Editorial: Kavouniaris and Bassi Would Bring Sunol Glen the Fresh Perspective It Needs

Oct. 15, 2026 | The Town Hall News Editorial Board

This is an opinion piece. For our news analysis of the October 14 Sunol Glen School Board candidate forum.

On Nov. 3, Sunol voters will choose two of the three trustees who govern the Sunol Glen Unified School District, potentially creating a new board majority. All four candidates care about the school and bring different qualifications to the race. But after listening to them at the Pleasanton Weekly candidate forum, we believe Jennifer Kavouniaris and Gagan Bassi offer the strongest combination of independent judgment, practical experience, and fresh ideas for the district’s future.

Sunol Glen needs trustees who can do more than support education in principle. The district faces financial pressures, declining enrollment, construction challenges, and the need to rebuild public confidence. Addressing those problems will require clear communication, careful oversight and a willingness to question established approaches.

Kavouniaris and Bassi bring professional backgrounds that could broaden the board’s perspective and help it meet those challenges.

A Nonpartisan Race Requires Independent Judgment

School board elections in California are nonpartisan. The principle is straightforward: trustees should put students, families, and taxpayers ahead of party politics.

Yet two candidates in this race, Karen Newcomb and René Turnbull, have received endorsements from the Alameda County Democratic Committee and the district’s employee unions. Endorsements are a legitimate part of elections, but they also raise an important question about accountability.

At the candidate forum, Newcomb and Turnbull were asked what they would do if the positions of their endorsing organizations conflicted with their own. Neither directly answered.

That omission deserves scrutiny. School trustees negotiate with employee unions while overseeing the budgets that fund those contracts. They must balance employees’ interests with the district’s financial responsibilities and the needs of students and families. Their obligation is to the entire community, not to the organizations that supported their campaigns.

An endorsement does not automatically compromise a candidate’s independence. But voters deserve a clear explanation of how candidates will exercise independent judgment when disagreements arise.

Kavouniaris said she has received only a few community endorsements and wants “absolutely zero politics” in the school. Bassi has not sought an endorsement from any group.

Their approaches give voters a chance to elect trustees who will evaluate decisions on their merits and remain accountable to the people they represent. In a small district where every board decision can directly affect families, that independence matters.

Business Experience Can Strengthen Education

During the forum, Kavouniaris made a point worth considering: “These are all educators up here.”

Her observation was not a criticism of educators. It was a reminder that managing a school district requires financial and operational expertise alongside educational knowledge.

Sunol Glen faces declining state funding tied to enrollment, a budget in which salaries account for a substantial share of spending, and a construction project that has encountered unexpected structural problems. These are educational challenges, but they are also business and management challenges.

Kavouniaris spent two decades in the restaurant industry and co-owned a Fremont steakhouse. Her experience included navigating the renovation of a 75-year-old building and managing a business through the COVID-19 pandemic. She has dealt with payroll, cost control, and the search for new revenue. She says she would bring those skills to the district and pursue new donors to support school programs.

That background could provide a useful perspective as trustees weigh competing priorities, scrutinize expenses and look for ways to sustain programs without losing sight of taxpayers’ concerns.

Bassi brings a different set of qualifications. A cybersecurity and privacy professional who has managed multimillion-dollar projects, she also began her career as a teacher.

As schools increasingly use artificial intelligence and collect sensitive student information, her professional experience could help the board evaluate technology decisions, protect student privacy and establish appropriate safeguards. Her emphasis on monitoring students’ use of AI reflects an understanding that new technology can offer educational opportunities while also creating risks that schools must manage responsibly.

Together, Kavouniaris and Bassi would bring complementary experience in business, technology, privacy and education.

Practical Ideas for Students and Taxpayers

Bassi offered one of the forum’s most concrete proposals for public accountability: a quarterly, one-page budget summary written in plain language that residents of all ages could understand.

The proposal is straightforward, relatively inexpensive to implement, and potentially valuable. Residents should not need specialized financial knowledge to understand where public money goes, what financial challenges the district faces, and how decisions affect school programs. Clear, regular reporting could help residents participate more meaningfully in discussions about the district’s future.

Bassi also identified a specific enrollment concern: families leaving Sunol Glen before middle school. She proposed strengthening programs for both advanced students and those who need additional support in grades six through eight, helping students enter high school better prepared.

Retaining families requires more than asking them to stay. Schools must demonstrate that they can meet students’ academic needs and offer programs that families value. Bassi’s proposal addresses that challenge directly.

Kavouniaris likewise emphasized the importance of giving families compelling reasons to remain at Sunol Glen, including programs such as robotics. She was also the only candidate to raise the shortfall in federal special-education funding, drawing on her experience as a parent whose daughter relied on individualized support.

Her perspective underscores an important point: budget decisions are not simply numbers on a spreadsheet. They affect children who depend on particular services and families who expect the district to meet their needs.

Neither candidate can resolve these challenges alone. But both offered ideas tied to identifiable problems rather than relying solely on general promises to improve the schools.

Measure K and the Importance of Voter Trust

The candidates were also asked about Measure K, the $6.1 million facilities bond. Both Kavouniaris and Bassi stopped short of telling residents how to vote.

Some voters may interpret that position as a reluctance to take a stand. We see a reasonable principle behind it: trustees should explain the choices before the community, answer questions honestly and respect residents’ right to make the final decision.

Kavouniaris said she “almost want[s] to just vote yes,” but cautioned that taxpayers should not be taken for granted or pressured. She emphasized that the board should work with the community rather than tell residents what to do.

Bassi acknowledged the potential benefits of the bond while maintaining that the decision belongs to voters.

Residents can reasonably disagree about Measure K. Regardless of the outcome, the district needs a board that provides clear information, acknowledges financial trade-offs and treats taxpayers as partners in decisions about public facilities.

After years of turmoil, rebuilding trust should be a priority. That means listening to residents even when their views differ from those of trustees or district leadership.

The Case for a Fresh Start

Newcomb and Turnbull bring relevant experience, and Turnbull’s familiarity with education budgets and bonds could be valuable as the district confronts immediate financial and facilities decisions. Voters who prioritize continuity may reasonably favor their experience.

But experience alone should not determine this election. The question is which candidates offer the judgment, skills and willingness to consider new approaches that Sunol Glen needs now.

Kavouniaris brings hands-on business experience, an emphasis on financial discipline and a parent’s perspective on student support. Bassi combines teaching experience with professional expertise in cybersecurity, privacy, and project management, along with specific proposals for budget transparency and middle-school retention.

Newcomb and Turnbull, meanwhile, should provide voters with a clearer answer about how they would respond when the preferences of the Democratic Committee or the employee unions that endorsed them conflict with their own judgment. In a nonpartisan race, voters are entitled to know that their elected trustees will put the district’s interests first.

This is not about assuming that political endorsements determine how someone will govern. It is about expecting every candidate to demonstrate independence and explain how they will remain accountable to the community.

Sunol Glen needs trustees who can look beyond familiar approaches, communicate clearly with residents and make difficult decisions with students’ long-term interests in mind. Kavouniaris and Bassi offer a promising combination of practical experience, professional expertise and fresh perspectives.

The Town Hall News Editorial Board endorses Jennifer Kavouniaris and Gagan Bassi for the Sunol Glen Unified School District Board of Trustees. We believe they would bring valuable new skills and ideas to the board and help move the district toward more responsible management, stronger student programs, greater transparency, and renewed community trust.