How does the VTA select school board candidates to recommend?

The selection process is open to all school board candidates. The process and questions are exactly the same for all candidates. The scoring is exactly the same. Once the VTA interview team has interviewed all candidates willing to be interviewed, the team meets and compares scores. The candidates with the highest scores are recommended to the Representative Assembly (RA). Candidates who refused the interview are never recommended as their score on the interview questions becomes essentially zero.

The interview team then attends the next RA meeting and explains its recommendation and the scores to the RA members. The RA then and only then may or may not chose to recommend to the VUSD community the same candidates. The RA may pick different candidates. The RA is the governing board of the VTA. The RA is made up of elected Representatives from each site in VUSD.

The entire school board recommendation process is done out in the open. There are no closed door meetings or decisions. All members who wish to are encouraged to participate by running for Representative from their sites. Failing to get elected members are encouraged to share their views with their Reps. Members who are not elected to the RA may also attend the RA meetings and listen to and participate in all discussions; however, they are excluded from voting.

The Vista Teacher's Association has officially recommended school board candidates in each of the school board elections since 1994. The candidates that the VTA recommends have been candidates that support public education and who have enough community support to have a chance to win.