By Olin Ericksen
Staff Writer

February 8 -- Just months into her second four-year term, School Board member Emily Bloomfield will be resigning from her post by summer to head east, The Lookout News has learned.

First elected to the school board in 2002, Bloomfield, who as board president finished first in the November 7 race for four open seats, said she plans to move with her family to Washington, D.C.

"My family will be relocating because my husband has an amazing job opportunity," Bloomfield told The Lookout Wednesday. "I don't know all the details yet, but we expect to be moving by the end of the summer probably."

The board will choose a replacement to serve until the 2008 general election after Bloomfield officially tenders her resignation.

"I want people to know that no matter what the transfer is, I'm going to be helpful and make sure the transition is smooth," she said. "I think this has been one of the most satisfying and gratifying experiences of my life."

When a board member resigns, the six remaining members must put out a request for applicants, interview them and choose a successor, said Deputy Superintendent Tim Walker.

"I've dealt with this once before in (Glendale), however that was someone who passed away," said Walker. "My understanding, though, is that it is the same process here, regardless of if someone steps down or is no longer around to finish their term."

A board appointment is far less costly than a special election, Walker said.

An election "would be an extraordinary expense for the school district," said Walker. "It costs the same for one person running as if there were seven people running."

From application to appointment, the process runs approximately 60 days, Walker said.

While fellow board members wished Bloomfield well, they said her eventual departure would be a loss for the District.

"Emily has provided leadership in the District when we were experiencing some of our greatest achievements," said School Board Vice-President Oscar de la Torre, who also was re-elected in November.

Presiding over the board during the on-going restructuring of Santa Monica High School and the struggle to close a well-documented achievement gap between minority students and their peers, Bloomfield has been an effective leader with admirable character, de la Torre said.

"She is an ethical, committed person who does her job with a passion," said de la Torre.

Listing her occupation as "Administrator/Instructor/Parent" on last year's election questionnaire, Bloomfield is also a senior economist who has worked in the poorest countries, having earned masters degrees in public administration from Syracuse University and economics from Oxford.

While running for reelection, Bloomfield listed "budgetary constraints" as the number one challenge facing schools today.

Bloomfield said she has taken an "holistic" approach towards closing the achievement gap, which board members said recent test scores indicate is narrowing.

"We've been successful in closing the student achievement gap, but it's frustrating to be leaving because there is so much left to be accomplished," she said.

Widely known in the community, Bloomfield has served as a liaison to the Childcare and Child Development and Health and Safety commissions and was PTA recording secretary and site governance representative for Roosevelt Elementary School.

As an active member of Community for Excellent Public Schools (CEPS), she lobbied for a successful 2004 agreement between the District and City to carve out at least $6 million a year in municipal funding in return for shared use of school facilities.

She most recently campaigned on behalf of Measure BB, a $268 million bond to repair the District’s facilities, which voters approved in November.

While excited for the change, Bloomfield said the move out of the city where she built a home with her husband and three children will be bittersweet.

"I just feel so rooted in the community," she said. "So many people have been so supportive of me here."

Bloomfield said the family plans to move to Washington D.C., where her husband, Dr. Byron Auguste, will accept a new job created by McKenzie & Company, the world renowned global management consulting firm he works for.

"Unfortunately, there are not as many philanthropic organizations in Los Angeles as are concentrated in Washington D.C.," she said. "While it's a great opportunity for him, it won't be easy to leave.

"Santa Monica is so supportive of education, and it's been an amazing partnership," she said.