AUSD Board Appoints Ardella Dailey To Fill Vacant Seat

Press release from the Alameda Unified School District:

Oct. 18, 2021

At its October 12 public meeting, the Board of Education for the Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) provisionally appointed Ardella Dailey, EdD, to the seat left empty when former Board President Mia Bonta became Assemblymember for Assembly District 18.

Dr. Dailey has extensive experience in AUSD. Since 1985, she has worked as a teacher, principal, and district administrator in our district. She was superintendent from 2005 to 2009 and served as a Board of Education member from 2016 to 2020. S

She is currently chair of the Department of Educational Leadership (DEL) in the College of Education and Allied Studies at California State University (CSU), East Bay. Dr. Dailey earned an MA in Education from San Francisco State University (SFSU) and her EdD in Educational Leadership in 2011 from the Joint Doctoral Program of UC Berkeley, CSU East Bay, SFSU, and CSU San Jose. She also founded the Lifescaping Project with Rolla E. Lewis, Greg Jennings, and Peg Winkelman.

“I am honored to welcome Dr. Dailey back to our Board and our district,” says Board President Jennifer Williams. “I’m so grateful that she is willing to step in as an appointee for the next year. With her deep knowledge of educational practice, policy, and governance, Dr. Dailey will compliment our current Board make up and unite us in a deep and meaningful way. I look forward to our board members partnering together over the next year to help stabilize the District during these difficult times.”

Appointment Process

According to AUSD Board Policy, when a board seat becomes open, the remaining board members can choose to fill that seat via appointment or special election. At its September 14 public meeting, the Board of Education voted unanimously to fill Board Member Bonta’s seat via appointment. Applications for the vacant seat were made available to the public on September 20 and were due back on October 1. Seven community members applied. At its October 12 meeting, the Board heard the personal statements of all seven applicants and then interviewed six of the applicants. (Ryan LaLonde withdrew his application during the meeting, saying he supported the appointment of Dr. Dailey.)

After hearing public comments, the Board unanimously voted to appoint Dr. Dailey to the vacant seat.

Dr. Dailey will be sworn in at the October 26 public meeting. She will serve through November 2022, which is when the next regular Board of Education election is scheduled.

Full background on the appointment process is available on our Board Vacancy web page.

“I’d like to thank all seven of the applicants who stepped forward to serve on our governing board,” says Superintendent Scuderi. “I look forward to working with Dr. Dailey over the next year, and I believe our entire AUSD community will benefit from her experience, wisdom, and leadership, as well as her commitment to supporting a smooth transition until our next election.”

This press release was produced by the Alameda Unified School District. The views expressed here are the author's own.