Alisal Union Board appoints Jesus Velasquez as provisional trustee for Area 5 after interviews and unanimous 3–0 vote

The Alisal Union School District on Feb. 25 appointed Jesus Velasquez as provisional trustee for Trustee Area 5 after a public interview and a unanimous 3–0 vote by the three board members present. Board President Guadalupe Guillermo moved to appoint Velasquez; Clerk Leticia Garcia seconded the motion and the board recorded the vote as 3–0 with Trustee Robert Ocampo absent and one vacancy remaining.

The appointment followed separate, timed interviews of two eligible applicants. Rosa Rodriguez told the board she sought the seat to "work with the families, the students, the community" and said she would be involved regularly at schools. Jesus Velasquez, who described himself as recently retired with prior experience as a teacher, vice principal and principal, told trustees he had time to serve and emphasized his governance experience.

Velasquez raised school safety and traffic as a concern, telling the board the current pick-up and drop-off patterns "are an accident waiting to happen" and urging action to reduce hazardous turning and congestion near campus entrances. Several trustees cited that concern during deliberations as an example of issues a provisional trustee might need to address.

District counsel informed the board that a provisional appointment requires a majority of the full board—three of five members—so the three members present needed to vote unanimously to finish the appointment that night. Counsel also said the board had options if it did not reach agreement, including seeking assistance from the county office of education or reopening the application and interview process within the overall 60‑day deadline for provisional appointments.

Trustees said Velasquez’s prior school leadership and governance experience weighed heavily in their decision. "He's been a teacher, a vice principal, he's been a principal. He has a lot of experience," one trustee said during deliberations, citing the board's scoring sheet and the district's need for an experienced member for the coming nine months.

After the roll call vote, the board administered the oath of office; Velasquez repeated the oath to support and defend the U.S. and California constitutions and to "well and faithfully discharge the duties" of his office. Board members encouraged Rodriguez to remain engaged and to consider running in the November election.

Earlier in the meeting the board adopted the agenda and confirmed the interview logistics: candidates would be interviewed in alphabetical order, each would have up to 20 minutes with a five‑minute warning from staff, and candidates would wait in a separate room while interviews were underway.

The board listed future meeting dates and adjourned at 6:26 p.m.