LOS BANOS, Calif. – A California school board voted to appoint a Hispanic to the district’s personnel commission for classified staff after a local civil rights group demanded a Hispanic for the job.

The Los Banos school board was searching for a replacement for one of three positions on the personnel commission after local insurance agent Joe Gutierrez resigned in December and narrowed down their choice to three candidates, one Hispanic and two non-Hispanics, the Merced Sun-Star reports.

A group called the Community Advocacy Coalition had pressured the board in recent weeks to ensure Gutierrez’s replacement was Hispanic, a necessity according to the group because about 68 percent of the local population is Hispanic.

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One of the three commission candidates, a non-Hispanic, dropped out of contention because of the political pressure from the Community Advocacy Coalition, and the board ultimately voted 4-2 Feb. 6 to appoint Art Cantu, the only Hispanic. Interestingly, one of the two board members who voted against Cantu said he did so because he received a threatening letter that referenced conversations he has had with the candidate, according to the news site.

The letter, addressed to local dairyman Dennis Areias was way out of bounds.

“What you said at the board meeting was prejudice and does not surprise me and my friends at all. I have followed items you have said during your time as board member and me and my amigos will be doing everything we can to have you removed from the board,” the letter read, according to the Sun-Star.

“Your time is limited and we can’t wait to get a person with color on the board to get you off. Some people have said that you may not run for the board the next election. I hope you do so we can kick your ass and prove to you how much the community hates you. You need to stick with your cows and leave making educated decisions to educated people.”

“That really bothered me,” Areias told the Sun-Star. “In our school district we are not prejudice(d), we are not racist and we get the best person we can for the job.”

That may not have been the case this time. It appears racial tensions and pressure from the CAC convinced a majority of the school board’s members that putting a Hispanic on the personnel committee was in its best political interests.

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But schools should strive to make decisions in students’ best interests, and concerns about diversity among school leadership shouldn’t even factor into the equation. Appointing people to positions based on their race is the definition of racism, and the district just condoned the practice with its recent vote.

The influence of the CDC clearly weighed on the board, and it ultimately got its way, but at least one board member believes other candidates were better qualified for the position, the news site reports.

“I felt more confident in the other candidate based on my knowledge of her history and background,” board president Andree Soares told the Sun-Star. “I fully support (Cantu’s) role on the personnel commission, but he wasn’t my pick today.”