Berkeley Unified School District is accepting applications for an open school board seat through July 29, and whoever gets the appointment will immediately face a district projecting more than $7 million in deficits over the next two budget years.

The vacancy, left by Ana Vasudeo who departed July 1 to join the Alameda County Board of Education, will be filled by appointment rather than special election — a process the remaining four-member board is pushing to complete by August 19 to restore its full voting capacity ahead of more difficult fiscal decisions.

The Berkeley Unified School District opened applications last week to fill the school board seat vacated by Ana Vasudeo, who stepped down July 1 to join the Alameda County Board of Education after six years on the board. Applications are due July 29 at 4 p.m., submitted to board executive assistant Lyz Chairez at lyzchairez@berkeley.net.

The board voted unanimously to appoint a successor rather than hold a special election — a process not used in Berkeley since 2013, when then-president Leah Wilson resigned, according to Berkeleyside. Director Jen Corn made the urgency plain at the June 3 board meeting. "We've just spent a long time being a board of four," Corn said, referencing Ka'Dijah Brown's recent maternity leave. "I would like to, as quickly as possible, become a board of five again."

Under California state law, the board has until August 31 to make the appointment. The current timeline calls for the board to identify finalists by August 5, conduct public interviews and vote by August 19, with a fallback special meeting the following week if needed, according to Berkeleyside. Whoever is selected will serve the remainder of Vasudeo's term through November 2028.

What the job entails — and what it inherits

The position is unpaid and demanding: two regular board meetings per month, school site visits, community events, and required training. The application itself is substantive — nine short-answer questions covering district vision, equity, governance, budgeting, and labor relations, plus a two-page résumé, three references, and disclosure of any conflicts of interest, including family members employed by BUSD or existing district contracts.

The incoming director will land in the middle of an unresolved fiscal crisis. BUSD cut $11.2 million from its 2026–27 budget — eliminating all nine after-school coordinator positions, trimming staffing at Berkeley High and Berkeley Tech, scaling back ethnic studies and climate literacy teacher roles, and cutting instructional hours in the home-hospital program serving students unable to attend school in person, according to Berkeleyside's July 2 budget report. Despite those cuts, the district still projects a deficit of more than $7 million across the 2027–28 and 2028–29 school years.

Rising salary costs and expiring one-time funds are driving that shortfall. Earlier this year, educators locked in a 6 percent raise over two years, retroactive to the 2025–26 school year; non-classroom staff secured increases of 3 and 4 percent respectively. To close the gap for the coming year, BUSD leaned on more than $6 million in one-time budget solutions — a strategy district officials acknowledged is not sustainable.

Berkeley voters will have 30 days after the appointment to petition for a special election if they disagree with the board's choice, according to Berkeleyside. Applicants must be at least 18, a registered voter, and a Berkeley resident.