Orinda voters will weigh in on two school-board races in the Nov. 3 general election: one a foregone conclusion, the other a contest pitting two newcomers against two incumbents for three open positions.
In the first Acalanes Union High School District (AUHSD) election to be held under its new trustee-area system, roughly half of Orinda voters – those assigned to Trustee Area 5 – will have an unopposed AUHSD candidate on their ballots. Districtwide, Trustee Areas 1 and 3 also elect trustees this year.
North Orinda residents in Trustee Area 4, along with residents in Trustee Area 2, will not vote for an AUHSD trustee until 2028.
The Trustee Area 5 outcome appears settled: Incumbent Nancy Kendzierski is the only candidate who filed for the seat. Trustee Area 5 includes south Orinda, most of Moraga, all of Canyon and a portion of Lafayette.
Kendzierski, a Moraga resident, is the Acalanes district’s longest-serving current board member.
She was appointed in Sept. 2013 to fill the unexpired term of Gwen Reinke, then won full four-year terms in 2014, 2018 and 2022. Her current term ends this year.
Kendzierski said that, despite the new five-area system, she hopes each trustee will represent the entire district, not only the area that elected them.
“I’ve been blessed to serve with fellow board members who all put the needs of students and the district first,” she said. “Part of the reason I think that a lot of decisions were not contentious is because the business that we do is important but straightforward. We do really work hard to try to not ram through a particular solution, but find one that we can all agree on as the best choice.”
Kendzierski said her experience would be an asset on the board.
“A little bit more experience on the board gives you perspective on issues,” she said. “I also have been a parent volunteer. I’m deeply embedded in a lot of extra volunteer things, not just in my local community, but in communities across the district. I will bring all those connections and that experience to the board.”
Four candidates seek three OUSD seats
Three Orinda Union School District Board (OUSD) seats are up for election. Incumbents Edda Collins Coleman and Katie Shogan are seeking new four-year terms, while current trustee Eve Phillips is not running for reelection. The terms of all three current trustees end in 2026.
Phillips called her decision not to run “primarily a personal decision based on having taken a new job with East Coast hours and the increasing demands of my four awesome kids. I was privileged to get to serve the community in this way for the past four years.”
First-time candidate Chloe Aftel said she wants to increase transparency, community input and dialogue about district decisions.
“I’m a parent to two very different children in the district,” she said. “I have had many interactions with both the district and parents. It seems to me there is a need to have a better understanding of what the decisions are that impact our kids, and why.”
Aftel identified student use of screens and artificial intelligence as issues that concern her. She said she wants the district to explain more clearly how it approaches technology in schools. She said some parents feel strongly about the issue and that she believes “the science is irrefutable.”
She cited the Los Angeles Unified School District as an example of a large district that has restricted students’ personal, internet-enabled devices during the school day and adopted phased limits on instructional screen time.
First-time candidate John Chabalko said he decided to run after four years of community volunteering. Last year, he served as president of the Wagner Ranch Parents Club.
“The role exposed me to how the schools work, what some of the challenges are, and what are some of the nuances of getting things done in the schools and the district,” he said.
Chabalko said he wants more parents and families to become involved in district work.
“I do know that Orinda parents have a significant amount of resources in the context of professional expertise that could be utilized more,” he said.
He said OUSD is performing well but could benefit from “fine-tuning” to ensure it remains strong over the next five to 10 years. He identified facilities and infrastructure planning as a priority, particularly if enrollment grows as projected.
Incumbent Edda Collins Coleman was first elected in Nov. 2022.
“I will keep showing up for OUSD’s students and families the way I always have,” she said. “That means protecting the spaces our kids love, stewarding our district’s resources wisely, and continuing to strengthen our curriculum so every child is prepared to thrive. There is still so much more we can do together to continue to make Orinda the destination district our students and families deserve, and I would be honored to keep doing that work for four more years.”
Katie Shogan is completing her first four-year term and serves as board president this year.
“It has been a privilege to serve on the Orinda school board for the past four years,” she said. “I hope to continue to guide the positive progress of the district.”
Shogan pointed to transitional kindergarten implementation, facilities modernization and fiscal stability despite OUSD’s relatively low state funding as achievements during her term.
She said her experience as a public-school teacher and administrator, a trustee on multiple school boards, a parent and a community volunteer enhances her work on the board. Her prior school-board service includes positions in Pennsylvania and at an international school.
“As in any school system, there is still much more work to do,” she said. “I will continue to focus on students and staff, instruction and programming and fiscal responsibility.”