Editor's Note: This is the second in a series focusing on candidates seeking one of two seats on the Murrieta Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees. The election is Nov. 8.

MURRIETA —— For more than a decade, Robin Crist has been working behind the scenes for Murrieta Valley Unified School District, leading PTAs and helping to get bond measures passed.

Crist, who in the past has considered running for a seat on the school board and even volunteered in 1998 to fill a trustee vacancy when a position became available, said the timing is right to step up again.

She said she is seeking a seat on the Murrieta Valley Unified School District board to continue to give back to and work for the district that educated her three children and helps the community.

"My goal is to maintain the integrity of the (district)," she said. "I would really like to sit down with district leaders and talk about our vision for this district; to help continue the rate of improvement in test scores; to keep our focus on building facilities and completing the third high school."

She is running for one of two seats on the board, challenging seven other candidates: incumbent Kris Thomasian, attorney Richard Ackerman, small-business owner Jan Fletcher, teacher Jacqueline Hanny, market researcher Wyatt Haupt, educational research consultant Sheree Jederberg, and pastor John Wells.

The other seat up for grabs belongs to Austin Linsley, who is not running for re-election.

As for her run for election, Crist said she has "no agenda, no beef with the district." She said she wants to be a "positive" trustee, unlike other current board members. She declined to elaborate on that statement.

With tears in her eyes, she said she and many others have worked very hard to help the school district become what it is today —— with some of the best test scores in the county —— and she is running because she wants to help maintain and build on all that.

"I don't mean it's perfect," she said of the district. "But we are going in the right direction. … I want to help create that common vision that leaders in the district have had in the past."

She said she supports the concept of a bond to help pay for the third high school, and has helped the district gain the community's financial support through bonds twice before. Crist helped lead the effort to pass a bond in 1998 for $37.5 million and another bond in 2002 for $40.4 million.

She said the bonds played a pivotal role in helping the district keep up with its ballooning student population by helping to pay for new campuses, and her tenure on the board would, in part, focus on ensuring that the district continues to meet the demands of the region's growth.

Crist, a self-employed business owner for an equipment rental company, moved to Murrieta about 12 years ago. During that time, she volunteered for several PTAs as her three children attended Murrieta schools. From 1994 to 1997, she served as the districtwide Murrieta Valley Council PTA president.

She said that as someone who spent more than a decade volunteering for Murrieta PTAs, and in some cases leading the groups, she understands the needs and desires of parents, and as a board member she would be a conduit between the community and district.

"This is my home," she said. "I am passionate about it."

Chris Pasciuto, a friend of Crist's as well as a PTA mom, describes the candidate as a dedicated and hard-working woman.

"She has always been willing to really do the hard work and never been one to seek the glory," Pasciuto said of Crist. "She worked tremendously hard on our bonds. I can't say single-handedly, but she really got the job done. She has great organization skills and is somebody who has always taken time to attend school board meetings."

Neighbor Scott Walker said he supports Crist's candidacy because he thinks she will help ensure the district meets the demands of the region's student population boom as well as continue to achieve high test scores.

"I am a real estate broker in the valley, and schools are critically important," Walker said. "Everyone always asks, 'How are the schools?' In some respects it's self-serving to want to make sure the schools continue to get the best grades. I would think Robin would be helpful in achieving that. She is probably one of the most caring people I know. She is the one who walks the walk as well as talks the talk."

Crist is one of two candidates who has been endorsed by the Murrieta Teachers Association.

Contact staff writer Jennifer Kabbany at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2625, or jkabbany@californian.com.