Paramount Trustee Sandra Paisley Dies

Sandra Paisley, a member of the Paramount Unified School District board and a consultant and labor negotiator for the California Teachers Assn., died Wednesday of leukemia at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Bellflower.

Paisley, who had been ill since May, was 52.

She was an attorney who specialized in family law and performed volunteer legal services at Centro de la Raza community center in Long Beach.

Paisley had also taught in the Los Angeles Unified School District for 14 years and was serving her third four-year term on the Paramount school board. She was first elected in 1971. After being defeated in 1975, she was elected again in 1979 and 1983 and would have been up for reelection in 1987.

“Mrs. Paisley will be sorely missed for her factual and up-to-date knowledge on all state legislation affecting education,” said Paramount schools Supt. Richard B. Caldwell.

The five-member board of education, according to state law, can either appoint someone within 30 days to fill the unexpired term or call a special election in 1986, Caldwell said.

Three seats are to be filled in the Nov. 5 school board election. Two incumbents are seeking reelection but the third seat is open because trustee V. E.(Gene) French decided not to run after serving 12 years. There are 10 candidates, including the two incumbents, Shirley J. Elliott and Joseph Montoya.

A native of Boston, Paisley had lived in Paramount for more than 26 years. She was graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor of arts degree and a master’s degree from Cal State Long Beach. She had a law degree from Western State University College of Law in Fullerton.

Funeral services were scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Emmanuel Reformed Church, 15941 Virginia Ave., Paramount.

Survivors include her husband, James; a daughter, Laureen, and a son, Michael.