SBCSC Board of Trustees race preview

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SOUTH BEND, Ind.-- A total of four seats for the South Bend School Board up for grabs this election on November 3. One position open for District 3, another for District 4 and two for the At-Large positions.

To be an At-Large representative, to one of two incumbents, Rudy Monterrosa, who was appointed to the role after the unexpected passing of then-incumbent Maritza Robles in 2017, said that its being able to service and be a voice to all 5 districts within the corporation.

He said that he’s running for re-election to keep the positive momentum moving forward in South Bend schools.

“The corporation itself right now is going in the right direction, it’s not quick, you want to make a change in such a large corporation it doesn’t happen at a moment’s notice because it takes time,” Monterrosa said. “We have the leadership, we have the experience, we have the momentum so I’m running for office because i want to be able to keep that momentum going, continue to do the good work that we’re doing within the corporation and continue to be a voice in the community.”

The other At-Large incumbent John Anella, who is also the longest serving board member, being in office for 6 years, agrees, and said that this is the best the corporation has looked in years, and that being re-elected would help him continue this positive push forward.

“From my point of view, I’m very committed to this, I want to see this through. we need to make sure that the money we’re receiving is spent properly, we need to have continuities so that we can really really truly move this school district forward and I think honestly we’re in a position that the south bend schools haven’t been in, in decades and the opportunity to really succeed and the pieces are there,” Anella said.

While both incumbents are running for re-election, 4 other candidates are on the ballot wanting to take their place.

One of those candidates, Faye Anglin, a case mentor and advocate in the community, said that while she doesn’t have as much experience as Anella or Monterossa, believes that with her job experience she would make a great fit to help serve family and student needs.

“I want to see a change in the families, I want to see a change for the children, I want to see the change in the school board for the better. and I believe once you get someone that’s on the other side of things, who’s actually in the home, who’s working with the children and their families then we can try to bridge the gap by giving them what their needs are,” Anglin said.

One of the candidates, who didn’t respond to ABC57 in time for the report, Derrick Perry provided a statement on why he’s running for election, saying in part:

“I am running for school board because our babies are getting to high school and graduating and they can’t read. This affects the entire community as it is one of the key reasons for neighborhood violence…I want to end school to prison/grave pipeline that is amplified by lack of educating and poortreatment of these particular youth that fall through the gapping holes of our corporation.”

ABC57 reached out to the other 2 candidates running for the at-large positions, Jeanette McCullough and Desmont Upchurch for comment but have not received message back yet.

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