Jim remains grateful for the opportunity to serve the students, staff, parents, and communities of Bonita Unified.  Jim has lived in the district with his wife Susie since 1988, where both their children graduated from district schools. Jim holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees, is a certified correctional healthcare professional, a certified professional executive coach, and the Chief Executive Officer for California Correctional Health Care Services. He has thirty-seven years of executive healthcare administration experience ranging from non-profit rehab hospitals to teaching practices, community clinics, and correctional healthcare delivery for the incarcerated persons in California state prisons.

 

First elected to the Bonita Unified board in 2003, he served fourteen years, was president three times, and was proud to champion Measures C and AB bond measures, which funded much-needed modernization and new construction district-wide. In 2021, the Board appointed Jim to fill a vacancy, and he was then re-elected in November of 2022 to the newly created Trustee Area 3. However, Jim remains committed to represent every student and campus throughout the district.

 

With Jim’s seventeen years of school board governance experience, his guide-star will always be his advocacy for students first and last, coupled with his laser focus on ensuring that the district has the needed resources to maintain its commitment to excellence, an eye towards improving how the district communicates effectively with all stakeholders through transparency and dialogue in an ever changing world, and most importantly, the celebration of our shared successes.

 

Although Jim’s passion remains Bonita Unified, he served the City of San Dimas as a Commissioner for seven years, was a board member and exhibition chair for the San Dimas Festival of Arts, is a life member of the San Dimas Historical Society, and since 2012, he has served as a board member, and past board chairman, for McKinley Family Services, headquartered in San Dimas. Jim also serves in partnership with the City of La Verne Ad-Hoc Committee where two board members, and two city council members meet to work on shared problems and solutions.

 

As his children grew, Jim was a member of PTA, School Site Council, little league coach, softball coach, Boy Scout leader, choir dad, water polo fan, and chaperone. And in the many years Jim worked in nearby Pomona at American Hospital, Western University, and East Valley Community health center, he served on the Pomona Chamber of Commerce board of directors, the Juneteenth Committee, was a long-time Rotarian, and he continues to be a longtime member of the San Dimas Chamber of Commerce.

 

“I take very seriously the oath a Board member makes to the office and believe strongly that public education must always be about what is best for students, and not about political agendas, or ideology. “I look forward to working with Superintendent Wien, the districts leadership, its employee groups, and my fellow board member colleagues as we take on the many challenges that lie ahead.

 

Greg lives in La Verne with his wife Joanna, an elementary school teacher.  They have two children, Taylor, who attends Ramona Middle School, and Ryan, who attends Bonita High School.   The Palattos enjoy camping, travelling, and spending nights at the field watching their children play their various team sports or sing in their school choir performances.

 

Originally born in New York, Greg came to California while in elementary school.  He received his Bachelors Degree from UCLA in Psychology with a minor in Business Administration.  He received his Masters Degree in Educational Psychology & Counseling, with a focus in Marriage & Family Therapy, and a Pupil Personnel Services Credential in School Psychology.  Greg has served as a school psychologist for over 20 years, currently working in neighboring Charter Oak USD.  He also served in leadership positions with the State Council of Education for Student Support Services, with the California Department of Education Social Emotional Learning Task Force, and engages in guest speaking for the University of La Verne Educational Psychology department.

 

Greg is very active in the community in the local area.  He is the President of the San Dimas Masonic Lodge and a founding member of the Satellite Rotary Club of Military Family Support.  He enjoys serving on the La Verne Youth & Family Action Committee, as well as with the La Verne/San Dimas Educational Foundation.  He has also enjoyed helping coach his children’s teams and sitting on their various youth sports league boards including La Verne Little League, La Verne Girls Softball Association, and San Dimas/La Verne Pop Warner Football.

 

Greg’s priorities for Bonita are to keep a positive culture among the district, to champion mental health programs & supports, broaden trades and career pathways for our students, and to keep our children safe in our schools, constantly evaluating best practices for school safety.  Greg is very thankful to be able to serve his community and share his experience of educational and mental health leadership with the Bonita USD. 

 

Greg was installed on December 11th, 2020 as a Governing Board Member.

 

Chris Ann Horsley has been elected to serve on the Bonita school board from December 2022 until December 2024. She was elected to serve for the last remaining at-large seat serving all trustee areas in Bonita Unified, and she is excited to represent both the communities of La Verne and San Dimas. Chris Ann is a recently retired educator with a track record of helping students grow and thrive in BUSD schools. She brings strong leadership skills acquired in her 32 years as a teacher, University of La Verne Adjunct Instructor, Bonita High School Dean of Students, Shull Elementary Principal, and BUSD Curriculum Director.

 

Chris Ann lives in San Dimas with her husband. Within her blended family, her husband and two of their four children benefited from attending Bonita schools. She will seek to ensure ongoing support for excellent programs, strong intervention programs, fiscal responsibility, social and emotional support for children, well-maintained and safe schools, and a school district responsive to the needs of BUSD families and children.