Board of Education Appoints Retired Educator

The Colton Joint Unified School District Board of Education appointed Bertha Arreguin as its newest member during a special meeting last Thursday evening. The board interviewed four qualified candidates and selected Arreguin for the provisional appointment. She took the oath of office before the meeting’s close and will begin duties with the board’s ceremonial role in next week’s high school graduation ceremonies. The next regular board meeting will be on June 6. Arreguin, a resident of Grand Terrace, will serve as a representative of Trustee Area #3 through November 2020, when the seat is scheduled to be on the ballot in the next general election. Trustee Area #3 includes Grand Terrace and parts of southern Colton. She worked in CJUSD for 30 years before retirement, as a teacher for 10 years, a school assistant principal and principal and finally as the director of Language Support Services. Per California Education Code 5092, unless a petition calling for a special election, containing a sufficient number of signatures, is filed in the office of the county superintendent of schools within 30 days of the date of the provisional appointment, it shall become an effective appointment. The vacancy occurred with the resignation last month of former Board Member Kent Taylor. The Board had the option of appointing a replacement or holding a special election, and opted to make an appointment to avoid the cost of a special election. Taylor’s term in office would have expired in 2020.