Special election puts new Merced trustee in office

The Merced Union High School District got a new board member Wednesday, as the prior day’s special election was won by a district employee.

Phillip Schiber, a mentor with the district’s Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment program, received 61 percent of the votes to beat out two opponents, according to the Merced County Registrar of Voters Office. He replaces Sam Spangler, who resigned in late September.

Schiber, 59, of Livingston, was not immediately available by phone but did address the win on a Facebook page titled “Phil Schiber for MUHSD School Board.”

“Thank you all for voting,” he wrote on the page. “I am excited and ready to make a difference for the students of our great district.”

Ballots for the special election were mailed to all registered voters in Trustee Area 3, which includes parts of Winton, Livingston and Snelling.

Opponents Frank Vierra of Livingston and Rose Connolly of Atwater received 23 percent and 16 percent of the vote, respectively, according to the registrar’s office.

Schiber has been teaching for more than 30 years, about nine of them with the teacher mentoring program. A former agriculture and special education teacher, he has worked with new teachers at Atwater and Livingston high schools.

Schiber’s Facebook page also has a statement for his hopes and plans if he were to be elected. He wrote that producing well-rounded students is a priority.

“I want to keep our focus on rigorous academics while at the same time increasing the preparatory opportunities for students who choose to enter the workforce,” the statement says. “We need to provide employers with a skilled labor force ready for jobs upon graduation.”

This story was originally published May 6, 2015 at 2:09 PM with the headline "Special election puts new Merced trustee in office."