By Sara Beth Williams–
With the vote count now certified, Citrus Heights resident and charter school advocate Vanessa Caigoy has been declared the winner in the race for Sacramento County Office of Education School Board Area 4 with 32 percent of the vote out of 50,700 votes.
Caigoy ran for an open seat left by board member Joanne Ahola who did not seek reelection.
“I am humbled by the opportunity to make a positive impact on education in our region,” Caigoy wrote on her LinkedIn profile, adding that she’s “looking forward” to helping ensure that all students have access to a “high quality education that is rigorous and equitable.”
In an extremely close contest, second and third place candidates Linda Christopher-Dewilde and Jennin (Jay) Martinez, both received 20 percent of the vote, with 10,655 votes and 10,650 votes respectively. Dewilde noted on her website that coming in second place was “not bad for someone who didn’t take any funds from special interest groups.”
Caigoy’s current role is Managing Director of Member Marketing for the California Charter Schools Association.
According to her website biography, Caigoy grew up in Citrus Heights and is the oldest of two in a family with “deep roots in the U.S. Air Force.”
In an interview with The Sentinel, Caigoy said both her parents, grandfathers, step-grandfather, grandmother, and uncle all served in the United States Air Force. Caigoy attended Arlington Heights Elementary in Citrus Heights, as well as Arcade Fundamental Middle School, Del Campo High School and graduated from Center High School. Caigoy briefly lived in Antelope, CA and in North Carolina during her childhood before returning to Citrus Heights.
Caigoy said she has “fond” memories of growing up in Citrus Heights and enjoyed visiting the Sunrise Mall with friends, playing basketball, and eating ice cream at Thrifty’s.
Caigoy earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from California Baptist University, and then a Master’s in Business Administration from Drexel University. Caigoy founded the Financial Youth Summit under the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority local chapter, a conference focused on teaching financial literacy to middle and high school students from under-served communities.
“I’m most excited to get out there and hear from parents and students,” Caigoy told The Sentinel, adding that she also enjoyed volunteering with her former teachers at Arlington Heights while growing up.
Related: On the Issues: Vanessa Caigoy, Candidate for Board of Education – Citrus Heights Sentinel
When asked what her top priorities are for improving education, Caigoy listed community engagement, collaboration for enhanced opportunities, and effective funding oversight, along with ensuring school safety and equitable public education. On her website, Caigoy also lists other top commitments including allowing parents to freely choose their child’s educational program based on their child’s specific educational needs, more efficient funding for students, stronger support for teachers and educators, transparent collaboration between parents and educators, and amplifying student voices within the realm of education.
Trustee Area 4 covers parts of Sacramento County, including Fair Oaks, Citrus Heights, and Orangevale. School districts represented in Area 4 are the majority of San Juan Unified and small portions of Twin Rivers Unified and Folsom Cordova Unified.
The March 5 primary election results were certified by the Sacramento County Elections Division on April 2, 2024. Officials reported a 39.89% voter turnout, with 346,502 ballots counted countywide out of 868,750 registered voters in Sacramento County, according to an April 2 news release.
