The Santa Maria-Bonita School District is now accepting applications from the public to fill the Board of Education seat formerly held by Ken Milo, a longtime district advocate who died in June. Milo had two years left of his four-year board term when he passed away.
Applications for the position must be submitted to the district office by noon on July 19. The board will hold a special meeting on July 22 to interview applicants.
District Superintendent Philip Alvarado, a former student and colleague of Milo’s, said his death has “hit everyone [in the district] very, very hard.”
“He was an unbelievable man,” said Alvarado, who first met Milo as a fifth grader at Fairlawn Elementary School in 1965.
“He became a mentor and a friend at the ripe old age of 10. Then he became my boss when I was an instructional aide with the district and he was superintendent,” Alvarado recalled. “I learned an awful lot from his leadership and advocacy for the children. During his time with the district, he never lost sight of putting the kids first.”
According to information provided by the school district, Milo served a total of 14 years on the school board, including 12 years in the 1990s and early 2000s. He also spent his entire 32-year educational career within the Santa Maria-Bonita School District, starting in 1952 as a teacher at El Camino Junior High. During his career, Milo taught every grade level from Kindergarten to adult education. He also served as principal of two schools and spent several years serving in some of the district’s key administrative positions before becoming superintendent—a position he held until his retirement in 1984.
“He had such a historical knowledge of the district and how schools work,” Alvarado said. “He opened so many doors, not only to me, but thousands of kids in the valley.”
A tireless supporter of the district, Milo was honored earlier this year by having El Camino Junior High School’s gymnasium floor named after him.
“We were very fortunate to be able to make that dedication while he was still with us,” Alvarado said. “It meant a lot to him.”
During his early years as a teacher, Milo played professional basketball for the Santa Maria Golden Dukes. He later coached basketball, football, baseball, and tennis at the schools and in the community.
Milo received his bachelor’s degree from Pepperdine University and his master’s degree from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. He is survived by his wife, Karen, and their children and grandchildren.
Board of Education applications are available in English and Spanish at the district’s website, smbsd.org, and at the district office, 708 S. Miller St., in Santa Maria.
The application consists of personal information and four essay questions. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and live in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District attendance area.
The Board of Education will hold a special meeting on July 22 at 4 p.m. to interview candidates and appoint and swear in a new board member. The new member’s term runs through November 2012, and board meetings are typically held in the evening on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month.
For more information, call the superintendent’s office at 361-8110.
This article appears in Jul 15-22, 2010.