Jacob Alvarez, a resident of the unincorporated community of Bermuda Dunes, is the newest member of the Desert Sands Unified School District Board of Education.
Alvarez was appointed to the board by a 3-1 vote of the seated members of the board in a special meeting held on February 15, 2022. Ten candidates were interviewed and considered for the position. Following the interviews and a series of comments from the public, the board indicated their support of Alvarez noting that he brought a unique perspective as a parent, a DSUSD alumnus, and an employee of the city of Coachella. Alvarez sits on a number of committees and boards throughout the community including the Bermuda Dunes Community Council, the IID Energy Consumers Advisory Committee, and Governor’s Office of Planning and Research Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program Technical Advisory Council.
The swearing in of Trustee Alvarez took place at the February 15 regular meeting of the school board. In his statement of interest for the position he noted, “The basic purpose of public schools is to foster a learning environment where ideas, concepts, and theories can be hard, reviewed, analyzed, and discussed to foster critical thinking that promotes multiple paths to determine an answer.” Alvarez also indicated his commitment to continue the fiscally responsible policies of the district as well as the board practices to work together to address issues of importance to students, parents, staff, and the community.