Julie Vandegrift, mother of six adult children, understands the needs, aspirations and challenges of families.

She was raised on a small Midwestern farm, fortified by courage and love as well as the arduous exhilaration of farm work that helped sustain her parents and 11 brothers and sisters, including one disabled sister.

After receiving a B.A. in Business Administration in 1984 at Cardinal Newman College in Florissant, Missouri, Julie married her college sweetheart and worked for five years in the financial services sector, completing studies for a Paralegal Certificate at University of San Diego in 1989.

When her first child was born in 1989, Julie left the work force and spent the next 32 years raising and homeschooling her children in Murrieta, mostly through public charter schools. Her rugged farm experience prepared her well for the perseverance and teamwork required for this endeavor.

Julie asks for your vote! As your board member, she will continue to work to maximize local control of our schools and to be responsive to the concerns of our most important stakeholders--parents, students, teachers and taxpayers.