Merced Union High School District incumbent faces challenger for Area 5 seat. Who will voters elect?

Kurt Edmund Kollmann, 64, is running for a second term as Area 5 trustee for the Merced Union High School District, facing challenger Gameelah Mohamed, 42. Both candidates, local natives, aim to prepare high school students for the workforce, but differ in their approaches. Kollmann, a retired educator, highlights his experience, while Mohamed, a program manager and advocate, brings a parent’s perspective, with children currently in the district. The district serves 11,226 students across nine campuses, including three continuation schools, and also manages an adult school program with 1,589 additional students.

Q: Why are you running for Area 5 trustee of the Merced Union High School District ?

Gameelah said she is running because she wants to focus on preparing high school students for college. A bachelor’s and master’s degree enhance a student’s opportunity to compete in the job market, she said. Mohamed, a single parent, is currently pursuing an online master’s degree in public administration from the University of Illinois Springfield.

“I’m a college graduate, thankfully. So I’ve seen the impact college can have. Some people think, well, I can just get an associate’s [degree] and I’ll be fine, but a lot of jobs now require either a bachelor’s or master’s degree. I think really educating parents on the importance of school, why it’s so important for kids to be college-ready, and providing them with those resources.”

Kollmann said his focus is on continuing the district’s investment in technical education so that all students are successful high school graduates. Currently, the Career Technical Education (CTE) program offers pathway careers in entertainment, engineering, fashion and hospitality. Kollmann, who currently coaches new teachers through UC Merced’s Teacher Preparation Program, said he’s seen the benefits of an expanded education program. The youngest two of his five children graduated with a technical education.

“You’ll have the CTE and the career tech world for those students that may not want to go to a four-year school or even to a junior college, but who want to have skills and understanding of what it would be like to be in a working world, and have a career right out of high school…That’s my goal, to make sure we have a really balanced program for Merced Union High School District.”

Q: What are the biggest challenges facing the district?

Kollmann said one of the biggest challenges that district board members face is managing the budget. For one, trustees have to decide in the best interest of the school community while ensuring compliance with state regulations. Board members, for instance, are expected to use their annual budget to plan for a three-year period, a process known as positive certification, he said.

“The biggest challenge as a board member is making sure we pass a budget that’s sustainable for over three years. I don’t know if the public realizes that. When we do a budget, we have to make sure that we can pay for this year and for the two years out from now.”

Gameelah said the biggest challenge in the district is training for cultural competency. She said cultural competency is awareness of people’s diverse backgrounds. School leaders can collaborate more effectively if they understand how to approach community members and students with different cultural experiences, she said.

“We have ELP [programs] and things like that, but it’s really important to also be culturally competent. Are we truly serving all the individuals? Do they have the proper training to deal with the different populations that we serve?”

Q: Is there anything you’d like to add regarding your candidacy?

Gameelah said she looks forward to collaborating with other board members and advocating for students through a trauma-informed lens. Learning begins with safety, and if students don’t feel secure, they will struggle to grasp academic concepts, she said.

“Sometimes people think, ‘Well, these students are just really bad,’, or ‘This family’s not that great. You should send them to a different school.’ It’s really important to understand trauma and how it affects people, how it affects their learning abilities, how it impacts families and their whole lives. Being a victim advocate, I bring that perspective, I can understand that we need to do extra work.”

Before working for the American Red Cross, Gameelah worked as a law enforcement dispatcher, advocating for survivors of human trafficking. She is soon launching a nonprofit organization for Southeast Asian populations and eastern North African communities in the Central Valley.

Kollmann said one of the biggest improvements he’s seen in the district is the lunch program. Previously, families were required to complete a form to qualify for free or reduced student lunch. The process has since been streamlined.

“Anybody can walk up now, give their student ID number, and they automatically qualify for that lunch free of charge. I’ve seen that as a huge improvement because you have students coming to school no longer having to worry about where their next, at least their breakfast and their lunch, are coming from. That’s covered.”

Voting ballots have begun being mailed out to Merced residents as of Monday, Oct. 7.

To follow more election coverage on local school board races, visit Merced Sun-Star’s voter guide.

This story was originally published October 11, 2024 at 2:16 PM.