Solana Beach board member Julie Union will not seek re-election

Solana Beach School District board member Julie Union will be stepping down from the Solana Beach School District board this fall after serving the community for 12 years. She currently holds the Area 5 seat, representing Carmel Valley.

“I’m not planning on running for another school board or office,” Union said. “I am deeply grateful for the time serving in the Solana Beach School District. It truly has been an honor and a privilege. I look forward to new adventures and will always treasure the time we have all spent together.”

Union and her husband Eric, whom she met in college at San Diego State University, moved to Carmel Valley to raise their three daughters. The girls attended Solana Santa Fe, Carmel Creek and Solana Pacific Schools and Union was eventually roped into serving as the PTA president at Carmel Creek.

In 2012, when her youngest was then in fifth grade, she was asked about running for the school board and she accepted the challenge.

“I love working together with others in support of students and building community,” said Union. “Having the opportunity to serve the whole community at the district level was exciting.”

The local School Board Collaborative: Nancy Orr (Cardiff),Marla Strich (Encinitas), Gee Wah Mok and Erica Halpern (Del Mar), Katrina Young (San Dieguito), Dana King and Julie Union (Solana Beach), and Jane Lea Smith (San Dieguito) Front row: Annette Ross (Rancho Santa Fe) and San Dieguito Superintendent.Anne Staffieri.

(Courtesy Julie Union)

In addition to serving on the board, Union is also a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for foster youth and is a dedicated tutor and mentor for the Solana Beach-based Casa de Amistad, an organization she is extremely passionate about, helping under-served students meet their academic goals in a supportive and uplifting environment.

Being a board member Union has most enjoyed her interactions with Solana Beach students— sharing lunches on campuses, hearing their insight as as well as honoring them at the annual Inspiration Awards, where students are recognized for self improvement, courage, effort, fellowship and leadership. One of her most favorite things was sixth grade promotions: “It is a wonderful reminder of our ‘why’ as students leave our district filled with hope and purpose.”

During her tenure, she saw the implementation of 2016’s $105 million Measure JJ bond which resulted in two schools being completely rebuilt (Skyline and Solana Vista) and others modernized. The next school up on the list for an upgrade is Carmel Creek, slated to begin this year.

While on the board, Union has worked under four different superintendents and has been involved in hiring three of them, most recently Superintendent Jennifer Burks, “It’s one of the most important jobs the school board has and I really appreciated the opportunity to choose a leader,” Union said.

Over the years, Union has had some sleepless nights as she wrestled over big board decisions like not building an eighth school in Pacific Highlands Ranch, bell schedules and attendance boundaries.

“School board members represent the community and the community can be divided on many different issues,” Union said. “Listening, learning different perspectives and looking for common interests is important. I often wear my past PTA hat and evaluate decisions through the lens of parent rights and desires.”

Serving as school board president during the first eight months of the COVID pandemic was one of the most stretching times of Union’s life, however, looking back, she is grateful for the way the board was able to work together to bring kids back to the classroom where they belonged.

Union has also helped unite more than just the Solana Beach board. She is the proud founder of the School Board Book Club, her “baby,” which brought board members together from San Dieguito and all five of its feeder districts including Del Mar, Encinitas, Cardiff and Rancho Santa Fe. Now known as the Board Collaborative, they meet (just two from each board at a time to comply with the Brown Act) and learn from each other by sharing best practices, visiting school campuses and checking out district initiatives.

At the April 18 meeting, Union plans to make an official announcement about not seeking re-election for one of the three available seats in November (Solana Beach’s Area 2 held by Dana King is up for election as is appointed trustee Katie Suel’s Area 3). She encourages anyone that is interested to consider stepping up to run for the board.

“There is nothing better than working together with a group of people toward a common goal and what better goal than to help our precious children succeed,” Union said.