> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # School board ruled by diverse group of officials - URL: https://www.smdp.com/school-board-ruled-by-diverse-group-of-officials/ - Published: 2006-12-16T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T23:23:26.000Z - Author: Melody Hanatani - Tags: Education, Pico, #archive-import *Board approves interim report, sans CFO* SMMUSD HDQTRS. — The new school board will perhaps be known as one of the most diverse collection of officials in district history. That is what newly re-elected member Oscar de la Torre believes considering the demographics on the board, which include Barry Snell, an African-American, who was elected for the first time last month, and three Latino members, including de la Torre, Jose Escarce and Maria Leon-Vazquez. The diversity goes beyond race and eth-nicity, with representation on the board from both the low-income areas in the district (Pico neighborhood) to the wealthier sections (Malibu). “It’s just an extremely diverse board,” de la Torre said on Friday. De la Torre was elected as the new vice president of the school board on Thursday, the new board’s first full regular session meeting. In one of the most exciting items on the mild agenda, de la Torre was unanimously elected as the vice president, replacing Kathy Wisnicki who was unanimously selected as the new president. Fellow school board member Emily Bloomfield nominated Wisnicki for president, an expected choice considering she has been running the meetings in the past month in former President Julia Brownley’s absence. Brownley was recently elected to represent the 41st district in the State Assembly. The motion for Wisnicki was seconded by de la Torre. Snell nominated de la Torre to serve as the next vice president, and Escarce seconded his motion. After the new officers were elected, the remaining members drew numbers from a basket to receive the seating order for the next year. With the members shuffling around, it was a scene similar to the game of musical chairs. In the two minutes of chaos, school board members greeted their new neighbors, and de la Torre and Wisnicki exchanged a hug. When the dust cleared, the seating arrangement on the dais from the audience’s left to right was Scarce, new member Kelly Pye who didn’t budge, Leon-Vazquez, Bloomfield, Snell, de la Torre and Wisnicki. “I’m really excited to begin the work of this next year and it’s really a good feeling to have the confidence of the other members of the board and I look forward with working with all of them and my new vice president,” Wisnicki said on Friday. De la Torre echoed the sentiment, saying he was “honored to have the privilege of earning the trust of my colleagues and the board.” “This means I have more work on my plate and will be much more engaged in moving the district forward,” he said. The board also appointed members to serve as district representatives on various Los Angeles County committees. Snell will serve as the district representatives on the Los Angeles County School Trustees Association, and Pye will serve on the Los Angeles County Committee on School District Organization. “This is an easy one,” Wisnicki said of the LACCSD during the meeting.“I did this and I never heard from anyone.” Superintendent Dianne Talarico has conducted two interviews to find an interim replacement for Winston Braham who resigned last month as the assistant superintendent of business services and chief financial officer. Braham resigned from his post immediately citing personal reasons. Talarico is also seeking potential candidates from the state and employment firms. Braham was employed in the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District for about two years and resigned at a time when the district was preparing to submit its first interim fiscal report to the county. At Thursday’s meeting, the board approved the first interim report, which doesn’t include information about a 5 percent teacher salary raise the board has yet to ratify. In Braham’s absence, the report was prepared by Pat Ho, director of fiscal services, and Angelita Dalan, assistant director of fiscal services. Financial Oversight Committee Chairman Paul Silvern said the district is sure to receive a positive certification from the LA County Office of Education since the first interim shows SMMUSD will be able to meet its financial obligation looking three years ahead. All that could change if the board approves the 5 percent teacher salary raise next month. Talarico is planning to assemble a search team for a permanent replacement, who will most likely come on board after the end of this fiscal year. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 16, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/121606.pdf?ref=smdp.com)