Medina and Tillman hope to retain seats on SBCUSD board

Abigail Medina and Danny Tillman have filed in hopes of retaining their positions on the San Bernardino City Unified School District Board of Education.

Vice-President Medina filed her candidacy at the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters on July 26. Board member Danny Tillman filed on July 17. Candidate Robert Fick on July 19.

It’s unclear whether board incumbent Dr. Barbara Flores is aspiring to retain her seat; her name currently isn’t on the Registrar’s candidate list. The candidate filing deadline is Friday.

Medina, 41, first joined the Board of Education in 2013 after she defeated long standing member Judi Penman in a close race. Before joining the board, Medina served on district committees and volunteered for a number of organizations.

The mother of five says she’s contributed to improving the district’s increasing graduation rates, development of career pathways, restoration of after school program funding, and the expansion of restorative justice programs.

“I am more than honored to have received the support of more than 150 community leaders encouraging me to continue to represent the hard working families and students of San Bernardino,” Medina said in a press statement.

Desiree Sanchez, Medina’s Campaign Manager, said Medina is committed to listening to the concerns and issues of the families of the district

“Everyday you can count on seeing Abigail Medina and her large team of volunteers taking her community outreach office to the homes of the parents and students in the district,” said Sanchez.

Tillman is the longest serving board member–having first been elected by the voters in 1995. Just like Medina, Tillman said he’s also contributed to the improvement of the district. The San Bernardino County Departmental Information Systems administrator claims he brings fiscal responsibility to the board.

“When it comes to budgets, I’m probably among the most informed,” Tillman said. “My goal is to always make sure money goes into areas that helps [students and parents].”

Tillman believes Local Control Funding Formula monies should be spent strengthening and creating after school programs that keep children engaged and safe.

“I know what happens when young kids don’t have positive reinforcement,” said Tillman. “The more after school programs we have, the more likely kids have opportunities to succeed.”

Fick and Flores were unavailable for comment. The election is scheduled for November 7.