Retired Educator and Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District Board of Education Member representing Trustee Area 4, Sharon Bannister, announced her resignation at the December 9th, 2025, regularly scheduled Board meeting with an effective date of January 5th, 2026.
Bannister, who has served on the Board since 2014, has been a fierce advocate for educators and students alike, with her extensive knowledge and experience in education being a driving force. Bannister helped lead the district through numerous curriculum adoptions, ongoing initiatives, and her compassionate leadership was essential while navigating state budgetary constraints, COVID, wildfires, and power outages.
Sharon, while taking a last stand on her self-proclaimed “soap box,” shared, “it has been fabulous to work with Cali [Binks, Superintendent], different Board members, to work with the Cabinet members, it has been wonderful, educational, and challenging, and everything I had hoped it could be. So thank you very much for the opportunity [to serve].”
There wasn’t a dry eye on the dais as Board President Cathy Bogh expressed, “Thank you for your kindness and mentorship, for helping me understand the intricacies of the job and the joy it brings.”
Superintendent Cali Binks shared her heartfelt thanks as well as the next steps to fill the new Board vacancy in Trustee Area 4. “Sharon has been a foundational member of the Board for nearly eleven years. I feel so very fortunate to have her as not only a boss, but a mentor and a friend. Her endless care for students and educators has helped me grow as a superintendent, and her perspectives on life have helped me grow as an individual.”
“The Board will have the opportunity to choose to fill the seat through a provisional appointment or a special election at the next Board of Education meeting on January 13th, 2026. The District will announce the Board's decision via press release the following day.”
If you have any questions or would like to leave Sharon Bannister a congratulatory note on her retirement, please email Contact_Us@ycjusd.us.