2021 Distinguished Service Award
Edgar Montes
Board Member
Rialto Unified School District
Galvanizing educators and community members to expand educational opportunities for both students and parents is why Edgar Montes is being recognized with the 2021 Distinguished Service Award.
Advocating on behalf of children comes naturally to Montes, vice president of the Rialto Unified School District Board of Education. He tirelessly seeks to transform education through parent advocacy and community engagement. Montes is a lifelong Inland Empire small business owner and philanthropist.
He was first elected to the Rialto Board of Education in 2010. He was the youngest Mexican-American school board member elected to a Rialto School Board seat.
The election in 2010 was pivotal for another reason. Taxpayers approved Measure Y, a $98 million bond with overwhelming support for improving school infrastructure. Among other projects, bond provided
the long overdue construction funds for the Ronnie Lott Stadium and a new performing arts center at Eisenhower High School.
Montes supports parental advocacy efforts and was instrumental in developing the annual Parent Summit which is now in its 12th year. The Parent Summit focuses on equity and access for all students. He also led efforts to develop the Parent Institute, a centralized hub that provides resources, classes, strategies and information to empower parents and caregivers in Rialto Unified to effectively supplement instruction at home.
His advocacy also includes his proposal to improve outcomes for students with special needs through the Mindful Movement Sensory Center. This special space includes sensory activities and play stations that highlight inclusion opportunities for all students.
Montes has strong ties to his indigenous roots and shares cultural and traditional practices through dance. He established the Danza Azteca program to instill a sense of identity, belonging and pride for students from different ethnicities and backgrounds. He volunteers and financially supports cultural activities that enrich the community through authentic Aztec customs.
“The program is driven by its inclusivity and strong community values,” said Syedi Jafri, Communication/Media Services director in her nomination of Montes. “Mr. Montes is compassionate, selfless and magnanimous.”
According to Jafri, he has vastly improved the educational landscape at Rialto Unified during his tenure on the Board of Education. Montes embodies a community-driven spirit through his generosity and advocacy on behalf of students and families that will continue for years to come.
Chuck Christie, Ph.D.
Board Member (Retired)
Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District
Chuck Christie, Ph.D., has dedicated over 50 years of extraordinary service to public education. It is his lifetime of dedicated service that makes him a worthy recipient of the 2021 Distinguished Service Award.
Dr. Christie began his career at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) as a professor of public administration. He would go on to develop the public administration program during his 36-year tenure at the university.
While at CSUSB, he served four years as a trustee of the San Bernardino City Unified School District Board of Education. When Dr. Christie relocated to the Yucaipa area, he would go on to be elected to three, four-year terms on the School Board for Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District.
Dr. Christie also served 22 years on the San Bernardino County Committee for School District Organization. He held leadership positions on the committee for 10 years where he was instrumental in guiding the Committee through territory transfers, redistricting efforts and implementing the California Voting Rights Act which prompted election method changes from at-large to trustee areas.
“He was absolutely dedicated to supporting all of the communities in our county and going above and beyond to give his time, effort and valuable expertise to supporting the goals we have in our large county,” said Ted Alejandre. “I was fortunate to have an incredible professor in Dr. Christie who provided all of his students with detailed and focused instruction.”
Yucaipa-Calimesa school board president Mike Snellings said, “My personal experience with Dr. Christie painted him as a man with high integrity, unwavering character, and a true dedication to students and the education community. He served as a role model for me when I became a new board member, and I will forever treasure his kind spirit and insightful dialogue.”
During his 12 years on the Yucaipa-Calimesa school board he created and led initiatives such as implementing the International Baccalaureate program in the district. He also was instrumental in creating the Family Learning Center to support parents and families as well as the Linked Learning Academies to enhance learning using technology.
Dr. Christie was sought after for his expertise and served on the San Bernardino County School Boards Association as a member of the Executive Committee and on the California School Board Association’s Delegate Assembly.
Dr. Christie’s impact on public education has been immense and far-reaching and generations of students will carry his legacy of service into the future.
Jenny Owen
Director, Communications and Intergovernmental Relations
For additional information, please call 909.386.2413.
601 North E Street
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0020