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By Martin Estacio, Victorville Valley Press
Ammie Hunter, an Adelanto Elementary School District Board of Trustees member who founded a local nonprofit aimed at helping low-income women, died Tuesday.
The district did not disclose a cause of death in a statement but said it was sudden and unexpected. She was 58.
“Ammie was a caring and thoughtful community leader who spent her time and energy for the betterment of our school district and the community,” said AESD Superintendent Kennon Mitchell.
A district spokesperson said Hunter’s family was not ready to provide a statement.
Hunter, who formerly used the last name Hines, was elected to the board in 2018. She served the residents of Region 2 in the southeastern part of Adelanto, which covers Gus Franklin Jr. STEM Academy, Melva Davis Academy of Excellence, and West Creek Elementary.
“She was a loving parent and student advocate. We will miss her caring nature and insight as well as her friendship,” said Board President Christine Turner. “On behalf of the entire school board, I extend our deepest condolences to Mrs. Hunter’s family, loved ones, and the entire High Desert community.”
Her election win roughly three years ago garnered some controversy after a group of district teachers sent a letter to the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters who expressed concerns about past legal troubles.
Records show Hunter had a welfare fraud conviction from Los Angeles County in 1999 and a string of traffic infractions in this county between 2006 and 2018, the Daily Press reported.
Hunter described the conviction as a “total misunderstanding” and questioned at the time why the Adelanto District Teachers Association’s political action committee hadn’t sent the letter until three weeks after the election.
“I’m not ashamed or embarrassed about talking about my past,” Hunter said. “If anybody had a question, I would have welcomed those discussions.”
In December that year, an anticipated protest by teachers at her swearing-in did not culminate. She was sworn in with two other members to standing applause.
Hunter moved to the High Desert in 2004 while working for the Auto Club of Southern California, according to her biography on Voter’s Edge California.
She founded the nonprofit, Another Level for Women, in 2010, which the organization says is “dedicated to providing financial, emotional, and educational support services for women in our community, particularly extremely low-income women with children.”
According to the nonprofit’s “About” section, Hunter’s struggles as an unemployed mother seeking out community resources inspired her to start the organization.
Hunter also served on the boards of several other nonprofits, including the Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County and the High Desert Food Collaborative.
The collaborative is a partnership of food providers that started in 2016 and is currently composed of 91 agencies, said Dawn Quigg, Hunter’s colleague on the collaborative’s council.
Quigg said her friend and “treasured partner” was there from the beginning.
“We valued her wisdom and passion for caring for others and will miss her deeply,” she said.
Daily Press reporter Martin Estacio may be reached at 760-955-5358 or MEstacio@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_mestacio.
