By Alberto Garcia

A new member joined the San Ysidro School District Board of Trustees Thursday after being appointed to a vacant seat.
Rosaleah Pallasigue was selected from two applicants to fill the vacancy created last month when Luciana Corrales resigned her seat just one year into a four-year term. Ms. Pallasigue will serve until the next election in November 2016.

Ms. Pallasigue is a 15 year resident of Ocean View Hills and has two children that attend district schools. She works as a real estate escrow coordinator. She and her husband are active in the community and with their church.

“I am honored to have been selected to serve on this school board,” Ms. Pallasigue said after being sworn in by Board President Marcos Diaz. “I want to help continue the important work this district is doing to prepare our children for success in life,” she added.

Ms. Pallasigue’s husband, Ray Pallasigue, is the Director of Advantage Center in La Mesa, a care facility for mentally and physically handicapped adults. They have been married for 15 years and plan to stay in the Ocean View Hills area for the long-term.
“Our children have lived their whole lives in this community and I want to make sure they and all kids in the District have the best educational opportunities available,” Ms. Pallasigue commented.

Ms. Pallasigue made reference to the remarkable turnaround the District has made in just the past year when it went from near bankruptcy to financial stability. She offered her business experience to help maintain solid financials and work toward improving facilities and resources for students.

“I think Ms. Pallasigue will be a great addition to our Board,” commented School Board Member Rodolfo Linares, who became the Board’s Vice President at the meeting.

Ms. Pallasigue added that she supports creating Arts and other enrichment programs to provide a more rounded education for the students. As a singer herself, Ms. Pallasigue knows how music and the arts help students with math, writing, self-confidence, and overall success.
“I sing at church, at home, and even at Karaoke night!” she added. “I’m excited to be a part of the changes happening in San Ysidro and look forward to working on impacting the lives of these students.”

The San Ysidro School District recently announced a program to bring arts and theatre to the schools with the help of award-winning actor Tony Plana. Mr. Plana is creating a program to be launched within the before- and after-school hours offered by the District, and to also include new curriculum within Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math, also known as STEAM programs.

The School Board also declared a state of emergency at its December 4th meeting to organize resources to combat student homelessness within the District.

Over 1,550 students are considered homeless and the District is working to provide housing, food, and household items to help transition these families to long-term stability.

Governor Brown is now considering declaring a state of emergency in response to the call from the District.
“It’s an exciting time in the San Ysidro School District but we have a lot of work ahead of us,” added Dr. Julio Fonseca, the District’s Superintendent.