Alisal Union School District John Ramirez is working under new leadership after a new board majority was elected.

It took a court order to oust long-time board member Jose Castañeda from his Alisal Union School District seat, but voters overwhelmingly tossed the other two incumbents facing re-election last month.

The district has struggled in recent years through a state takeover, litigation, the forced departure of Castañeda after he was elected to City Council, contentious naming of a new elementary school after outlaw Tiburcio Vasquez, high turnover and stalled negotiations over a teachers union contract that expired almost three years ago. So the three newly elected board members face an uphill battle.

“There’s a lot of concerns,” says board member Noemi Armenta, who ran unopposed. “We are investigating to see how programs are working before we make any decision on what kind of changes we want to make.” That means asking for third-party consultants to conduct evaluations.

Armenta, along with newly elected Maricela Cruz and Guadalupe Guzman, were sworn in on Dec. 6. They had the backing of the Alisal Teachers Association, which next meets for contract negotiations with AUSD officials on Jan. 23.

“We’re hoping with a new board majority that we’ll move along at a good pace,” union president and second-grade teacher John Aaron says. “We’re hopeful.”

The union donated $3,750 total to the challengers’ victorious campaigns.