HAYWARD, Calif. — In a night marked by heated exchanges and conflicting viewpoints, Peter Bufete secured another term as president of the Hayward Unified School District’s Board of Education, one of many contentious decisions made regarding the board’s leadership on Wednesday night.
In a 4-1 vote, Bufete clinched the position of president, and, after a circuitous process, Boardmember Sara Prada was appointed as vice president, though she was opposed to both motions. The board also voted, 3-1-1, to select Boardmember April Oquenda as the clerk, with Prada abstaining and Boardmember Joe Ramos opposed.
Bufete told the board that he takes the role of president very seriously and had done a lot of work to ensure the board was united in working together as a governance team, which he intends to continue.
Prada for president?
The discussion started with several community members advocating for Prada to assume the role of president during public comments. They expressed confidence in her because of her positive relationships with them and the fact that she is the only parent of school-aged children on the board.
Following public comments, boardmembers Ken Rawdon and Oquenda swiftly nominated Bufete for the position, citing the need for continuity in leadership, especially given the board’s improvement under his guidance over the past year.
Oquenda added that she appreciated all the public comments but highlighted the need to consider the voices of absent community members. She noted that the usual path to the board presidency involves initially serving as clerk and then advancing to vice president.
While acknowledging Bufete’s effective leadership, Prada said she sought an opportunity to serve as president before concluding her four-year term. Prada suggested a rotational system for the positions to ensure everyone has an opportunity to serve in a leadership role.
Bufete opposed the idea of a rotational presidency, stressing the importance of earning the trust and support of the board for the role. He suggested Prada had not met this criterion.
Student Boardmember Khamari Lewis said he agreed with the parents who voiced their support for Prada and felt that the board was gatekeeping the position of president.
Vice presidential runaround
After Bufete was selected for another term, Ramos nominated Prada for vice president. Oquenda said she might be “willing to go out on a limb” for Prada but was also open to considering Rawdon for the position since he hadn’t served in a leadership role yet either.
Rawdon expressed reluctance to support Prada because of their “difficult past.” He said the difficulty started out as his fault — Rawdon used a racial slur during closed session in 2022 — but that he apologized, and Prada seemingly had not forgiven him.
“I do remember that the last time I saw anything in writing from you in regard to me, it was on social media and you referred to me as a racist,” Rawdon said. “So I would ask you tonight, before this audience and the public, do you believe that I’m a racist?”
“I believe that you have a lot of work” to do, Prada said.
“The N-word was the least of what you said to me that day,” Prada added. “It was everything else that you said against my character that hurt and cut and that made the statement of apology that you gave almost irrelevant.”
Rawdon continued to press Prada for an answer, saying she had not answered whether she thinks he’s a racist. Prada said she thought the discussion would be better left for their board governance workshop next month.
“I already know how you guys feel and I know I’m not someone that you want,” Prada said. “I’m OK with it, let’s just move on.”
“I was actually very open to it, but honestly your current demeanor and response is a little concerning,” Bufete responded.
Bufete said he thought Rawdon’s question had merit since he needed to feel confident that he could trust Prada to treat him fairly as vice president. Prada said that trust needed to go both ways and she continued to show up despite what happened between the two.
“I am feeling a little bit of stress and pain right now,” Prada said. “This is who I am, this is my culture, this is how I express it. So I don’t know if you’re interpreting it as an attack … but it is what it is. I do think we should move forward because we are taking up people’s time.”
The initial board vote, 2-3, rejected Prada for vice president, with Bufete, Oquenda and Rawdon opposed. Ramos nominated Rawdon, who refused, saying, “I am painfully aware of the sheer optics of a 68-year-old white male being president of a board that is largely overseeing a community that is Black and brown.”
Bufete then nominated Oquenda, who said she preferred giving Prada or Rawdon the opportunity to serve in a leadership role. Oquenda indicated a willingness to change her vote against Prada if Rawdon wasn’t interested in the role, but Bufete expressed concern about Prada’s lack of enthusiasm when asked if she would be interested in the role.
Student Boardmember Lewis criticized the board for going in circles and Oquenda for first refusing to support Prada’s selection, then accepting the nomination with a “grin on her face like she had just won a Grammy,” before refusing the nomination.
“That just seems very childish and unnecessary to me,” Lewis said.
Bufete interjected, saying “personally attacking” members of the board by calling them childish was not allowed.
“No, that was the right word,” Lewis said, before urging the board to take an action instead of going in circles.
The board eventually approved Prada by a 4-1 vote, conditioned upon initiating another restorative conversation.
Selecting a clerk
Regarding the selection of a clerk, Prada nominated Rawdon for the position to give him an opportunity to serve in leadership. Rawdon was reluctant to take the role and instead nominated Ramos, who expressed a desire to serve as clerk for another year.
Rawdon said he disagreed with Ramos on many of his viewpoints but had no desire to see him “continue in isolation” on the board.
“I think you’ve done a fine job as clerk … and I’m happy to support you,” Rawdon said.
Oquenda disagreed, saying she was unable to support Ramos after witnessing his first year on the board’s leadership, though Bufete pointed out Ramos was the only one who wanted the role.
Oquenda said she would have preferred Rawdon serve as clerk but was willing to serve if he was not.
The board voted, 2-1-2, on selecting Ramos as clerk, with Oquenda opposed and Bufete and Prada abstaining, killing the motion. Rawdon then nominated Oquenda, who was approved on a 3-1-1 vote, with Prada abstaining and Ramos opposed.
Sonia Waraich can be reached at 510-952-7455.
Photo caption: Screenshots of Sara Prada and Ken Rawdon, members of the Hayward Unified School District Board of Education, speaking about their position about the board’s leadership at a meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 13. (YouTube screenshots)
