Incumbents face challengers in Trustee Areas 1, 2 and 5
Fontana, Calif. (Inland Empire News Online) – Voters from three trustee areas of the Fontana Unified School District (FUSD) will select school board representatives in the November 3, 2026, general election with the current Mars Serna, Adam Perez, and Mary Sandoval incumbents all seeking to serve a further four-year term. Currently seven candidates are identified across Trustee Areas 1, 2, and 5, thus presenting voters with the task of selecting school board representatives who will influence decision-making concerning education, career preparation, school safety, facilities, and the future leaders of the district.
The San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters opened the candidate filing period on July 13 and ended it on August 7. Currently, the county’s election page hosts an unofficial list of the candidates as preparations for the voter information materials take place. According to the candidate information currently publicly indexed, there are two candidates for each of Trustee Areas 1 and 2 and three candidates for Trustee Area 5.
From a tent school to a large Inland Empire district
Public education in Fontana started even before the establishment of the modern city and school district. According to the Fontana Unified historical records, a community building that functioned as both a church and a social center was hosting classes by 1880. Then in 1892, Fontana had its first tent school and, in 1895, the first permanent school built at the intersection of Locust Avenue and Foothill Boulevard.
The formation of the modern school district occurred during the 1920s. The school district officially became the Fontana Unified School District in 1956. As for the geographical changes in the district, the development of the school district went together with Fontana’s growth from a predominantly agricultural community famous for citrus trees, grapes, and livestock to an industrial center of steel production, transportation and technology. Fontana High School was established in 1952 and was followed by multiple campus constructions as the residential area extended towards north, south, and west.
Today, Fontana Unified’s boundary covers approximately 55 square miles, including most of the Fontana city, parts of Rialto and Rancho Cucamonga and some unincorporated territory of San Bernardino County.
As per the Fontana Unified website, the current district has 44 schools and 33,410 students. According to the procurement document prepared for the 2024-25 period, the district employs over 5,000 people. The district includes elementary and middle schools, five high schools, alternative education, adult education, and the recently opened Oak Grove Preparatory Academy.
Superintendent Miki R. Inbody has been leading Fontana Unified School District since March 2023 and plans to retire in December 2026 after her 35-year career in public education. The Fontana Unified cabinet currently includes Leslie Barnes (business services); Douglas Staine and Caroline Labonte (human resources and labor relations); Christopher Hollister (teaching and learning); Craig Baker (student services); Glenn Alegre (technology and assessment); Michael Garcia (chief of staff); Rich Randolph (school police chief).
The timing makes the upcoming election particularly important beyond the three school board seats. Currently, Fontana Unified is conducting a superintendent search with the planned retirement of Inbody in December 2026. According to the planned schedule by the Fontana Unified School District, the current board should consider the appointment on October 21 and employment agreement on November 4, which is the day after the election, with the new superintendent taking the office in December.
Changes made by the current board during its term
Three incumbents running in the 2026 elections (Serna, Perez, and Sandoval) were re-elected in 2022 in the first election run by Fontana Unified using the trustee-area system. Serna won 46.65% in a four-candidate race in Trustee Area 1, Perez got 58.87% in Area 2, and Sandoval won 62.54% in Area 5.
During their four-year term, Fontana Unified has expanded its programs of college and career readiness. Currently, the district website claims to have 55 Career Technical Education pathways in 11 industry sectors, although the older facts sheet by the district mentions only 52 pathways. The district also boasts of three dual language immersion schools and 371 State Seal of Biliteracy recipients in 2024.
One of the most substantial physical assets acquired during the term by the current board has been the construction of the Oak Grove Preparatory Academy. The construction of the approximately 150,000 square foot secondary campus, designed to host up to 1,200 students, started during the current term and has been completed. The opening ceremony of the school took place on August 4 and the school hosted its first class in the 2026-27 school year. The focus of this school is career programs, dual enrollment, and partnership with colleges.
Some of the academic and student support programs also gained state-level awards. For instance, the Summer Bridge Program offered by Summit High School was chosen as one of the 2024 Golden Bell Awards by the California School Boards Association. It provides a transition to high school with career technical education and STEM activities and mentoring.
In turn, Fontana High School has received the 2025 Golden Bell Award for its College Application Submit Day. Initially, the program was developed at Fontana High and evolved into the districtwide college application program helping more than 10,000 students.
Three elementary schools — Beech Avenue, Date, and Shadow Hills — have been named 2025 California Distinguished Schools. These schools have been recognized due to academic growth, closing achievement gap and positive school climate measures.
Recent campus recognitions also include the national Recognized ASCA Model Program award received by the Fontana High School counseling program in 2026. Moreover, the Fontana High School has AVID recognition and the Fontana High Marine Corps JROTC Academic Team finished third at the 2026 JROTC Leadership & Academic Bowl. Additionally, Palmetto Elementary and Chaparral Academy of Technology were recognized as the 2026 Jostens Renaissance Platinum Schools of Distinction for the positive school climate and culture.
Fontana Unified graduation and individual school statistics
Fontana Unified website lists a 98% graduation rate for its students and has recognized 2,600 members of the 2026 graduating class in various ceremonies at the district’s schools. It includes graduates from the comprehensive high schools, Eric Birch High School, and Fontana Adult School.
