Two board members opt against running for re-election; 5 candidates vie for 3 open seats

School board and city council candidates post their advertisements in Saratoga downtown’s four-way intersection.

Cynthia Chang will step back from the position she has held for more than two decades and through multiple elections.

Two current members of the district’s school board — Cynthia Chang and Peter Hertan, who have served for 24 and four years, respectively — will not be running for reelection this November. Incumbent David Guidry is running for reelection.

“Chang really has a love for the community,” board president Katherine Tseng said. “She has the passion and a lot of institutional knowledge, so it’ll be sad to see her go.”

The board election will be held on Nov. 8. Four candidates are running for election for the first time.

On his website, Chris Miller, a teacher at a private high school, said he aims to “balance the needs of the students, parents, staff and the community […] in an age of uncertainty concerning climate, funding and security.” He also seeks to reduce alcohol and drug use, retain and recruit teachers, ease students’ mental health and better community relationships with and among students.

In a voter statement and on her website, Misty Davies, a project manager and Saratoga parent, said she has a mission to “provide well-rounded comprehensive academic programming,” “attract and retain outstanding teachers and staff” and “maintain transparent, strategic financial policies.”

On his website as well as his voter statement, Steve Chen, a recently retired math teacher at Los Gatos High, hopes to “provide a balanced and educated perspective on all matters before the board.”

In an email, Alex Shultz, a retired Biology teacher of 27 years at Los Gatos High School, said he plans to focus on retaining teachers, bridging relationships between all members of the school community and launching a new mentoring program for teachers to help them “become integrated into their department faster” and give “a better understanding [of] the school culture.”

In his voter statement, Guidry, whose children graduated from Saratoga High, said he aims to improve the mental health of students, build on the strengths of teachers and improve the district’s outstanding curriculum.