Local School Board Members Announce Re-Election Campaigns

(Modesto, CA) – Today, Modesto residents and incumbent Stanislaus Union School District School Board Trustees Gricelda Garcia and John Casselberry have announced their intention to run for re-election in the 2026 election. Stanislaus Union School District, a high-rated TK-8 school district, serves 3,300 students across five elementary schools and one junior high school in Northwest Modesto and Del Rio. The pair are announcing together as a symbol of the collaborative and effective leadership they have promoted during the last three years together on the Board of Trustees. 

Trustee Gricelda Garcia represents Trustee Area 3, the area largely surrounding Eisenhut Elementary while Trustee John Casselberry, Jr. represents Trustee Area 5, the area that surrounds Agnes Baptist Elementary. Trustee Garcia is currently serving as the Board President for 2025 and Trustee Casselberry is serving as the Board Clerk for 2025.

“It has been inspiring over the past four years to support the hard work and dedication that our tireless staff put forth each day on behalf of each and every student,” Casselberry stated. “I have always valued the public education that I received but my time on the board of Stan Union has further reinforced my dedication to the mission of public education. Our district has made amazing progress at recovering from the learning loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Chronic absenteeism is down, student performance is up and enrollment is stable. None of this would have been possible without our dedicated staff and parent volunteers. I’m proud to stand next to Trustee Garcia and run the record of the last four years.”

"Learning outcomes have traditionally lagged in the Central Valley when compared to the coastal areas of the state,” Garcia stated. “Our staff have remained resilient and dedicated to the goal of educating our children and, as a result, we are seeing vast improvements in the performance of our students. The gap in performance has narrowed significantly. At the same time, we have made huge investments in the services we provide to our students in order to better support them in the classroom. The focus on early literacy and early intervention has paid off evidenced by our increasing student performance metrics.”

Some of the key accomplishments that Trustees Garcia and Casselberry have championed include:

● Increased student academic performance and decreased chronic absenteeism

● Passed a $45 million facilities bond to further improve our neighborhood schools with widespread voter approval

● Broke ground on the reconstruction of Stanislaus Elementary School

● Eliminated all our deferred maintenance backlog across all sites

● Avoided the layoffs and staffing reductions of neighboring districts due to strong fiscal management

● Maintained a healthy reserve fund and a budget surplus each year

● Invested significantly in the expansion of the district arts and music program

With the passage of Measure R in 2024, Stanislaus Union School District is welcoming continued growth and expansion. Together, Trustees Garcia and Casselberry plan to lead an effective implementation of the Measure R program of projects, continue to push for expanded after-school programs to serve a larger number of students, further decrease chronic absenteeism and seek further investment in the food service and student wellness programs in the district.

Gricelda Garcia is completing her third term on the Governing Board, serving since 2016, including several rotations as Board President. She currently represents the district on the Schools Infrastructure Financing Authority and serves as a member of the district’s Wellness Committee. Working as a nurse at a local hospital, Trustee Garcia is dedicated to serving the public in both her professional and private life. Trustee Garcia holds a B.S in Health Science from Sacramento State University and is a graduate of Patterson High School in Patterson, CA.

John Casselberry, Jr. is concluding his first term on the Governing Board, serving since 2022. He currently serves as the 150th Anniversary Committee Chair for the district and is very active in Parents Clubs throughout the district. Trustee Casselberry works as a police and fire dispatch supervisor in a local 911 communications center. Trustee Casselberry holds a B.A. in International Affairs and History from John Cabot University and is a graduate of Simi Valley High School in Southern California. He is currently finishing his Masters of Public Administration from Columbia Southern University with a scheduled completion date of January 2026.