Orange Unified appoints Sarah Pelley and Dr. Stephen Glass as provisional trustees

The Orange Unified School District Board of Education on May 2 appointed Sarah Pelley to represent Trustee Area 4 and Dr. Stephen Glass to represent Area 7 after a special meeting that included public comment and candidate interviews.

Board President Page opened the meeting and reviewed the appointment process, which staff said began with a public application period April 12–26 and included a committee review and a lottery to determine speaking order. After hearing from dozens of community members and 17 applicants across the two areas, trustees nominated and voted on provisional appointees.

Speaker 2 nominated Sarah Pelley for Area 4; a second was given and the board voted by voice. President Page announced the vote as “unanimous or 4 0 1” and congratulated Pelley. Pelley, a 35‑year OUSD resident and longtime district educator and principal, told trustees she would be ready to serve on day one and emphasized equity, inclusion and student‑first decision making: “OUSD is worth fighting for,” she said.

For Area 7, Speaker 2 nominated Dr. Stephen Glass and the board approved the nomination by voice; the vote was reported as 4‑0‑1. Glass, a longtime teacher and administrator in OUSD, told trustees his career has centered on inclusive practices and special‑education supports and said he would focus on transparent, collaborative governance.

The appointments follow vacancies the board said were created by events earlier this year. Trustees and staff told applicants they plan to move quickly on onboarding so the newly appointed trustees can participate in the regular board meeting on May 10; staff said some portion of the onboarding and an official swearing‑in could occur in the coming days.

President Page framed the moment as an opportunity to move the district forward. “This is a pivotal moment in the history of our beloved district,” Page said, urging unity to serve students and the community.

The board took no other formal action at the special meeting. Superintendent Gonzales said there would be no report from closed session and reiterated plans to begin onboarding the two new trustees.

Vote records and mover/second statements were recorded in the meeting transcript as follows: Sarah Pelley (nominated by Speaker 2, seconded by President Page; vote announced as 4‑0‑1) and Dr. Stephen Glass (nominated by Speaker 2, seconded; vote announced as 4‑0‑1). The transcript does not list roll‑call votes by trustee name in the published segments.