AUHSD swears in Annemarie Randle-Trejo as new board member

The following information was released by the Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD).

Ms. Annemarie Randle-Trejo was officially sworn in Tuesday as an appointee to the Anaheim Union High School District Board of Trustees, filling the seat left vacant by the February 27 death of Mrs. Jan Harp Domene.

The swearing in followed the Board’s vote on April 27 to select Ms. Randle-Trejo from among the 13 candidates who vied for the post. She will serve until November 2012, when a special election coinciding with the consolidated election will be held to fill the balance of the term.

Following the death of Mrs. Harp Domene, the options before the Board were to call for a special election, which would have left the panel with four members until the next regularly scheduled election of November 2012, or make the provisional appointment.

Ms. Randle-Trejo has been associated with the AUHSD since 2000 when her son, Abraham, entered Ball Junior High School, and she became active in the PTA there. Her daughter, Aria, currently is a sophomore at Oxford Academy, where Ms. Randle-Trejo served last year as PTA president.

“I have a great deal of respect for Ms. Randle-Trejo and look forward to working with her to advance student learning and achievement,” said AUHSD Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth I. Novack.

In nominating Ms. Randle-Trejo for the position, Mrs. Anna L. Piercy, Board president, pointed out that she is “a tremendous supporter of the District, and not just at her daughter’s school. I’ve known her for over 10 years now and I’ve seen her level of interest in this District.”

Board Assistant Clerk Brian O’Neal concurred that Ms. Randle-Trejo’s involvement in the District has been outstanding, and he added that her appointment would be in keeping with the work Mrs. Harp Domene set out to do with boosting parent engagement.

To be appointed to the position, applicants had to be registered voters and reside within the Anaheim Union High School District. They could not be employed by the AUHSD while serving on the Board.

A longtime Anaheim resident, Ms. Randle-Trejo works for the Anaheim City School District as an instructional assistant/behavior interventionist.

Ms. Randle-Trejo said she is elated by the opportunity to serve as a Board member, although mindful that “I could never fill Jan’s shoes; that would never be my intention. I am here to be the voice of parents and represent our students and community to the best of my abilities.”

“In the 12 years that I have served the AUHSD community, I have have fallen in love with this District. I have a lot of history and institutional knowledge that I am looking forward to using to help propel us forward through these tough times into a brighter future.”

In addition to serving on the PTA unit and council executive boards, Ms. Randle-Trejo’s involvement includes being a co-chair of the Measure Z Committee; a member of several school site councils; member of the Bond Oversight Committee; the Kennedy Center for the Peforming Arts Foundation; the Buena Park Youth Theater Commission Board; and band, choir, and athletic booster club member. She also has been active in Girl Scouts for many years and is a professional singer.