Chalamcherla, Clark lead in Folsom Cordova School Board races

In the Folsom Cordova Unified School District (FCUSD) school board election, incumbent Chris Clark and Folsom City Council member YK Chalamcherla are leading in their respective races for trustee seats, based on the last results reported Wednesday by Sacramento County Elections.

In Trustee Area 2, Chalamcherla has received 3,814 votes (51.28%), narrowly leading Dianna Laney, who has 3,624 votes (48.72%). If the lead holds, this would mark Chalamcherla’s first term on the school board. Area 2 has seen 7,438 ballots cast so far, with a voter turnout of 40.94%.

Chalamcherla, who served as a Folsom City Council member and vice mayor in 2023, is transitioning from the council to the school board due to recent redistricting, which makes him ineligible to continue representing the city council after this year. He has said that his dedication to serving the community motivates his run for the school board.

Chalamcherla grew up in a small farming village in southern India, where his parents instilled in him the importance of education and community service. After earning a degree in computer science and engineering, he moved to the United States in 2000 to pursue a career in technology, settling in Folsom in 2002. Since then, he has been actively involved in the community, volunteering with organizations such as Folsom Hope, local PTAs, the High School Sober Grad Night Committee, HART of Folsom, the Kiwanis Club, and more.

In Trustee Area 4, incumbent Clark has garnered 2,609 votes (53.65%), leading challenger Madelaine Jean Sanderson, who has received 2,254 votes (46.35%). With no write-in votes recorded, Clark appears likely to retain his seat, pending the official results. Voter turnout in Area 4 was 38.16%, with 5,657 of 14,824 eligible voters participating.

Clark is currently serving his second term on the FCUSD Board of Education and is the first African American elected to this position according to his professional resume. A U.S. Air Force veteran, he began his community service in Stockton, working with disadvantaged youth as a recreation program coordinator. In 1993, he joined the Laguna Sunrise Rotary Club in Elk Grove, where he eventually served three terms as president and was named a Paul Harris Fellow. Active in various Rotary Club committees, Clark has also held leadership roles in the Rancho Cordova business community, serving on the board of directors for the Rancho Cordova Chamber of Commerce and as president of the Cordova High PTSA.

Clark was first elected to the school board in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. He completed the California School Board Association’s Masters in Governance program in 2018 and has since served as a director for the association. Currently a program manager of youth and social justice for the Greater Sacramento Urban League, Clark continues his focus on working with underserved youth in Rancho Cordova and the Sacramento area.

To keep up on updated results on the Folsom City Council race and other local elections, check our Folsom Times’ ongoing coverage of the vote count that began Tuesday night and continues by CLICKING HERE.