Gadsden school board gets two new members

  SAN LUIS, Ariz. - Experience and youth are the qualities that two new members pledge to bring to the Gadsden Elementary School District board.

  San Luis Municipal Judge Rosendo Morales recently swore in Rosa Isela Varela and Tadeo Azael De La Hoya as board members for 2009-2012. The new board members were elected in November and are replacing Abelina Jaime and Karole Kuefer.

  Varela is returning to the board after serving from 2000 to 2004.

  “I am more confident than when I served for the first time and I really want to help people. I want to help students and teachers and the administration,” she said.

  Aside from being a former board member, Varela was also a San Luis city council member and served on the Housing America advisory board and is part of the Community Justice Board and the Coalition of Farm Workers for the state and Yuma County.

  She said one of her goals is for “students to have a better education ... that if they are not number one in terms of academic achievement that they be at the top of the list and to support teachers and help them be better prepared.”

  De La Hoya was elected after running for office for the first time.

  “I feel privileged to have been elected. It is a great responsibility because education is one of the most important components of any community or country. I am excited,” he said.

  De La Hoya said that among his goals is to improve “technology and make sure that even if not all classrooms have it, that most of them do, and for teachers to have as many resources as they can. Another goal is to recruit highly qualified teachers especially so that students can transition from high school to college.”

 However, he stressed that one of his tasks will be to ensure that “parents, employees and the community trust the school board. That they feel good about coming to the meetings and speak to me as well as the other members and share their ideas as well as their concerns.

 “I know it will take more than the board members to accomplish this, but if we set the example and if we make better decisions, we will reach our goal."