Ortiz appointed to Seat 5 of Vallecitos school board

No candidate filed for one of the Vallecitos School District board seats which was to be decided in the Nov. 3 election, so the school district sought applicants and Maria Ortiz was selected to fill the seat.

The decision to select Ortiz as the Seat 5 trustee was approved by the school board Oct. 13. She will be sworn in for her four-year term at the Dec. 8 board meeting. The Seat 5 trustee area is the western part of the district.

“We’re excited to have a community member who is interested in being a part of our board,” Maritza Koeppen, superintendent of Vallecitos School District and principal of Vallecitos Elementary School, said.

The district transitioned from at-large elections to elections by trustee area last year. The board members were allowed to keep their at-large seats until the expiration of their terms. The terms of Kathy Mack and Kyle Wheeler will end in December, but neither lives in one of the trustee areas subject to election in 2020.

Ortiz sought the Seat 5 position. “I want to be a little more involved,” she said.

Board president Michael Darnley said that Ortiz has a vested interest in the school district and also some familiarity due to her two children attending Vallecitos Elementary School.

“That’s really valuable. I think that's a good start,” he said.

Ortiz attended Vallecitos Elementary School as a child as well. “I’ve lived in Rainbow my whole life,” she said.

She acknowledged that activities of board members will be new experiences for her. “I am willing to learn,” Ortiz said.

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at [email protected].