Moreover, individual district school pages present additional data on local schools without any comparison to older statewide figures. Fontana High lists a 96% graduation rate in 2024-25, 2,547 students, 13 career technical pathways, 200 State Seal of Biliteracy recipients, and 2,771 college applications submitted. The school also has AP Honor Roll and AP Access recognitions alongside the previously mentioned Golden Bell and counseling awards.
Henry J. Kaiser High School reports a 95.9% graduation rate, 1,400 students, 21 Advanced Placement courses, and 133 career pathway completers. Meanwhile, Jurupa Hills High School reports 96.1% graduation rate in 2025, 1,739 students, 73% of A-G completion and 116 International Baccalaureate diplomas earned since 2013.
Summit High received recognition for its Golden Bell winning Summer Bridge program and College Board AP recognition. Finally, the Oak Grove Preparatory Academy, being a relatively new school, does not have a graduation rate since it opened for the 2026-27 school year.
Trustee Area 1
Mars Serna — Incumbent
Marcelino “Mars” Serna is the current vice president of the Fontana Unified Board of Education and serves as a board member since he was elected in a special election in November 2017. Since then he won two additional elections for his positions and by the time of the 2026 election will have served for almost nine years as a board member.
According to his district biography, Serna has more than 38 years of public service experience in education, recreation and human services. Serna’s professional experience includes work with the San Bernardino City Unified, Fontana Unified, and the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools in family and community engagement as well as work as an adjunct professor at the San Bernardino Valley College.
Mars Serna is running for reelection against Jacque Long with the emphasis on school safety, academic resources, fiscal responsibility, educators’ support, and educational opportunity consistency.
Public contact: (909) 600-9027; Marcelino.Serna@fusd.net. Campaign website: mars4fontanaschools.com.
Jacque Long — Challenger
Jacque Long is described by the ballot designation as “Non-Profit Leader / Mother.” Long is a president and the chair of the Fontana Foundation of Hope, which is a Fontana-based private nonprofit foundation. According to nonprofit public records and the foundation’s website, she is its president and the organization supports Fontana area youth, community organizations and Fontana Unified programs.
She assumed leadership of the foundation following the death of her father and founder of the Fontana Foundation of Hope, Jack Long, in 2022. Public records indicate that the foundation continues to make charitable grants in Fontana including those involving Fontana Unified.
No verified 2026 campaign phone number and campaign email were found in the publicly accessible sources. Website for the organization can be found at the Fontana Foundation of Hope.
Trustee Area 2
Adam Perez — Incumbent
Adam Perez has been serving on the Fontana Unified Board since 2018 and is running for reelection for the third term. He has served as a board president and vice president and has represented the Fontana Unified as a California School Boards Association delegate.
Perez is a U.S. Army veteran and a law enforcement officer and detective. His district biography lists degrees in behavioral science and criminal justice as well as a Master of Business Administration. The priorities of his work with the board include career pathways and apprenticeships, student and employee safety, mental health support and connections of the students to employment and higher education.
His campaign for the 2026 reelection includes an active campaign website and campaign fundraising.
Public contact: (909) 275-6379; Adam.Perez@fusd.net. Campaign website: adamperez.net.
Gloria Gastelum — Challenger
Gloria Gastelum is described as a challenger in Trustee Area 2. Beyond the candidate filing information, reliable biographical information that can be unequivocally attributed to the 2026 Fontana Unified candidate could not be independently verified.
No public information was found on this candidate.
Trustee Area 5
Mary Sandoval — Incumbent
Mary B. Sandoval is the longest-serving incumbent running for reelection in the 2026 Fontana Unified School District election. She was first elected to Fontana Unified Board in November 2014 and by the end of 2026 will complete almost 12 years on the board.
Mary Sandoval is a longtime Fontana resident and retired from the MTC Inland Empire Job Corps Center, where she worked as an academic programs administrator. Among the stated priorities of her work on the board were academic preparation of the students, making sure that employees have sufficient resources and improved access to services for the students with special needs.
Public contact: (909) 471-0969; Mary.Sandoval@fusd.net. No separate campaign website was found during the current review.
Jonathan Batista — Challenger
Jonathan Batista is listed in Trustee Area 5 as a challenger to Mary Sandoval. Beyond the candidate filing information, reliable biographical information could not be independently verified.
No public information was found on this candidate.
Perla Ibarra — Challenger
Perla Ibarra is also listed as a challenger to Mary Sandoval in Trustee Area 5. Several people with the same name exist in unrelated places, professions, and communities, and none of them could be reliably verified as the Fontana Unified candidate.
No public information was found on this candidate.
What voters will decide
These three races will decide a majority of the seats on the Fontana Unified Board of Education. Areas 3 and 4, currently represented by Angel Ramirez and Danielle Holley, will be next up for election in 2028.
For voters, the decision comes as Fontana Unified faces the challenges related to continued enrollment and facility needs, expansion of career and college pathways, management of the school police department, bringing Oak Grove Preparatory Academy online and searching for the superintendent successor. The board elected in the 2026 elections will face the budget, employee contracts, school construction, curriculum policies, safety planning and academic priorities of the district until 2030.
According to the Registrar of Voters, the Election Day is November 3. The mail ballots start arriving on October 5, the same date when the early voting starts, and voter registration deadline is October 19. Since the county still calls its candidate list unofficial at this stage of the election calendar, the candidate information remains subject to change.
