Editor's Note: This is the fourth in a series focusing on four candidates seeking three seats on the Temecula Valley Unified School District governing board. The election is Nov. 2.

Rick Shafer has seen a lot in his 13 years on the Temecula school board. Superintendents have come and gone, employees and administrators have been at odds, and budget cuts have led to layoffs and the closing of a school.

He said he hopes voters appreciate his experiences dealing with those issues as he seeks one more opportunity to help oversee the 28,000-student district.

Shafer, 58, a certified public accountant, is one of four candidates seeking three seats on the Temecula Valley Unified School District governing board. The other candidates are incumbents Bob Brown, 68, a small-business owner; and Vince O'Neal, 48, a battalion chief with California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection; and challenger Angel Garcia, 18, a college student.

Trustees will oversee a $197 million school district budget this fiscal year and are paid $675 per month, plus health benefits.

Shafer, who said this will be his last campaign, was elected to the board in 1993 and served two four-year terms. After stepping down, he was appointed to fill an opening in February 2005 and elected to a full term in 2006.

He said funding, facilities and increasing vocational programs are the top issues facing the district.

Shafer said he wasn't sure that he would run for re-election, but decided to when Superintendent Carol Leighty announced her retirement late last year and two assistant superintendents followed suit in July.

"I thought it was important that the board stay as consistent as possible during this transition to make it smooth," Shafer said. "We've got a board that has a nice blend of experienced board members and new board members. That balance could have swayed if I decided not to run. I've seen the havoc that changing board members can have on a district during trying times."

Although the board has had to make deep budget cuts the last two years, Shafer said that at least trustees did not bicker with each other over how those cuts should be made.

That wasn't the case in 1998, when a divided board fired Superintendent Pat Novotney. Shafer called that the most trying time in his tenure on the board.

"This last year we had to face laying off teachers, but the board wasn't fighting amongst itself to make the critical decisions," he said. "There was consensus."

Shafer said the district faces facility challenges down the line. The student population is growing, but there is no state money available to help build schools.

"We need a new high school, we need a new middle school in French Valley," Shafer said. "We're behind in technology."

Shafer said he expects residents who live inside the district's boundaries soon will be asked to vote on a bond to pay for new schools and renovations on current campuses.

"It's hard to generate enthusiasm about something like this during the economic climate we have right now," Shafer said. "We have to either take a look at a general obligation bond to fund the project or develop some kind of outside-the-box strategy partnering with (business).

"The challenge is getting the community behind the need for building those schools and the renovations of existing schools so they see the benefit to the cost."

When Shafer was elected the first time, he said he was called "the stealth fundamentalist candidate."

Despite being conservative and representing a mostly conservative constituency, Shafer said that doesn't drive his decisions.

"I'm a strong conservative. I make decisions through a Christian world view," he said. "That doesn't mean I'm going to make every Christian happy with every decision I'm going to make. My decision is based upon what's best for the students as a whole."

Shafer said he sees the board's role as being to review and develop policies and guide the direction of the district.

"We have one employee that we're responsible for, and that's the superintendent," Shafer said. "I feel like we've done a good job in both Dr. Leighty and (current Superintendent) Tim Ritter."

Shafer said that, if re-elected, he will help the district continue to follow the successful path it's on.

"I provide a voice of experience through various struggles in the district during the last 13 years," Shafer said. "I've been a voice of reason, a peacemaker, a voice of reconciliation and I understand my role and the job that needs to be done."

Shafer and his wife, Sharon, have been married for 29 years. They have four daughters and one granddaughter.

Call staff writer Craig Shultz at 951-676-4315, ext. 2625.