|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The Belmont-Redwood Shores School District board has appointed a parent volunteer from the Central Elementary community to fill the Area 5 trustee seat.
The appointment of Rhut Vasavada, 39, a volunteer at his daughter’s school and other community programs, completes the board’s new configuration heading into 2027.
“Ultimately, I want us to build on the district’s strengths while having the courage to ask difficult questions and make decisions that serve students both today and for years to come,” Vasavada said in an email to the Pulse on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
During a special meeting Thursday, Oct. 22, the board chose Vasavada after reviewing applications and interviewing candidates for the four-year seat representing southwest Belmont.
“We are excited to welcome Mr. Vasavada,” board President David Koss said in a news release. “His history of community volunteering, thoughtful and collaborative approach to governance, and student-centered focus will be invaluable assets as we continue to support all of our students.”
Vasavada has called Belmont home since 2019 and works as principal product manager for software company Adobe. He is Cubmaster for local Pack 83 of the Boy Scouts, founding member of the Belmont Dads Club and a Freemason at the Peninsula Masonic Lodge.
He told the Pulse that, as a trustee, his focus is to work with his board colleagues and newly hired district Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero on a long-term strategic vision centered on educational excellence, financial sustainability and community trust.
The district needs to protect what makes its schools “exceptional while ensuring every student is challenged, supported and making meaningful academic progress,” Vasavada said.
The district also has to “address our structural budget deficit and declining enrollment through thoughtful, long-term decisions that preserve educational quality,” he said.
The district says it faces a deficit of up to $5.7 million this fiscal year and plans to use reserves to help close the gap.
Vasavada added that he wants to see the district “strengthen relationships with families, educators and the broader community, ensuring diverse perspectives help inform our decisions.”
The Area 5 seat was filled by appointment because no one filed to run in the Nov. 3 elections.
Two other seats were also up for election, but they drew no contenders either. As a result, Koss returns for a second term in Area 3 (northwest Redwood Shores to Old County Road in Belmont), while Charles Shagong, another newcomer, will hold the post in Area 1 (northwest Belmont).
Vasavada, Koss and Shagong are scheduled to be sworn in at the board’s reorganization meeting Dec. 14.
Lawsuit: Ex-employees claim Oracle layoffs cheated them of $1 million in company stockOctober 23, 2026 10:37 am
