Tustin : School Board Seeks Applicants for Seat

The Tustin Unified School District is looking for Tustin residents who may be interested in serving for at least one year on the school board.

One seat on the five-member board will be vacant because trustee Sally Burrage is resigning, a year after winning a four-year term.

Burrage, 53, said on Oct. 25 that her family is moving to Palm Desert, where her husband, Darrell, an accountant, has taken a job.

By state law, Burrage’s resignation will take effect Dec. 26, which is 60 days after submitting her resignation letter to county schools Supt. John F. Dean, unless the Tustin school board appoints a temporary member earlier.

Burrage, who will participate in the interviews of the applicants but will not vote, said trustees are expected to appoint somebody as early as Monday. The person who gets the job will serve until December of next year, she said.

The remaining two years of Burrage’s term will be placed on the November, 1994, ballot, officials said.

Applications are now available, district officials said. Deadline for submission is Friday On Saturday, trustees will interview the applicants and the choice may be announced on Monday. The new board member will be installed Dec. 13.

To qualify, applicants must be Tustin residents, registered voters and have time to attend board meetings, workshops and other district, county and state education-related activities.

“We love Tustin,” said Burrage, who has one son, Scott, 12, attending Columbus Tustin Middle School. “But we have no choice.”

Burrage worked full time as a school board trustee and she said she hoped the person selected to take her place will have ample time as she had.

“You have to be available and accessible to district staff, teachers, students and the community,” she said.