Lieber new FUESD board president

A new era has begun on the Fallbrook Union Elementary School District's Governing Board.

FUESD Board President Siegrid Stillman and Board Vice President Lisa Masten, both longtime board members, attended their last board meeting Nov. 30, and new board members Suzanne Lundin and Ricardo Favela were sworn in Dec. 14.

Their inaugurations mark a big change for the board: it's now composed entirely of fresh faces, with the most experienced members – Caron Lieber and Susan Liebes – having been first elected just two years ago in 2018.

Until earlier this year, a majority of FUESD board members had been in their seats for eight years or more – Stillman was first elected in 2012, Masten in 2004 and former board member Patty de Jong in 1996. But de Jong chose to retire in August and was replaced by JoAnn Lopez, who will fill the remainder of de Jong's term through 2022, and Stillman and Masten's dual decisions not to run for re-election ensured the old guard would not continue past 2020.

Lundin and Favela's elections also appear to have punctured the power dynamics that were previously evident on the board, something that became clear in their votes for new board officers; in one of their first actions as board members, the two voted for Lieber to take over as the new board president.

Lieber had often wound up being a dissenting voice on the board over the first two years of her term, voting, for example, against a salary increase in January for district administrators including Superintendent Candace Singh, who earned about $312,000 in 2019.

With Stillman, Masten, de Jong and Liebes voting together, Lieber's efforts were typically stymied. But that looks to have changed.

Liebes, board clerk under Stillman and Masten, was at first in charge of the Dec.14 meeting in the absence of a board president or vice president, and initially moved to nominate herself for the position of board president.

"It's the tradition on our board for officers to move up once they've learned the policies and procedures as Caron and I have been doing, but I don't feel entitled to this position," Liebes told her fellow board members. "I do think that I would be an effective president. I promise to listen to all voices, work respectfully to find common ground and consensus so that we can govern as a team."

Lundin, though, added a comment after Liebes' remarks. "Mrs. Liebes, I want to applaud your commitment and your interest in taking this leadership role," Lundin said. "I just want a point of order, and that is that, just so as board members we know that the education code also says that board elections occur at-large, not necessarily by seniority. So I just wanted to clarify that."

Lieber then nominated herself for the board president position; while Liebes received a vote from Lopez in addition to one from herself, Lieber prevailed with the votes of Lundin and Favela and took charge of the meeting.

Favela also nominated Lundin to serve as board vice president, with Lopez nominating Liebes for that position. But Lopez ultimately was the only one to vote for Liebes, with Liebes choosing to join the new majority in seating Lundin. When the time came to select a board clerk, Lundin nominated Favela, who was elected unanimously.

The board votes on officers each year, so barring any unforeseen events, Lieber, Lundin and Favela will hold their new positions at least until next December.

Will Fritz can be reached by email at [email protected].