Banning School Board Candidates Forum Planned Sunday at Church

Candidates running for three seats on the Banning Unified School District board in the Nov. 8 elections have been invited to a forum Sunday afternoon at First Missionary Baptist Church in Banning.

The seven hopefuls qualified with the county registrar of voters are Alfredo Andrade, Alex Cassadas, Ray Curtis, Deborah Dukes, Larry Ellis, Maxine Israel, and David Vanden Heuvel.

A forum for the candidates that was scheduled Monday Oct. 10 in the gated Sun Lakes Country Club community in southwest Banning was cancelled, and an announcement of the cancellation .

The Banning Teachers Association, the union that represents more than 200 teachers in the Banning Unified School District, has endorsed three of the candidates: Cassadas, a child care worker, Curtis, a retired administrator, and Ellis, a retired science teacher.

Andrade is a "para educator" or paraprofessional school employee, Israel is a parent, and Vanden Heuvel is a retired teacher, according to paperwork filed with .

Dukes is an incumbent Banning Unified School District board member.

The Sunday forum is scheduled to start with an "informal meet & greet" at 3:15 p.m., followed by a "formal question and answer period" at 4 p.m.

Banning teacher Troy Sheldon will serve as moderator, according to organizers of the forum.

The is at 332 N. Allen St. in Banning.