Coachella Valley Unified School District’s board of education heard from three candidates who want to fill a seat left vacant by Silvia Paz during a special board meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 12.
The three candidates interviewed by the board on Aug. 12 were Antonio Aguilar, Araceli Beltran and Alena Callimanis. The board is expected to appoint a provisional trustee at its regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, Aug. 14. Whoever is appointed will serve the remainder of Paz’s term through the general election in November 2026.
From why they want to serve on the school board to identifying top priorities, challenges and the skills they would bring, here’s what the candidates shared:
Antonio Aguilar
First up was Aguilar, who grew up in Thermal and attended Oasis Elementary, Toro Canyon Middle and Desert Mirage High, where he was part of the second graduating class.
Aguilar newly accepted a position at College of the Desert’s dual enrollment department, which offers high school students college courses for dual credit, and said he also teaches political science. He also recently joined the board of the Dr. Carreón Foundation, which provides financial aid to students in the eastern valley pursuing higher education.
After transferring from College of the Desert, he earned a bachelor’s degree in government with a minor in public policy from the University of Redlands. He then worked for Congressman Raul Ruiz for about two years before returning to Redlands for a master’s degree in higher education. While working toward a doctorate in education, Aguilar said he “got a little bored” and shifted toward teaching, later earning a master’s degree in political science.
His mother spent about four decades working at CVUSD, finishing her career in the purchasing department before retiring.
“I’d like to consider myself an active member of the community, someone who is interested in advancing the mission and vision of the school district and public education,” Aguilar said.
His background includes work with ECV For Change and the California Indian Nations College in Palm Desert.
“We serve a large immigrant population, and I believe immigrants are the backbone of this country,” he said. “I believe it’s our students that make us strong and unique — and it’s that uniqueness that also attracts some superb talent to come and make the drive out here (to teach).”
He acknowledged that CVUSD has been in the news over its budget deficit, calling it an area that needs improvement and underscored the role of asking questions in identifying community needs.
“It starts with showing up,” Aguilar said. “As someone who constantly watches and tries to keep abreast of what’s going on in the community, it starts with attending board meetings. It starts with asking questions.”
Araceli Beltran
Although Beltran shared little about her background, she also grew up in Thermal and earned a full-ride scholarship to the University of California, Berkeley, where she majored in conservation and resource studies — inspired by her upbringing and passion for agriculture and sustainability.
She grew up in a family that migrated across California for agricultural work, sometimes joining her parents in the fields and helping to raise her younger sister, according to previous reporting by Coachella Unincorporated. In 2011, Beltran graduated as valedictorian from Desert Mirage High School, the first in her family to graduate from high school.
Her experience includes time with Pueblo Unido Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit focused on creating sustainable communities in the eastern Coachella Valley.
Beltran said the board’s responsibility is to set direction, not oversee day-to-day work, and connected that principle to her focus on community advocacy.
“It’s the job of the board to listen to the community it’s serving and make sure they feel heard and not dismissed,” she said. “And to advocate for that community — to make sure that the students (and families) … are getting all the resources that they can get and (that) they’re not being (disproportionally) shorted by policies created at the state or federal level.”
She said her priorities include making sure her community is served amid the current political climate and what she called the federal government’s attack on public education by leveraging funding, as well as elevating young people’s voices.
“How do they feel about the school system? Do they feel valued?” she said.
Alena Callimanis
Callimanis works as both a volunteer and programming coordinator at Read With Me, a local nonprofit focused on literacy in elementary schools. She has lived in the Coachella Valley for several years and was involved in opposing the Thermal Beach Club and other local surfing lagoons, advocating for water conservation.
“While I’ve only been at the elementary schools here, the fundamental basis of continuing to help students is really the foundation,” she said.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a master’s degree in teaching physics from Stony Brook University, according to her LinkedIn. Callimanis retired from IBM after a career in marketing and sales.
Callimanis highlighted the board’s influence over the budget and underscored that students must remain the priority.
“Because providing them with the highest quality of education, even in the time of budget issues, is really fundamental to what we need to provide for the students,” she said.
The next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 14 in the district’s board room at 87-225 Church St. in Thermal, with open session set to resume at 7:30 p.m.
Jennifer Cortez covers education in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Who will fill Coachella Valley Unified’s board vacancy? Decision expected Thursday
