Schools
Five of Seven Banning School Board Candidates at Forum Wednesday Night
The forum was 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Russo's Italian Kitchen in Banning. A Banning Teachers Association-endorsed candidate and the incumbent Banning Unified School District board president did not attend.
Five of seven candidates for the Banning Unified School District board attended a forum Wednesday night at Johnny Russo's Italian Kitchen in Banning.
The seven hopefuls, Alfredo Andrade, Alex Cassadas, Ray Curtis, Deborah Dukes, Larry Ellis, Maxine Israel, and David Vanden Heuvel, are running for three seats on the district board in the Nov. 8 election.
Cassadas, a Banning Teachers Association-endorsed candidate, and Dukes, an incumbent Banning Unified board member and its current president, did not attend. Both indicated they had other commitments.
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The forum was moderated by Banning teacher Troy Sheldon, who took questions from the audience for the candidates.
Between 30 and 40 people, including current and former Banning educators, came to listen, observe and ask questions.
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About the same number of people attended the previous forum, Oct. 16 at First Missionary Baptist Church, when all seven candidates were present.
The space used for the forum Wednesday night was smaller than the church, and those in attendance filled the back room at Russo's.
For more on the Oct. 16 forum, click or see the sidebar to the right of this report for links.
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