Kittinger Announced And Turned In Her Letter Of Resignation
Hesperia, California (High Desert News Online) – Hesperia Unified School District on a 3-1 vote approved the process to find a new school board trustee replacement.
Hesperia Unified, a district of over 21,000 students that represents all of the City of Hesperia, has boundaries that reach into San Bernardino County and the City of Victorville
Trustee Cody Gregg and Trustee Eric Swanson had some differing views of the process with Gregg getting very heated over the questions that the board wanted to ask each of the appointment candidates. Swanson ask Gregg, what questions that he would like to change, and Gregg proceeded to list almost all of them. Trustee Mark Dundon talked about supporting the process and Board President Trustee Maria Gomez then ask for the vote.
Trustee Marcy Kittinger announced and turned in her letter of resignation to the San Bernardino County of Schools on February 15. Kittinger was first elected in 2014 along with the reelection of Niccole Childs and Eric Swanson. Childs was first elected in 2010 and Swanson was was first elected in 2001.
According to the Daily Press, Kittinger said that “she resigned and moved to Hayden, Idaho, to take care of her 87-year-old mother, Aritta, who was severely injured after taking a fall. According to Kittinger, her mother lives with her husband, Brian, and the couple’s son, Daniel, in a home the Kittinger’s purchased as they look toward retirement. I intended to finish out my term on the school board then move here with my family in November,” Kittinger said. “My mother’s injury sped up the process.”
Gregg, that voted against the appointment process, said in interview online with his father Kelly Gregg, “there are time lines that the board has to follow weather they are going to appoint somebody or there going to hold a special elections I let you guys know where I stand, we need just appoint because there is an election coming up this November…”.
A similar process was attempted by the the councilmembers of the City of Victorville and also in San Bernardino City Unified School Distract, but the elected officials on each could not come come to a consensus. The appointment process was successful in the City of Hesperia and Apple Valley Unified School District with in the last 12 months.
The Hesperia Board Trustees will have a special meeting on April 12, 2022 to see if they can come to a consensus and fill the vacate trustee seat.
Hesperia Unified School District has posted the following to their website:
Board Member Provisional Appointment
Due to a resignation, there is currently a vacant seat in Area 2 on the Governing Board for Hesperia Unified School District.
Eligibility Requirements
Any person is eligible to be a Governing Board member, without further qualifications, if he/she is: 18 years of age or older, a citizen of the state of CA, a resident of Area 2 on the Board of Trustee Area Map (https://bit.ly/HUSDTrusteeMap), a registered voter, and not legally disqualified from holding civil office. (Education Code 35107)
Term of Office
Please Note: The appointee will hold office until the next governing board member election, which occurs at the next general election on November 8, 2022.
How to Apply
Applications must be received in the HUSD Personnel office by 9:00 a.m. on Monday, March 28, 2022. You may fill out the application via our Google Form or printed application. Printed applications may be sent via U.S. mail, email, or hand-delivered, but must be received by the same deadline. If you are hand-delivering your application during the week of Spring Break (March 21-25) when our office is closed, please drop the application in our after-hours drop box to the right of the front door. All applications left in the drop box will be stamped received when we re-open on March 28.
Application Form
The online (Google Form) Application is available here: https://bit.ly/3plq1fV
A downloadable/printable Application Form is available here: https://5il.co/165s7
What to Expect
After the application deadline of 9:00 a.m. on Monday, March 28, 2022, the residency and voter registration status of candidates will be verified with the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters. An eligibility committee comprised of two board members and someone from the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools’ office will review the applications and post a list of candidates to be interviewed by the Board at a special meeting. The list of candidates will be posted on this page along with instructions for providing written public comments on the candidates. We anticipate that list will be posted on Friday, April 1, 2022.
A special board meeting will be called to interview the candidates and appoint and swear in a new board member. Notices will be posted following the provisional appointment.
School districts and county offices of education are governed by boards, not by individual trustees. While understanding their separate roles, the board and superintendent work together as a “governance team.” This team assumes collective responsibility for building unity and creating a positive organizational culture in order to govern effectively.
To operate effectively, the Board:
1. Represents all students and keeps the district focused on student achievement
2. Has a clear unity of purpose
3. Communicates a common vision
4. Works together with the superintendent as a governance team, understanding the separate roles of the board and of the superintendent
5. Governs within board-developed policies and procedures and takes collective responsibility for the board’s performance
6. Governs with trust and integrity, and operates in a dignified and professional manner
7. Treats everyone with civility and respect
Role of the Board (Board Bylaw 9000)
The Governing Board is elected by the community to provide leadership and citizen oversight of the district’s schools. The Board shall work with the Superintendent to fulfill its major roles, which include:
1. Setting a direction for the district
2. Providing a basic organizational structure for the district by establishing policies
3. Ensuring accountability
4. Providing community leadership on behalf of the district and public education
