The general elections may only be four weeks away, but the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District board recently gained a new member.
At the Oct. 11 meeting, the school board appointed Kenneth E. Enney Jr. to fill in the remaining two years of Chris Bausch’s term—he left after being appointed to the Paso Robles City Council. On Oct. 4, board members interviewed seven applicants: Enney, Peter J. Byrne, Dale Irving Gustin, Randall V. Jordan, Matthew McClish, Sheila Kaye Page, and Kenneth Parish.
Paso resident Pat Bland spoke during the Oct. 4 meeting, urging the board to select a candidate fairly and listen carefully to how the candidates answered questions.
“Think about how the individual you select will help improve and add to the collective skills of the board that increase respect and civility in all conversations while acknowledging all the many opinions of our administration, teachers, students, families, and community,” Bland said.
Candidates were asked about a variety of topics at that meeting, ranging from their position on community schools to their reasons for applying for the position. Enney told board members that he wanted to help support his community.
“I look at the next generation that’s coming up in this state and they’re leaving. And they’re leaving for a number of reasons. And I think one of them is the fact that they can’t afford to live here, but the schools are failing them,” Enney said. “And figuring out how to find that common ground to make sure that our children, the next generation of this country, is competitive in the world, I think is critical for the future of the nation.”
Enney referred to his extensive military background—23 years as a Marine Corps intelligence officer—and his time teaching Marines attending the Defense Language Institute. While there, he said, he was in charge of intelligence, manpower, and language training.
“We were not able to get quality candidates,” Enney told New Times. “And so I think it’s important that as a nation, we start thinking about how you’re going to improve our public education. We have to have a successful quality public education system.”
Enney was selected as one of the top two candidates, and the board appointed him with a vote of 4-2 on Oct. 11.
“My biggest goal is to try to build some bridges back. I think there’s a lot of division right now,” Enney said. “And figuring out how to get people moving in the same direction is one of my personal goals. And I think the best way to do that is just to be open about everything.”
This article appears in Oct 13-23, 2022.