San Bernardino district appoints superintendent
Mauricio Arellano held the same post with Redlands schools; he starts April 17
Mauricio Arellano has been appointed superintendent of the SanBernardino City Unified School District, effective April 17.
He currently holds the same position at Redlands Unified and will succeed Harry “Doc” Ervin in San Bernardino.
Arellano, whose contract with SBCUSD runs through June 30, 2026, will earn $364,000 annually.
He earned a $313,200 base salary in 2021 in Redlands, according to Transparent California, a government and school district pay watchdog.
Board members unanimously approved his hiring Tuesday.
“Mauricio Arellano embodies the essence of everything our community asked us to find in a superintendent,” board President Scott Wyatt said in a news release. “Based on what he’s done, we believe SBCUSD can expect him to be inclusive, innovative and, most of all, effective.
“We are united and unwavering in our enthusiasm for what his leadership will mean for our students.”
A product of San Bernardino schools, Arellano began his career in education more than three decades ago as a bilingual elementary school teacher in town.
He is the son of immigrant parents from Mexico who also worked at San Bernardino schools.
In the news release, Arellano, a San Bernardino High School graduate and first generation college student, called his appointment Tuesday “an honor and a privilege” and thanked board members for putting “their trust and faith in me to lead this incredible organization.”
He added: “I am sincerely inspired to return to the district where I attended kindergarten to high school and started the first 13 years of my career serving as a teacher, principal, and director of human resources.
“Having the opportunity to return and give back to the district that gave me and my parents so much is a blessing.”
In Arellano’s five years at Redlands Unified, the district has been recognized by the state several times for its educational programs. Additionally, the district’s 2025 Excellence for All Students multiyear vision has been recognized by the National School Public Relations Association.
“Although we will surely miss him,” Redlands board President Melissa Ayala-Quintero wrote in a letter to district families, “we will not forget the positive and profound impact he has made in our district.”
There have been some challenges in Redlands, however.
Arellano, who was assistant superintendent of human resources at Palm Springs Unified for 14 years before landing in Redlands in September 2017, found himself in the hot seat within a year following a Southern California News Group investigation that revealed Redlands Unified had a history of covering up allegations of sexual abuse involving students. In the aftermath, Arellano enacted sweeping reforms within the district, including parent workshops, ramped up mandated reporter training, and implementation of the ACT (Actions Create Trust) Now initiative to enhance student safety and raise awareness with employees.
In a memo to Redlands Unified parents and community
members Wednesday, Arellano called his time as superintendent “the highlight of my career.”
“I am grateful for all of the friendships that we have built during my tenure in Redlands,” he added. “Accepting this position was not an easy decision for me and my family, but the allure for me to return back to San Bernardino and support the 47,000 students whose life experiences and stories are similar to mine
proved to be a determining factor.”
Redlands trustees will soon announce a process for hiring a new superintendent, Ayala-Quintero wrote in her letter.
In San Bernardino, Arellano intends to build on the district’s programs and initiatives and work collaboratively “to further develop creative and effective programs that meet the individual brilliance of each one of our students,” he said in the SBCUSD news release.
“It certainly takes a village to prepare our youth to be successful,” Arellano added, “therefore working
in collaboration with our union leader partners, service-oriented community groups, elected officials, parents and all other educational partners who are committed to the success of our students will be a priority.”
San Bernardino City Unified, the ninth-largest school district in the state, “has great leaders, great teachers, great support staff, great kids and great families,” he continued.
“I am excited to be a part of that greatness.”