Supervisor Wanted a Raise for Staff; They Got Jackpot

Victoria Hales marched into her supervisor’s office Wednesday morning and demanded a raise for her overworked, underpaid staff of child development workers at the Colton Unified School District.

A few hours later, 30 employees of the school district near San Bernardino, many of them child development workers, learned they had won the California Lottery’s $15-million jackpot.

The winners, who chose the cash option, will share a total of $7,743,016. After a 28% federal withholding tax is taken out, each will receive $185,831.

“My heart is breaking for these people; as a group they totally deserve it,� Hales, director of the child development program, said. “I know how hard they work, where they live, and how little they earn. I’m so happy for them.�

Child development worker Yolanda Martinez, 57, who teaches preschoolers, was among the lucky ones.

She was at work about 6:30 a.m. when a parent rushed into her classroom at San Salvador School and asked, “Are you the winner? I heard it was somebody from Colton who bought the ticket at R&R; Liquor!�

“Then there were waves of tears, screams and hugs across the school,� Martinez said. “Personally, I’m going to buy a nice van, then a house here in Colton.�

“Once we calm down,� she added, “we’re going to do something for the school; maybe throw a big bash for the kids.�

The group had bought 30 tickets 24 times during the last six months at nearby R&R; Liquor Store, which in 1991 sold a lottery ticket worth $15.2 million.

For Wednesday’s win, the store will get about $75,000, said lottery spokeswoman Norma Minas.

“I’m lucky, my store is lucky,� said co-owner Joo Park, 56, who sold the winning ticket to Reina Rios on Monday. “That group is pretty lucky, too.�

Hales intends to continue pressing for raises for people who, she said, are “dedicated to their jobs and community but are at the lower end of the salary scale.