Meet The SRVUSD Board Candidate: Rachel Hurd

SAN RAMON, CA — Patch reached out to all the candidates running for Area 5 of the San Ramon Valley Unified School District Board, which is SRVUSD's only contested race this election cycle. Area 5 is located in eastern and southeastern San Ramon, centered on Dougherty Valley.

Two other trustee areas are not on the ballot because only one candidate filed to run.

In Area 1, the only candidate running is Amanda Butland, who is currently executive vice president of the Monte Vista High School PTSA and the former vice president of the San Ramon Valley Education Foundation. Butland will replace Jessie vanZee, who announced in July that he will not seek re-election.

In Area 4, incumbent Susanna Ordway is running unopposed. Ordway is a college admissions consultant who has served on the board since 2018, and worked as an instructional assistant, paraeducator, and instructor at SRVUSD schools. She has also served on numerous PTAs.

In Area 5, incumbent Rachel Hurd is running for her fifth term after serving on the SRVUSD Board of Trustees since 2006. She is running against Joel Woods, a substitute teacher running his first election.

Below, read her answers to our questionnaire, reprinted verbatim.

What is your educational background?

I graduated from Rolling Hills High School in Palos Verdes, CA. I attended the University of California, Davis where I earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.

In 2004 I trained to be a volunteer Barton Reading & Spelling tutor. In 2020, I completed the Consortium on Reaching Excellence in Education’s Online Elementary Reading Academy, a six-week professional development course.

What is your professional background?

I worked for McDonnell Douglas Space Systems Company for 7 years, in advanced technology, oversaw independent R&D programs, trained staff in Total Quality Management, and supported the VP of Technology. Since then, I have served in a multitude of volunteer capacities, on the SRVUSD Board of Education since 2006, as Executive Director of the local non-profit, Leadership San Ramon Valley since 2016, and as Region 7 Director for the California School Boards Association since 2024.

Have you ever held public office, whether appointive or elective?

Yes, I was elected to the Governing Board of the San Ramon Valley Unified School District Board of Education in 2006, and was re-elected in 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022.

What are the top three issues facing SRVUSD right now?

1. Strengthening the district’s fiscal sustainability while continuing to prioritize providing a quality education to all students in a safe and supportive learning environment and providing competitive total compensation for all employees. These together are the forever top 3 issues that compete with each other and must be balanced.

2. Declining enrollment is an additional stress on the financial situation and affects the program that is offered and may require attendance area boundary adjustments to accommodate localized housing growth, especially the concentrated growth in Bishop Ranch.

3. Passing a general obligation school facilities bond in the next 2-4 years to allow the district to get back on track with school modernization projects and long-term maintenance projects.

What is one specific action you would prioritize during your first year in office?

I would prioritize the work of the Common High School Bell Schedule Joint Working Group to create a common bell schedule for our four comprehensive high schools. Currently each of our high schools has its own bell schedule, each of which includes some kind of block scheduling that provides for some (if not all) longer class periods each week, student support/intervention time, and teacher collaboration. The longer class periods are beneficial for a variety of reasons including deeper learning, lab experiments and group projects, but increased block periods are traded for fewer teacher contacts. Our high schools have a common course catalog, but not every class is offered at every campus because classes are offered based on student interest. If there were a common bell schedule, it could be possible for students to take specialized courses that are offered at another high school. This could be even more desirable in the future since enrollment is projected to further decline.

SRVUSD has been working to address an ongoing budget shortfall. What spending would you protect, and where, if anywhere, would you support reductions or new revenue?

The reduction decisions the governing board made in February 2025 were painful. Discretionary block grants allowed restoration of some certificated support service positions and furlough days, so we haven’t felt the full impact of the reductions. Of those restored positions, I hope we can hold on to the counseling and social worker positions.

Some of the ideas identified in the district’s Revenue Enhancement Plan published in February 2025 have come to fruition. The Supplemental Employee Retirement Plan (SERP) was enacted over a 2-year period, and a lease-revenue generating building was purchased in which the district office will be relocated. To purchase the building the district leveraged redevelopment funds that were dedicated years ago, and the process has begun for selling the Education Center property on Old Orchard. The building is already generating lease income on the order of $1M per year.

Another idea in the plan that I support is the implementation of Extended-day Kindergarten, which is a positive instructional change that would likely increase enrollment and ADA. Most states already have extended-day kindergarten, and we anecdotally hear that some families decide to keep their kindergarten-age students in private placements for the longer day and then sometimes choose to remain in that setting through elementary school and even middle school.

I would also support another parcel tax if polling showed community support for passage.

How should the district balance competitive employee compensation with class sizes, student services and long-term financial stability?

The district and its union partners should balance these competing priorities with transparent communication about our financial condition, priorities for delivery of the educational program and student support services, and the cost of total compensation for all employee groups. Together with each of its union partners the district should negotiate the impacts using an interest-based framework with mutual respect for the fact that the governing board must certify a balanced 3-year budget. This isn’t just a lofty goal, but required to avoid state receivership and loss of local control.

With personnel making up almost 90% of expenses, almost all reductions affect jobs, and most jobs affect students. I welcome the district’s plan to complete a structured zero-based budgeting process or another priority-based budgeting model and evaluation across district departments and site allocations to align expenditures directly with our strategic priorities.

Why do you feel you're a better candidate than your opponents?

My 20 years of service on the school board, along with years of volunteering in our schools and community, have given me a deep understanding of SRVUSD and the families it serves. I bring proven experience in leadership, collaboration, problem-solving and thoughtful local governance.

Throughout my service, I have worked to put students first, maintain the district’s financial health, and listen carefully to students, families, staff and community members. I understand both the broader challenges facing public education and the importance of developing practical solutions that reflect the needs of our local schools.

I am proud of the relationships and trust I have built over two decades of service. I would bring that experience, institutional knowledge and continued commitment to every decision before the board.