Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

INCUMBENT Filipino American Mark Pulido was re-elected November 3 to the Board of Education of the ABC Unified School District, made up of the Artesia, Bloomfield, and Carmenita School Districts. The ABC Unified School District serves the cities of Artesia, Cerritos, Hawaiian Gardens, as well as portions of Lakewood, Long Beach, and Norwalk.

Mark Pulido received the highest number of votes of 24 percent. A new challenger, James Kang, got the second highest vote at nearly 21 percent, displacing incumbent David Montgomery. Another incumbent, Olympic Chen, garnered around 20 percent.

Pulido told Asian Journal he is honored to be re-elected, and he thanked his supporters, for giving him the opportunity to serve his third term in the school board.

"I will get right back to the work of the school board. We will make sure we all get through this most difficult financial situation. I will continue to work hard to give our students in the district the best education," Mark said. "As a product of the ABC school system and a parent of a current student in the district, I know how important education is. It’s a great opportunity for me to be able to give back to my hometown community by serving in the school board," Pulido said.

Mark Pulido was elected without opposition in November 2001 - a first in district history. A Cerritos resident for 35 years, he and his wife Gloria Perlas Pulido are graduates of ABC schools: Mark attended Wittmann Elementary and Whitney High; Gloria attended Burbank Elementary and Whitney High. Their daughter currently attends elementary school in the ABC district.

Mark works for the California Legislature as the District Director for our local State Senator Alan Lowenthal. Mark has volunteered in the local community for many years. He coached Pee Wee soccer, served as a day camp counselor, served on the Whitney Foundation and helped establish the Whitney Alumni Association. Mark served as UCLA Student Body President where he earned his Bachelor degree in History and Asian American Studies. He also served as an after-school tutor, college recruiter, and established a peer counseling program. Mark also holds a Master of Public Policy degree from The University of Chicago.

The ABC Unified School District is governed by a seven member Board of Education and includes nineteen elementary schools, five middle schools, three comprehensive high schools, a college prep 7-12 school, a continuation high school, infant/children centers, extended-day care, and adult school. The diverse ethnicity of the community is reflected in the population which is American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian, African American, Filipino, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, Portuguese, and White.

Mark said that having served in the board since 2001 has given him the chance to improve the local schools. "I am proud of the academic success we have achieved together. In fact, ABC’s score on the California Academic Performance Index (API) is at an all-time high of 814! We exceeded the state goal of 800 and are far ahead of the state and county averages. We did it with our wonderful students, top-notch teachers, involved parents and modernized schools. That is why I believe we can do even better to keep ABC moving forward in these challenging times," said Pulido. (AJPress)