RANCHO SANTA FE — The search is on for a new school board member for the Rancho Santa Fe School District to replace Jim Cimino, who moved to Dallas for his job as an executive with Wells Fargo Bank.
Cimino, whose term ends in 2012, resigned July 29 in a letter to Lindy Delaney, school district superintendent.
Delaney told the school board at its Aug. 16 special meeting there were a couple of ways to go in replacing Cimino.
“You can decide to appoint a replacement or go to an election,” she said. “My recommendation is to make an appointment and save the expense of an election.”
The board is looking for someone just right to fill the spot.
“It’s a commitment of time, energy and passion,” Delaney said. “It’s really a big job, there is no pay. We will be looking for someone who wants to put in that type of commitment.”
Those interested in filling the position should pick up a packet containing an application, instructions and a list of preliminary questions at the district office. The deadline for applications will be at 4 p.m. Aug. 29.
“They can drop it off at the district office or fax it over,” Delaney said.
The interviews and appointment is a very public process. Each will be interviewed at a special meeting of the board Sept. 12 at 5 p.m.
The interview will consist of questions about the person and about their vision of the future of the school district.
At the end of the interviews, the new school board member will be sworn in on the spot.
Jim Depolo was appointed nearly 10 years ago to fill the term of a resigning school board member. He ran for the office twice after the appointed term expired.
“He has truly been a good board member,” Delaney said.
Depolo said this time there will be a whole new set of questions about the candidate’s vision of the future of the school.
“When I did it they were asking questions like, ‘do you think a new school should be built,’” Depolo said.
In other school board news, construction crews are putting the finishing touches on the school’s new soccer field and track, including the installation of the school’s mascot eagle center field.
Also at the Aug. 16 meeting, parent Lorraine Kent, who has had children in the district for the past 15 years, told the board her youngest child was having difficulty and she felt she was not informed properly.
She said her child dropped two grade levels in a short time and was told that a test with a poor grade, which was sent home and signed by her, was her notice. Since this happened at the end of the school year, she said she didn’t know how to proceed.
Kent also said she has seen many worthwhile programs go by the wayside such as a parent advisory council, foreign language classes and an honors program, which she would like to see restored.
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