# Chino Valley Unified School District (local, San Bernardino County)

URL: https://www.californiapeople.org/local/chino-valley-usd

- title: Chino Valley Unified School District
- type: district
- cities: [chino, chino-hills]

## Key findings
- **Two board seats that decide whether the Sonja Shaw majority continues.** Board president Shaw is leaving to run for **state superintendent**. Her husband, **Christopher Shaw**, is running for her District 3 seat against teacher-backed **Frank Gerdine**. [^1]
- In District 4, **Shaun Smith**, appointed in Sept 2025, faces substitute teacher **Meagan Lichthart**. Champion reported that Shaw and Smith received large donations from one donor; I couldn't read that story. [^1]
- **Context:** in 2023 the board required staff to tell parents within three days if a student asked to change names or pronouns. Attorney General Bonta sued, a judge ruled it unconstitutional in Sept 2024, and a 2025 state law now bans such policies. Test scores rose over the same years: reading **58.9% → 62.1%** and math **44.6% → 49.8%** (2022–2025). [^2][^3]

## Board District 3
### Christopher Shaw
- Construction manager in Chino. Married to board president Sonja Shaw, who withdrew from this seat to run for state superintendent. [^1]

### Frank Gerdine
- Educator and coach in Chino Hills. Endorsed by the Associated Chino Teachers. [^1]

## Board District 4
### Shaun Smith (incumbent, appointed)
- Healthcare technology strategist in Chino Hills. Appointed by the board in Sept 2025 to replace Jon Monroe. [^1]

### Meagan Lichthart
- Credentialed substitute teacher in Chino Hills with a master's degree in education. [^1]

## Sources
[^1]: Champion Newspapers, 2026 candidate roundup. https://www.championnewspapers.com/community_news/article_6c34ad71-9977-4430-ab4f-755a31860602.html
[^2]: Spectrum News, Chino Valley parental-notification policy (Mar 19, 2025). https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/southern-california/education/2025/03/19/parental-notification-policy-chino-valley-
[^3]: EdSource, Chino Valley's academic record and Sonja Shaw (2026). https://edsource.org/2026/sonja-shaw-state-superintendent-chino-credit/768795