Provisionally appointed trustee Kenney Enney terminated from the board for special election

PASO ROBLES — Four new board members joined the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District (PRJUSD) Board on Tuesday, Dec. 8, taking their oath of office. And five board trustees wrapped up their final terms on the board — one of which was newly appointed trustee Kenney Enney.

Trustee Enney was not present at the meeting Tuesday night after a petition to terminate his provisional appointment for a special election was proven successful. 

Enney, who was sworn in on Oct. 11, was appointed to fill the seat left behind by Chris Bausch, who left the PRJUSD to fill a seat on Paso Robles City Council. Rather than holding an election, the board voted to appoint a new candidate to save the district the financial cost of holding an election. After interviews with seven candidates, Enney was approved with a 4-2 vote, with Tim Gearhart and Nathan Williams both voting no.

On Nov. 10, County Superintendent of Schools James Brescia received a petition to terminate Enney’s provisional appointment in favor of holding a special election. The petition was sent to the San Luis Obispo County Elections Office County Clerk, who validated and certified 512 signatures making the petition’s requirements sufficient. This terminated Enney’s position on the board on Friday, Dec. 9. 

Prior to the closed session, public comment was held where members of the public held conflicting concerns about the termination. Some are greatly concerned about the special election’s cost of $493,000.

Enney has previously told Paso Robles Press that if a special election were to come, he would run again for the seat.

No official date has been set for the special election as of yet, but we will be following this story.

Outgoing board trustees were recognized for their time on the board:

  • Timothy Gearhart 2010-2022
  • J. Christopher Bausch 2012-2022
  • Christopher Arend 2018-2022
  • Lance Gannon 2018-2022
  • Frank Triggs 2021-2022

Four new trustees then took their oaths of office, beginning their terms on the PRJUSD board.

  • Laurene D. McCoy — At-Large
  • Jim Cogan — Trustee Area 1
  • Joel Peterson — Trustee Area 2
  • Sondra Williams — Trustee Area 4

Trustee Nathan Williams voted to fill Arend’s seat as Board President with a 5-1 vote, McCoy voting no.

Trustee Dorian Baker nominated McCoy for the Clerk position on the board, but the nomination was voted down with a 2-4 vote, Baker and McCoy voting yes. Peterson then nominated Cogan for the clerk position, which was then approved with a 4-2 vote, McCoy and Baker voting no.

Trustees were then assigned as representatives to different committees throughout the city.

  • District Representative at the Annual Governing Boards Representatives’ Meeting & Liaison Representative to the SLOCSBA: N. Williams
  • City/Schools/Cuesta Liaison Committee: (Joint committee with the City of Paso Robles and Cuesta College:) Peterson and N. Williams
  • Legislative Representative: Cogan
  • District Safety Committee: Baker and N. Williams
  • Paso Robles Youth Task Force: Baker, McCoy, and S. Williams
  • Board Bylaw Committee: Baker, N. Williams, and Cogan 
  • Boys and Girls Club: S. Williams, McCoy 
  • YMCA: Peterson
  • Paso Robles Youth Sports Council: Cogan
  • Paso Robles Downtown Main Street Association: McCoy
  • Paso Robles Historical Society: Peterson

Several agenda items were moved to one of the January board meetings. Specifically, agenda items K6, K8-11, and K13-15 will be discussed at a later date.

Ratification of the tentative agreement between PRJUSD and the Paso Robles Public Educators (PRPE) for the 2022-2023 school year was approved, with Baker and McCoy voting no.

Baker explained she was in favor of the agreement when it was drafted but now has some concerns regarding one-time payments eventually drying up and the new cost of the special election.

“I will therefore be against ratifying this agreement until it is adjusted to compensate for the expense of this special election,” said Baker, echoing some feelings heard from the public during public comment.

The next PRJUSD meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at 6 p.m.