The new president of the Hemet Unified School District Board of Trustees is Vic Scavarda who represents Idyllwild and the other Hill neighborhoods. He was selected at HUSD’s Dec. 6 board meeting.
“I feel good about being Board President at this time because I am excited about the direction the District is taking. I can hardly wait to see what happens next,” Scarvarda wrote in an email when asked how he felt about his elevation to president.
Just four years ago, he was still on the Idyllwild School faculty and now he heads the whole district, with more than 20,000 students.
“It is a bit of a shift to go from working in a small school to being involved with an entire District, but I find it interesting to be able to see the ‘big picture,’” he wrote. “It helps me appreciate all the talents and services that come together to make everything work.”
During his one-year term, the board will have to oversee the negotiation of new contracts with its two employee associations — Hemet Teachers Association and the California School Employees Association.
Scavarda will be working closely with new Superintendent Christi Barrett on all the districtwide issues.
These initial steps have been positive and Scavarda has several other goals, too. He will continue to watch out for the smaller schools in the district, such as Idyllwild and the Anza schools.
“I am looking forward to collaborating with all my fellow Board members in working to ensure that our students in Idyllwild, Anza and Cottonwood have the same educational opportunities as the students in the Hemet Valley,” he acknowledged. “… Given that we have the smallest population in a district that covers 750 square miles, it continues to be quite a challenge, and will not be resolved overnight. We need to keep trying.”
Expressing his optimism for the coming 12 months, Scavarda added, “I want to recognize that our new Superintendent has made good progress towards building an atmosphere of trust and cooperation among all members of the District, so it’s a great time to be on the Board with this positive momentum.”
