Fidenzio Brunello has resigned halfway through his fifth term on the Board of Trustees for the Santa Maria-Bonita School District (SMBSD). The 14-year board member wrote in his resignation letter that he plans to spend more time with his family.
“I have decided that, at this stage in my life, I would like to spend more time with my family—children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and most important, with my wife, Jackie, who has been beside me from the very beginning,” Brunello wrote in his letter to the board.
Brunello was elected to serve his most recent term on the board starting November 2014, and he resigned on April 1 with about 2 1/2 years of that term to go.
Prior to gaining a seat on the board for the first time in 2000, Brunello worked in teaching and administrative positions for SMBSD from 1960 to 1997. He taught at El Camino Junior High, Fesler Junior High, and Robert Bruce and Miller elementary schools. He was principal of Tunnell School before becoming the coordinator for curriculum, director of instructional services, and finally assistant superintendent for instructional services—a position he held until retirement.
“I considered each and every one of those days a gift, which allowed me to work with a remarkable group of students, teachers, classified personnel, administrators, board members, and superintendents,” Brunello wrote to the board. “I hope that I have been able to give back even a portion of the many rewarding experiences afforded me during those years.”
Brunello’s absence leaves four remaining trustees, who will discuss options for his replacement at the SMBSD board meeting on April 13. The district could either hold a special public election or appoint a new board member from a group of applicants.
This article appears in Apr 7-14, 2016.