Your guide to the Merced County Office of Education superintendent race
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Four candidates are competing to be Merced County superintendent of schools.
- Candidates emphasized priorities like literacy, countywide vision, and college readiness.
- The county superintendent oversees budgets, LCAP approval, and incarcerated students.
Four candidates are vying to be the next Merced County superintendent of schools.
The county superintendent is responsible for oversight of school district budgets, approval of Local Control and Accountability plans, and the supervision of education for incarcerated students. Additionally, while each school district has its own board of trustees and superintendent, the county superintendent is tasked with creating a network to support all 20 school districts in Merced County.
Steve Tietjen, Merced County superintendent of schools, announced in November that he would retire at the end of his current term, which ends in December.
Who are the candidates?
The four candidates running for superintendent all have experience in teaching or school administration. They are Ana Boyenga, the assistant superintendent of the Atwater Elementary School District, Paula Heupel, the superintendent of El Nido Elementary School District, Richard Lopez, the superintendent of Merced River School District, and Alberto Velarde, a retired principal and school administrator.
Ana Boyenga
Boyenga, 56, has worked in education in Merced County for 33 years. In that time, she has held a number of positions including as an instructional assistant, classroom teacher, director, principal, and her current role as assistant superintendent.
At a virtual candidate forum hosted by The League of Women Voters of Merced County and alumni of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Boyenga said her top priorities would be chronic absenteeism and literacy.
“One of the most important promises that we can make to our students, our community, is that every child will… (achieve) reading proficiency by the end of third grade,” Boyenga said, “This is not just an educational goal, it is a life-changing milestone… When students struggle to read, they struggle to access every other subject, but when they can read, the entire world opens to them.”
Paula Heupel
Heupel is a lifelong Merced County resident who began her education career in 1989 as a classroom and library media teacher in the Merced City School District. She assumed her current role as superintendent of the El Nido Elementary School District in 2022.
During the virtual forum, Heupel said her first priority is “to develop a countywide vision for our student success, aligned to each district’s goals and informed by students, families, educators, business and community organizations.”
She emphasized the importance of supporting Merced’s school districts while honoring local control.
“The role of the county office,” Heupel said, “really is to coordinate, provide resources.” She added that it’s critical to advocate for Merced County at the state level, and not allow policy “to be driven by Los Angeles and places that do not fit our … unique needs that we have in our valley.”
Richard Lopez
Lopez has been superintendent of the Merced River School District for 11 years and was born and raised in Merced County. He has described himself as “a kid that bounced around from school to school early in life.” He said he attended at least seven Merced City schools.
Lopez said his first priority, if elected, would be to “sit down with every school superintendent and … (discuss) what’s happening in their schools, and how the county can best support them.”
He also said he would be clear and transparent and “want(s) the public to hold me accountable for my role as a county superintendent” as he focuses on student achievement, fiscal solvency, LCAPs and individual school district’s goals.
Alberto Velarde
Velarde, 63, is a retired principal and school administrator with 35 years of experience. He worked with students of all ages, from preschool programs to elementary, middle and high school programs, and even adult education.
One of Velarde’s key initiatives is a “Bridge to College” program that would begin in seventh grade and help students prepare to be college-ready and potentially earn an associate’s degree by the end of their fourth year of high school. He also wants to establish a Merced County high school apprenticeship academy to support students graduating with industry certification in a variety of fields including biotechnology, welding, nursing and cosmetology.
If elected, Velarde said his budget priorities would be school safety, student achievement and college and career ratings.
Velarde was the lone challenger to Tietjen in the 2022 election.
Who else is supporting the candidates?
Boyenga has received the most support from local public officials. She has been endorsed by Tietjen, County Supervisor Lloyd Pareira, former MCOE superintendent Lee Anderson and a number of local teachers.
Heupel was endorsed by the Los Banos Teachers Association, Lopez was endorsed by the Merced County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Velarde has received the endorsement of Livingston Mayor José Moran.
