a baseball coach in his free time.  “I want to listen and be a voice for parents in our community and make sure our students have the right curriculum and tools to be successful long-term,” Richardson said in a phone interview.  Sansone, who works in the financial services industry, is a former member of the Castaic district governing board who stepped down once his children had left, but is looking to get back into it now that his grandchildren are of school age.  “I’ve already served eight years,” Sansone said in a phone interview, “so in terms of understanding the role, the governance process, the strategic policy-making process, negotiating, lobbying, I bring a fundamental understanding as to what the role is and how to effectively work that role.”  Richardson said having kids in the district gives him a unique perspective, as does having a mom who was previously a teacher and administrator in the Castaic district. He added that school safety, proper budgeting and being competitive when it comes to teacher salaries are all things he would focus on if elected.  Sansone said talking to all stakeholders involved — including teachers, parents and students — would be one way he would gauge what the district needs, though he mentioned increasing test scores, improving teacher resources and fiscal responsibility as some of his focuses.  Saugus  The Saugus district race could be compared directly to the stances that each candidate has on the $187 million bond measure that the district has placed on the ballot.   Cooper said that passing it is crucial to upgrade facilities, especially when it comes to earthquake retrofitting, so that students have the best learning environments possible.  White has been a vocal opponent of the bond measure, saying the ballot language is disingenuous and does not provide enough detail as to what specific projects will be looked at.  Cooper said she would like to see the district do more work on closing the achievement gap between students, expand organic programs at each site, such as the Highlands Elementary dual-language immersion program, improve test scores and ensure that all students and teachers feel supported.  “I’ve done a lot of work in inclusion, bringing the special education kids into the general education population,” Cooper said in a phone interview, “and that’s really helpful because they get to interact with the other kids, and the general education kids get to gain a better understanding.”  White said he would focus on fiscal accountability, giving more support to teachers, being more transparent and communicative, and improve school safety. He said he would work to expand the local school resource deputy program with the SCV Sheriff’s Station to have deputies on campus. They currently only serve the Hart district.  “The district is not supporting the teachers,” White said in a phone interview. “I met with the union and the morale is really low. Safety is an issue. There has to be better transparency and communication at the board level. I know a lot of constituents around the district that feel their voices are not being heard. There is a very big disconnect.”  Newhall  A member of the Newhall district governing board since 1999, Solomon said she has worked for multiple levels of public education, including at the state and national level.  “I still have the passion, the love for the community,” Solomon said in a phone interview. “It’s always fresh.”  Cuellar said her primary goals are fiscal responsibility, transparency throughout the budgeting process and ensuring safe environments for students.  “Every student deserves the opportunity to succeed,” Cuellar wrote in an email. “I will work tirelessly to enhance academic programs that address learning and social-emotional needs, ensuring every child can reach their full potential … My decision to run for office is deeply rooted in my connection to NSD. I am not just a candidate but a member of this community. I attended NSD as a child; my children are products of NSD; I have a child currently attending NSD, a former NSD employee for over 17 years, and an active school site council member. This personal connection gives me a unique perspective and a deep commitment to the district’s success.”  Cuellar added that strengthening community partnerships in the face of declining enrollment and subsequent dips in state funding can help the district to “overcome these challenges and create a better future for our students.”  Solomon said she wants to continue to fully implement the district’s arts and education master plan, as well as improve partnerships with the Hart district and California Institute of the Arts to augment those. She added that facing looming budget cuts from the state and improving instruction for all students are keys for her.  Bringing in more adaptive playgrounds, such as the one at Peachland Elementary, is also one of Solomon’s goals.  “I know where we’ve been, where we are and where we need to be moving forward,” Solomon said. “What I bring to the table is well-established relationships, a lot of community understanding and respect. My work in the PTA and school board is a great marriage of being a policy leader and a parent leader and understanding the grassroots of it all.”  Uncontested races  Along with the three contested races, there are also seven local races that will be uncontested.  Incumbents Fred Malcomb and Vince Titiriga are running unopposed for reelection to the Castaic school board, representing areas C and D, respectively.  Isaiah Talley is running unopposed for reelection to represent Trustee Area No. 4 in the Newhall district.  The Saugus district has two uncontested races as incumbents Patti Garibay and Matt Watson, the current board president, are looking to once again represent areas 1 and 4, respectively.  Both seats up for election in the Sulphur Springs Union School District are uncontested, as incumbents Rochelle Weinstein and Denis Defigueiredo are seeking to continue to represent areas 1 and 2, respectively.  Other races  Also on the ballot are multiple races for the local high school and community college districts.  Incumbent Linda Storli, the current Hart district governing board president, is looking to fend off challengers Aakash Ahuja and Gloria Mercado-Fortine to represent Trustee Area No. 1.  Eric Anderson is seeking to unseat incumbent Erin Wilson as the representative for Trustee Area No. 4.  For more information on the Hart district races, go to tinyurl.com/49ufejy4.  At COC, four seats are on the ballot, including the seat currently occupied by board President Edel Alonso, who is being challenged by Scott Schauer to represent Trustee Area No. 2.  Also running for election are: Michelle Kampbell and Darlene Trevino for Trustee Area No. 1; Fred Arnold and Andrew Taban for Trustee Area No. 3; and incumbent Jerry Danielsen and Sharlene Johnson for Trustee Area No. 4.  For more information on the COC races, go to tinyurl.com/2rc4zd93.  The post Candidates for SCV elementary school boards make their cases  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.