For Renee Cavanaugh, two years was just too short.
“I’ve really enjoyed serving the community and making a positive impact on our students, and I’d love to do it again,” said Cavanaugh. “I’m just getting going!”
In 2022, she ran for a two-year term as trustee for the Coronado Unified School District, a special position that had been vacated by former trustee Stacy Keszei. Cavanaugh won the seat easily, with 56.07% of the vote.
As soon as she was sworn in, she was nominated to be board president, a role which she took on with enthusiasm…and a tinge of trepidation.
“I felt honored that my fellow trustees had the confidence in my ability to fulfill the duties as board president, but was unsure of the procedures and policies,” said Cavanaugh. “I was glad I had attended so many school board meetings over the past five or six years, and having a place to work from.”
Her tenure began after a tumultuous two years fettered with COVID lockdowns and marred by the infamous Tortilla-Gate incident. It was her job as board president to develop a strong, cooperative governance team that could effectively set the direction for the district. A top priority? Respectful communication among trustees and the public.
“One of the key takeaways is the importance of dynamic dialogue and respectful deliberation during our public meetings,” said Cavanaugh. “It’s important to ask questions and engage in discussion, and it’s important for the public to take part in that process.”
She feels this endeavor has been a success. In fact, gathering input from the public is one of her favorite responsibilities.
“Personally, I love it whenever we hear from parents, whether it’s by email, or when they stop us in the store to chat,” said Cavanaugh. “If you don’t hear from anyone about an issue, then you don’t know that you need to do something about it.”
Cavanaugh says our school district, like most others today, faces issues with attendance, student achievement and student health. This includes the mental health and safety of students on CUSD campuses.
But the most pressing issue is the budget: the district needs to make it to Basic Aid, whereby CUSD will be fully-funded by local property taxes and enjoy a projected ongoing increase in revenues from $8 to $12 million. This is projected to happen in 2027.
But the district has to get there, and right now it’s showing a projected negative balance of $0.7 million in reserves for the 2026-2027 school year.
“While we are going through this transition, the students’ success needs to be in our forefront, they need to be the focus,” said Cavanaugh.
Another challenge, according to Cavanaugh, is teacher negotiations, which have come to a standstill. She says the district has worked hard to come up with some creative options and is hopeful they can come to a resolution.
“Not everyone is going to like all of the options, but at least there are options,” she said. “I’m hoping the creative solutions are giving us a platform, or an opportunity, for the two sides to work together.”
Cavanaugh herself has worked as a teacher, teaching fifth grade with CUSD for 15 years at both Silver Strand and Village Elementary. She says her years in the classroom have prepared her for the fact that everything changes, all of the time.
“Shifts have to happen,” she said. “You have to be flexible and adapt to new things going on, whether that be a new curriculum or new ways of teaching. And making those shifts easier for parents, teachers and students is an important part of our job.”
Cavanaugh acknowledges that it takes a long time to understand the complexities of the school district as a trustee. She said she was proud to complete her masters in governance training, which featured classes on everything from finance and collective bargaining to student achievement.
“I feel like all of the time that I’ve spent, now I’m getting into a smoother groove and am understanding things better,” she said. “I’m able to ask better questions of the superintendent and staff, that can hopefully lead to good decisions for everyone.”
Looking back on the last couple of years, Cavanaugh says that she is most proud of seeing the student voice in action, whether that’s high school students speaking up for a clean environment, middle school students advocating for mental health services or elementary school kids asking for more recess time.
“Anytime I see students engaged in helping themselves and helping their fellow students, and coming to the board, it helps our decisions and makes them better because we are keeping the students as our focus,” she said.
Cavanaugh says that, as a district, CUSD is on the right path.
“Our district offers students so many opportunities and so much support,” said Cavanaugh. “I’m hopeful for the future.”
