Andrea Bennett and Jason De Muro – the top vote getters in last month’s election – were sworn in Thursday night as the newest members of the Denair Unified School District Board of Trustees.
Bennett earned the most votes in the Nov. 5 election in a five-way race for three seats. She received 2,089 votes, or 29.9%. De Muro was second with 1,423 votes, or 20.4%, and incumbent Ray Prock, Jr. was third with 1,404 votes, or 20.1%.
Incumbents Kathi Dunham-Filson and Carmen Wilson finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Dunham-Filson received 1,197 votes, or 17.2%, while Wilson earned 868 votes, or 12.4%.
Bennett works as a dental hygienist and is the mother of three sons. The two oldest are in the Dual Language Immersion program at Denair Elementary Charter Academy and the youngest will start school next year.
She began attending board meetings during the pandemic and often expressed concerns regarding school closures and the impact of distance learning on students.
“At first, it was very frustrating as our voices seemed to fall on deaf ears,” Bennett said. “Over time, I realized there is much more to these decisions than one vote at one meeting. I continued attending the meetings to hear the decisions being made and learn more about how a school district works.”
She said her goals are “to learn and listen with an open heart and mind; to foster communication across all members of the district; to aid in continuing to develop a district culture where employees feel valued, respected and heard; and to encourage parent and community involvement in board discussions and meetings.”
De Muro is a software engineer whose wife is a teacher at DECA. Their three sons all attend DECA. He has been a regular attendee at board meetings and said he was inspired to run after the district decided to change minimum days from Fridays to Wednesdays this year – a move opposed by some teachers and families.
“I tend to be an outspoken person and my wife asked me if I would go to the meeting and say something,” he said. “It became very clear very quickly that the time to ask questions was several months prior to that meeting and that didn’t sit well with me. It was the first time I had heard about the change and I couldn’t help but wonder what if a family couldn’t make that pivot to accommodate for childcare or work.”
De Muro said one of his priorities is supporting ways to improve students’ academic performance while being a voice for the community.
“My hope is that I can ask questions that help the district increase its proactive strategies,” he said. “As a parent to kids in the district, and the spouse of a teacher in the district, I hope I can provide greater insights to the board that they might not get otherwise, and instead of being in the gallery knowing any question I have may come too late to make a difference, I can be in the room and ask it when it might make a difference.”
Prock was re-elected to his third term on the board. He works as a business development and relationship manager for a bioenergy company that converts organic waste into renewable energy.
The other trustees are Crystal Sousa and Billy Myers. They will be up for re-election in 2026.
In other action Thursday, trustees elected Prock to be the board president for 2025 and Myers to serve as clerk. Superintendent Terry Metzger remains the board secretary.
