Incumbents win Del Mar, San Dieguito school board races

The incumbents carried the day in two local school board elections.

In the San Dieguito Union High School District, board members Beth Hergesheimer and Joyce Dalessandro retained their seats on the board. Among a contested race of five candidates, Hergesheimer received 32.66 percent of the vote and Dalessandro received 31.88 percent.

Hergesheimer has been on the board since 2004 and currently serves as board president. Dalessandro has been a member of the SDUHSD board since 1996 and currently serves as vice president.

“I am so grateful for the dedication, support and encouragement we have received from our whole community. It has been a humbling experience,” Dalessandro said. “It is wonderful to know that our efforts on behalf of all of our students is valued by so many. We will continue to strive to get better and better all the time.”

In the Del Mar Union School District, incumbents Erica Halpern and Darren Gretler were also elected.

Halpern received 45.12 percent of the vote and Gretler received 27.95 percent. Challenger Steven Cochrane finished with 26.92 percent.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to further serve students, teachers, parents and the community.We look forward to continuing to engage with the community with a high level of transparency and collaboration,” Gretler said. “Supporting and advocating for smart policies and decisions to ensure student success is the ultimate goal.”

This was the first election for both trustees as both were appointed to the board as replacements for departing board members in 2015.

“We are truly fortunate to live in a community where so many parents, teachers and community members do so much to make our schools the wonderful places they are for kids to grow and learn,” Halpern said. “Serving on the school board is our way of giving back, and we are honored that the voters have put their trust in us.”