Candidate Conversations: The School Board Most Kern Voters Never Think About with Anastasia Hopper

Most voters will never attend a Kern County Board of Education meeting. Many probably couldn’t tell you what the board actually does.

But the decisions made there can reach students across Kern County — particularly students navigating expulsion appeals, interdistrict transfers, county-run programs, special education, homelessness, transportation barriers, and other challenges that can push families deeper into the education system.

In this episode of Flor Unmuted, I sit down with Anastasia Hopper, candidate for Kern County Board of Education Trustee Area 3.

We talk about what the county board actually oversees, who trustees are ultimately responsible to, the growing influence of national culture-war politics on local education boards, special education, literacy, attendance, transportation, and the financial decisions facing county education programs.

Anastasia also talks about her experience as a special education parent, why she decided to run, what she would prioritize during her first year in office, and why she believes Area 3 is ready for new representation after more than three decades under the same trustee.

And I ask her one of the questions at the center of this race: When a trustee’s personal beliefs, the loudest parents in the room, and the best available evidence point in different directions, which one should guide the decision?

Listen to the full conversation.

Learn more about Anastasia Hopper

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