By Vanguard Staff
DAVIS, Calif. — Voters will have an opportunity to hear directly from candidates seeking two seats on the Davis Joint Unified School District Board of Education when the League of Women Voters of Yolo County hosts a candidate forum Oct. 9.
The forum will feature candidates running in Trustee Areas 1 and 4 and will be held from 6:30 to 8:15 p.m. at the Davis City Council Chambers, 23 Russell Blvd. Doors will open at 6:15 p.m.
The League said the forum is intended to provide voters with information about the candidates and their positions ahead of the election.
Trustee Area 1 generally lies west of Highway 113, bordered by County Road 29 to the north and Levee Road to the south. Dorte Jensen and Colleen Zern are running for the Area 1 seat.
Jensen is a longtime Davis resident, a graduate of DJUSD schools and a graduate of Yale University.
According to information provided for the forum, Jensen is running because she believes the current school board has not always been transparent in its decision-making and has too often failed to earn the trust of students, families and the community.
Her campaign has pointed to the district’s consideration of closing Patwin and Birch Lane elementary schools amid declining enrollment and reduced state funding.
After months of opposition and concern from parents, students and other community members, the board postponed further discussion of the proposed closures until next year.
Jensen has identified preserving neighborhood schools whenever possible as her highest priority. She also says she would advocate for greater transparency, community engagement and long-term planning in decisions affecting students and families.
Jensen maintains those policies could strengthen community trust while protecting neighborhood schools and keeping students at the center of district decisions.
Zern is a West Davis parent, attorney, educator and longtime community volunteer. She and her husband are raising three children who attend Davis schools, and she has participated in their school communities through PTA leadership, site council and classroom volunteering.
She has also volunteered as a youth baseball and basketball coach in Davis.
Zern has practiced law for more than a decade and is a continuing lecturer at UC Davis, where she teaches undergraduate business courses.
According to information provided for the forum, Zern says her professional experience has shaped an approach to difficult issues that emphasizes researching the facts, asking questions, listening to different perspectives and working collaboratively toward practical solutions.
Zern has emphasized transparent and data-driven decision-making, accountability and collaboration. She argues the school board and district should use reliable data to identify challenges, evaluate alternatives and determine whether district decisions are improving outcomes for students.
She also says the district should continually work to improve the educational experience for every student.
Trustee Area 4 generally lies east of Pole Line Road and west of County Road 104, with portions of East Covell Boulevard to the north and Montgomery Avenue to the south.
Beth Bourne and incumbent Trustee Elizabeth Moon are competing for the Area 4 seat.
Bourne describes herself as a concerned parent and advocate for parental rights, women’s sports and free speech in Davis.
She has filed dozens of public records requests with public schools, local government agencies, UC Davis and the California Interscholastic Federation concerning gender identity policies, activities and the expenditure of taxpayer funds.
Bourne has a bachelor’s degree in city and regional planning from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and a master’s degree in community development from UC Davis.
While attending college, she competed in cross-country and track at Cal Poly and participated in bike racing and Nordic skiing at UC Davis.
Bourne previously worked as a transportation planner for San Luis Obispo County and as a city planner for the cities of Davis and Palo Alto before having her second child and returning to Davis.
She later spent several years as a stay-at-home parent and volunteered at Davis Parent Nursery School and Birch Lane Elementary School. She also served on the Birch Lane Montessori PTA board.
In recent years, Bourne has been involved in disputes and advocacy surrounding gender identity policies.
Moon is seeking re-election to the Area 4 seat.
According to information provided for the forum, Moon says a trustee’s role is to bring the community together around educating every child, responsibly managing public resources and ensuring students have opportunities to succeed.
During her current term, Moon spearheaded the district’s “Away for the Day” mobile device policy aimed at reducing classroom distractions, advocated for increased compensation for classified support staff and helped develop the district’s strategic plan.
Moon says the district faces significant challenges from declining enrollment, financial uncertainty and the possibility of school closures.
She argues addressing those issues requires listening to community members, building consensus and keeping students at the center of district decisions.
If re-elected, Moon says she will continue advocating for neighborhood schools, recruitment and retention of teachers and staff, access to student mental health and family support services, and expanded career technical education and dual-enrollment opportunities.
Moon has also identified partnership, transparency and trust as central to maintaining strong public schools.
During the Oct. 9 forum, attendees will be permitted to submit written questions. A League team will screen the questions to ensure the forum addresses a range of topics and issues, and the moderator will read selected questions.
The League said attendees will receive guidelines for submitting questions before the forum begins. Oral questions and statements from audience members will not be permitted.
Campaign literature and campaign paraphernalia, including signs, T-shirts, hats and buttons, will not be allowed inside the meeting room.
The event will be broadcast locally and recorded by Davis Media Access.
The recording will remain available through Election Day on the League of Women Voters of Yolo County website and the Davis Media Access YouTube channel.
The League of Women Voters describes itself as a nonpartisan organization focused on voter education and citizen participation. The organization noted that candidates’ views do not necessarily reflect those of the League.
Tags/Keywords: Davis Joint Unified School District, DJUSD, League of Women Voters, Dorte Jensen, Colleen Zern, Beth Bourne, Elizabeth Moon, Davis School Board
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