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Caralampio to represent District 4 on FUHSD Board of Trustees

After the Nov. 3 election, Oscar E. Caralampio will be seated in the District 4 seat of the Fallbrook Union High School District due to the fact that he's running unopposed as is Eddie Jones in District 5.

Each of the candidates were sent questions by Village News so that readers could get a little more insight into the candidates that will be filling FUHSD Board of Trustees seats in the near future.

Jones did not respond to the questions prior to the press deadline, but his answers will be included in future editions of the newspaper if he responds.

What inspired you to run for the board seat?

Caralampio: My father has been my biggest inspiration. My family and I are indigenous Guatemalan immigrants, and we've had to overcome many adversities in order to reach the level of happiness we find ourselves in. In particular, my parents were never fortunate enough to attend a school in our native Central American village so I saw firsthand the fight one must put up when not having access to academic instruction. My story is one that many students share. As an elementary teacher, I see similar situations in my classroom; regardless of each student's background, our schools must always do their best to provide resources to ensure growth, success and innovation.

Why do you feel you are uniquely qualified to represent your district?

Caralampio: For over 10 years, I have been directly involved with our Fallbrook youth. I will be serving Fallbrook's District 4 where I live, teach and where my kids will be growing up. As a trilingual educator, I pride myself in creating effective outreach and building positive rapport with most students, parents, teachers and community members. More importantly, I am aware of the situations that affect our students in District 4: transportation, access to college information, exposure to CTE courses, and understanding social and economic factors that affect our students' performance. I am on the front line for my district.

What are the top three issues facing the district in the coming years?

Caralampio: I want to rebuild the trust our community has had in our school district. COVID-19 has placed all of us in unfamiliar and unwanted situations that trust needs to be restored by collaborating as a community. It is essential that we all work together for the benefit of our students. I strongly believe in the old saying, "It takes a village to raise a child."

We also need to make sure that our school district is effective when working with our students whether in person or online. We need to provide strong counseling support with effective teaching practices; again, COVID-19 has made our future uncertain however we need to continue to champion for all students, and their endeavors after high school.

Finally, we need to support our teachers. As an educator myself, I know very well about the new demands, uncertainty and expectations our profession has taken. Unfortunately, new data shows that many teachers (nationwide) have left the profession due to lack of support. We cannot lose our strong educators because they feel left behind.

What are three things you would like to accomplish or shore up with the district?

Caralampio: I want to increase graduation rates, connect our students to successful college pathways and strengthen our CTE programs for students who want to focus on trade work after high school. This will take time; however I do not see any greater investment than the well-being of our youth and our community.

What do you bring to the board personally or professionally that is currently lacking or will add to the board in your opinion?

Caralampio: As stated before, I take pride in being transparent with the folks I work with. I do my best to be present, to hear the voices I represent and to advocate for education, our youth, their families and our Fallbrook community. I graduated as the Graduate Student of the Year for the School of Education at Cal State San Marcos in 2015-2016, and also received the Certificated Employee of the Month award at FUESD in 2019-2020, so I bring forward innovative ways to connect students to our schools, and energy to fight for all of our students.

Jeff Pack can be reached by email at [email protected].

 

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