Paso Robles school board candidates discuss deficit, test scores at community forum

Candidates for the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees talked spending and parent engagement at a candidate forum on Monday.

The forum, hosted by the local chapters of the League of Women Voters and the American Association of University Women, allowed audience members to submit questions and hear from the candidates ahead of the November election.

All eight candidates — Hunter Breese, Leo Castillo, Tracy Dauterman, Kenney Enney, Tim Gearhart, Adelita Hiteshew, Laurene D. McCoy and Nathan Williams — showed at the forum.

Enney, McCoy and Williams are incumbents — McCoy will face off against Tim Gearhart in Trustee Area 5, Williams will face off against Breese in Trustee Area 3 and Tracy Dauterman will challenge Enney in Trustee Area 7.

Newcomers Leo Castillo and Adelita Hiteshew will compete for an open seat in Trustee Area 6.

Enney, a retired Marine Corps officer, was first appointed to the school board in October 2022 but was ousted that December after community members filed a petition with the county for Enney’s removal, calling him an “extremist candidate” with stances that some viewed as potentially harmful to the LGBTQ+ community.

In May 2023, Enney won the special election held to fill his own vacant seat.

Breese, a 19-year-old recent graduate of Paso Robles High School and challenger in Trustee Area 3, is currently under investigation by the District Attorney’s Office for alleged election fraud, Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano confirmed to The Tribune.

The DA’s Office is investigating whether Breese lives at the address he listed as his home residence when he filed to run for office, Cano told The Tribune.

For more information on the trustee candidates, visit our Voter Guide.

Candidates identify their individual qualifications

The eight candidates each discussed their qualifications for the board Monday evening.

Enney said his military background would allow him to provide “oversight and direction” to district officials — something he said is the primary responsibility of a trustee.

He also said he has experience “bringing people together,” before taking a shot at his opponent.

“Even though Mrs. Dauterman was partly responsible for recalling me last year, I reached out and crossed the ideological divide to multiple opponents to try to mend fences, which apparently didn’t work,” Enney said.

Williams said his strongest assets include being a parent and his involvement in the community.

Breese said his biggest strengths are his youth and familiarity with Paso schools.

“One thing I have on all the other candidates up here is, I’m not old,” Breese said. “Some of you might get a little upset with me, but you’re all a lot older than I am ... I can really bring that new perspective.”

Paso Robles school board candidates Hunter Breese (left), Laurene D. McCoy (middle) and Tim Gearhart discussed student safety and discipline at an election forum on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024.
Paso Robles school board candidates Hunter Breese (left), Laurene D. McCoy (middle) and Tim Gearhart discussed student safety and discipline at an election forum on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024.

Breese added that his experience in 4-H and his involvement in local small businesses would assist his work, if elected as a trustee.

Both McCoy and Dauterman home-schooled their children during the pandemic — something they each identified as a strength. That experience, they said, gave them first-hand insight into what teachers experience each day.

McCoy said her experience as a classroom parent, a family counselor and a mentor also qualify her to be a board member. Dauterman said her involvement with the PTA and school site council give her insight into how to engage with parents and staff.

Castillo, Hiteshew and Gearhart also nodded to their experience working in schools.

Gearhart, a retired educator, said his experience working in schools taught him how to talk with students and parents.

Castillo said his work with at-risk youth and his experience as a student affairs coordinator at Almond Acres Charter Academy opened his eyes to the issues and behaviors that impact schools.

Hiteshew’s service on site councils, Local Control Accountability Plan committees and PTA boards has allowed her to become familiar with district students, staff and systems, which she said “uniquely qualifies” her for a seat on the board.

Candidates discuss district deficit, test scores and parent engagement

The eight school board candidates discussed a range of issues impacting the Paso Robles district, including spending, academics and communication with parents.

McCoy, Gearhart, Castillo and Hiteshew listed parental engagement and involvement among their top priorities.

Similarly, Dauterman and Williams said bolstering communication with families and district patrons was of top concern.

Paso Robles school board candidates Leo Castillo (left), Adelita Hiteshew (middle) and Tracy Dauterman (right), discussed the importance of parental engagement at an election forum on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024.
Paso Robles school board candidates Leo Castillo (left), Adelita Hiteshew (middle) and Tracy Dauterman (right), discussed the importance of parental engagement at an election forum on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024.

“We have to continue to do better at communicating with our community and with our families,” said Williams, who currently serves as school board president. “In doing so, we get families and staff more connected, and that creates a higher level of accountability on all levels. ... The more we do that, the more we have better buy-in.”

Breese’s top goals for the district include improving test scores and maintaining fiscal responsibility, he told the audience.

According to the latest standardized test results, Paso Robles’ 2024 math scores dipped to the lowest they’ve been in over eight years, with just 28.77% of students in grades three through eight and 11 scoring at or above standards. The district’s English-language arts scores improved this year, but sit below 50% proficiency.

Breese said the scores could be improved by “setting goals.”

The teenage candidate said his focus, if elected, would be on, “making sure that our teachers are hitting those goals and we’re not just kicking the can down the road, making sure that our students are meeting those goals and making sure that we are really ... a district of excellence.”

Breese also commented on what he called the district’s “4.9%” budget deficit, which he identified as the district’s biggest problem.

According to district superintendent Jennifer Loftus, the district has a “$4.9 million structural deficit,” not a 4.9% deficit, she told The Tribune in an email.

“If the school district was a business, this business would be under, it would be bankrupt, it would be done,” Breese said.

Williams and Gearhart also identified the district’s budget as a key priority.

Enney, Dauterman, McCoy, Castillo and Hiteshew all said addressing student behaviors and discipline across schools would be among their top concerns as trustees.

When asked whether they supported the division of the school board election into trustee areas — a change that occurred in 2022 — candidates were divided.

Breese, Enney and McCoy expressed concerns, saying the division could lead trustees to focus only on their area’s issues, rather than those of the whole district.

“I’m not a big fan of it, but it is what is it,” Enney said.

Other candidates vocalized support for the change, saying the ability to garner support from their local community would help them better serve the district.

Candidates agreed that the change should not alter the responsibilities of a trustee.

Some candidates say they’ll ‘ruffle feathers,’ if elected

In their closing statements, both Enney and Breese said they’ll ruffle feathers, if elected.

Enney hearkened back to his recall and celebrated his achievements since his election to the board.

“I was the one that got things done,” Enney told the audience. “I was the one that put my politics aside, not the progressives, not my opponent. I may ruffle feathers, but I get results.”

Breese also said he plans on “ruffling some feathers.”

“I am not going to be the status quo candidate,” he told the audience.

Breese said he plans on “getting things done, and not going along to get along,” if elected.