City of Yakima

Two other candidates are running for Yakima School Board Director, Position 1.

Dr. Esperanza Lemos is the Director of Education at radio station KDNA, broadcast to farmworkers in the lower Yakima Valley, and seeking to uplift the entire Hispanic/ Latino community. Unfortunately, Dr. Lemos' campaign did not include specific policy proposals or solutions she would implement if elected.

Jose Gutierrez does not have a detailed campaign website available as of early July, nor did they submit a statement for the Yakima County voters' pamphlet.

Real estate agent Ryan Beckett is running for re-election to the Yakima School Board, where he currently serves as President. He is also Chair of the City of Yakima’s public facilities district, which provides oversight for the Yakima Convention Center, and prior to that spent nine years on the Board of Yakima Valley Tourism. His son attends Yakima public school. 

His campaign is endorsed by several past board members as well as the Yakima County Republican Party and the Yakima Association of Realtors. In his re-election campaign, he repeats inflammatory conservative language around diversity and inclusion. In 2024, he also voted in favor of a "Program Reduction in Force," which laid off more than 100 employees throughout the district.

Yakima schools deserve a progressive leader who will uplift and serve our kids, not cut programs and staff members.

Juan Romo is also running for Yakima School Board Director, Position 2. Romo is co-campaigning with Pam Shelton and is running to address inequities in the school district. Although his campaign lacks specific policies or solutions, he opposes cuts to teachers and support staff. We would like to see a more robust plan for accomplishing his goals.