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Pastor appointed to Paso Robles school board

December 9, 2021

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

At a time in which the Paso Robles Unified School District is dealing with increased scrutiny and controversy, trustees appointed a longtime pastor to fill a vacant seat on the board.

Trustee Jim Reed, a former Paso Robles city councilman, recently resigned from the school board because he is moving out of the state of California, the district says. Following Reed’s resignation, 11 individuals applied for the open seat on the school board.

On Tuesday, the board conducted panel interviews with the applicants. Trustees asked applicants about matters including recent board decisions, a potential school closure, mask enforcement, vaccine mandates and district finances.

Additionally, applicants gave statements about their candidacies, and the board listened to public comment. Following public comment, each board member identified their top candidate and second choice, which informally narrowed the field to four contenders.

When the board attempted to make the appointment, one motion by a trustee failed due to a lack of majority support. The board then appointed W. Frank Triggs on a 4-2 vote.

Triggs is a 15-year resident of Paso Robles who served as an ordained minister for more than 50 years, according to the school district. He taught church business management and served as the business manager for a large church and school.

His appointment to the Paso Robles school board lasts one year. Triggs can run in the Nov. 2022 election to secure the seat for an additional two years.

Recently, the the Paso Robles school board has dealt with a number of heated issues, including Critical Race Theory and accommodation of Spanish speakers. Currently, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is investigating allegations that the Paso Robles school district discriminated against Latinos and non-English speakers, allegations the district denies.


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I’m looking forward to students in the Paso Robles system to rise up and demand the resignation of it’s obviously racist president Who continually demeans and insults students in the district.


4

The Paso Robles school board is an embarrassment. It is obvious that its president is racist. Anyone who claims there’s no systemic racism in the United States is either remarkably ignorant or a liar.


4

This man has a good business background in church and school management. He is obviously not doing this to build his resume. No doubt as a pastor he has compassion as a strong suit, too.


But wait: he’s old, white, male and probably not LGBTQ, so let’s find a way to complain about him.


Seriously, what ever happened to qualifications as opposed to quotas and diversity? Does anyone really think only minorities can speak for minorities? If anyone is that upset, run for the office in 2022. You’ve got a year to get your act together. Meanwhile let’s give the man a chance.


-3

It is sad to see political sideshows become the main focus of the district’s board, while teacher compensation is neglected. No CPI adjustments for the last five years. Really???


6

He’s 82, older than Biden. That’s fine, but now let’s drop the argument about seniors serving elected office.


4

Something tells me being on a school board is different than being the President of United States.


10

Very different indeed.


0

Often with age comes balance and clarity.


7

But it also can bring confusion and forgetfulness


-1

This article left out it chose an 82-year-old, ultra-conservative white man, retired Pastor Frank Triggs, passing over Adelita Hiteshew, who has extensive experience working with children, is involved in district activities and has three kids in local schools. Never mind that the district’s student population is 56.1% Latino or Hispanic and 37.9% white.


0

What does race have to do with an education, when they all go to the same schools? What does age have to do with making a wise decision, other than experience and life knowledge? What does being a Conservative have to do with making good choices for the education of our children, outside of not being an ultra-socialist?


I will take a lifetime of God fearing experience, over reactionary ideology, any day.


-1

Good for them. I hope he will continue to help put the students, real education, not indoctrination, of those students as the top priority. May they always respect parent input on the curriculum and education of students.


0