Q&A with candidates for county Education Board, which oversees WCCUSD’s finances

Two Richmond residents are vying to represent Area 1 on the Contra Costa County Board of Education: Area 1 covers the West Contra Costa Unified School District.

Anthony Caro and Daniel Nathan-Heiss are running for the seat held by Consuelo Lara, who served one term and is not running for reelection. 

The board, alongside the county superintendent of schools, provides oversight of the county’s 18 school districts. Its duties include monitoring districts’ financial obligations, overseeing transfer and expulsion hearings, and granting charter school petitions. 

Caro ran unsuccessfully for the WCCUSD board in 2018. He then enlisted in the United States Army, serving in South Korea and Kuwait, and earning the rank of sergeant. He is now pursuing a bachelor’s degree at UC Berkeley. His wife is a teacher at Kennedy High School in Richmond. According to his campaign website, those endorsing Caro include Lara, United Teachers of Richmond, County Supervisor John Gioia, and two WCCUSD board members.  

Nathan-Heiss has been a fundraiser and an administrator for California State University and the University of California systems. He says he has raised over $50 million for scholarships and campus facilities for student-athletes and students from underrepresented backgrounds. His campaign website says he has received endorsements from Contra Costa County Education Board President Mike Maxwell (no relation to the author of this story) and the Peace Officers Research Association of California. 

In August, Caro sued the county clerk recorder, alleging that the principle profession of “Educator/Economic Commissioner” that Nathan-Heiss listed on his ballot application violates state regulations that determine how candidates can describe themselves, because it implies Nathan-Heiss’ educates pupils.

In election paperwork, Nathan-Heiss listed his employer as Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity, and justified his principle profession of educator by writing: “I travel to various higher educational institutions and events and facilitate educational programs and ensure curriculum meets a standard of excellence.”

There has been no ruling in the case.

Both candidates answered questions from Richmond Confidential. Their responses are summarized below, with some editing for clarity and brevity. 

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Anthony Caro

What inspired you to pursue this position?

A: Caro says Lara asked him to run for the Area 1 seat when her term concluded. “It wasn’t an easy choice to say yes. I was still set on running for local school board,” he said in a phone interview, adding the county Education Board seemed “like it’s a step removed from how I can directly help students.” After researching the position, Caro said, he realized the county board has resources that could help WCCUSD. “What I want to do is use my position on the county board to advocate for resources that are needed at the local school district,” he said.

Why did you initiate a lawsuit about how Nathan-Heiss described himself on the ballot?

A: “He’s not an educator, and he put educator as his ballot designation. … I find that very disrespectful, because you have actual educators, like my wife, who’ve been teaching for so long, or who’ve been teaching for decades, who put in the work,” Caro said. “And to put yourself at the same level with them, it’s not OK.”

What are your top priorities for WCCUSD?

A: Caro listed three priorities: supporting community schools (which use state funding to partner with community agencies to provide more resources), increasing teacher retention and improving the college and career readiness for students. Caro said he wants to make sure the community schools’ program is implemented well and that the district fill teacher vacancies because “if these students aren’t building a relationship with a steady teacher, and if we have substitutes who may or may not be credentialed, we’re setting our students up for a disadvantage in terms of literacy and math rates.” What college and career readiness looks like to him, Caro said, “is having them be ready for whatever path they want to pursue after graduation. So whether that’s college or trade or military or community college or, you know, maybe they want to start a small business, or maybe they want to join the Peace Corps.” 

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Daniel Nathan-Heiss

Nathan-Heiss declined to speak on the phone but emailed written responses.

What inspired you to pursue this position?

A: “As a student who grew up with and eventually overcame learning disabilities, I witnessed non-traditional students like me fall through the cracks without the support I was fortunate to have. … I am running to help prepare students for tomorrow’s workforce, to enable safe and nurturing educational environments, to train and retain qualified teachers, to support all public schools, both traditional and charter schools, and ensure that students in juvenile detention centers are learning and matriculating.”

What is your response to Caro’s lawsuit?

A: “My opponent has tried to invalidate my professional experiences because he has little to none of his own. His candidate statement showcases his inexperience so he chose to attack mine. He has misrepresented himself as a candidate possessing a background that aligns with an elected position responsible for preparing students for life after high school, when he, in fact, does not have a college degree.”

What are your top priorities for WCCUSD?

A: “If elected, I will work to increase literacy rates, positive student outcomes, educate parents on how to navigate their child’s education, and seek alternatives to suspensions and expulsions so we can once and for all break up the school-to-prison pipeline.”

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