School Boards Matter: 2026 Candidate Guide

Public schools shape our communities, and school boards shape our public schools. To help voters make informed decisions in the upcoming election, JUST Education Collective and San Diego Families for Liberation invited candidates running for school board seats across San Diego County to share their visions, priorities, and commitments to our students and school communities.

Every candidate in every district received the exact same standardized questionnaire. Below, you will find their unedited responses as provided to us (except for length where the 200 word limit was exceeded).

Please note: We do not endorse candidates, score responses, or fact-check submitted answers for accuracy.

School board elections directly impact whether our schools are places where ALL students can thrive, regardless of immigration status, gender, neurodiversity, ability, race, or background. We encourage voters to read between the lines, cross-reference candidate platforms, and do further research to ensure the leaders you elect truly reflect values of equity, justice, inclusive learning, and an commitment to teaching accurate history.

CARDIFF CANDIDATES

Michele 'Misha' DiBono

Declined To Participate / Did Not Respond

Ashok Swaminathan

Declined To Participate / Did Not Respond

Shad Thielman

Declined To Participate / Did Not Respond

DEL MAR CANDIDATES

Stephen Cochrane

Declined To Participate / Did Not Respond

Katherine Fitzpatrick

Declined To Participate / Did Not Respond

Alan Kholos

What do you see as the greatest challenges facing public school districts over the next several years?

I think the greatest challenge facing our public schools over the next several years is fiscal sustainability in the face of declining enrollment. Rising housing costs across California have pushed many young families out of the state, and Del Mar Union has felt that shift directly. At the same time, state funding is tied closely to enrollment, which puts real pressure on programs that matter most, including special education, mental health support, and enrichment like STEAM+. Boards will need to make hard budget decisions in the years ahead, and I believe the right response is disciplined, transparent budgeting that protects the programs our most vulnerable students depend on first, rather than spreading cuts evenly and hoping for the best.

How should school boards respond to increasing political polarization, censorship efforts, attacks on policies/programs aimed at supporting marginalized students, and declining trust in public education?

School boards do their best work when they stay focused on students and let evidence, not politics, drive decisions. I have watched school board meetings around the country become flashpoints for national political fights that have very little to do with what is actually happening in a classroom. My approach is to keep the board's attention on outcomes for kids, defend programs that support marginalized students based on the data showing they work, and be transparent with families about what the district is doing and why. Trust is rebuilt through consistency and follow through, not slogans. When a board is honest with its community, shows its work, and follows through on what it says it will do, most families respond to that regardless of where they sit politically.

How would you work to ensure that all students, including students from historically marginalized communities, feel safe, supported, respected, and able to fully participate in school? What role should school boards play in creating inclusive school cultures?

I believe school boards set the tone for inclusion through the structures they build, not just the statements they make. On the DMUSD board, I helped establish a district wide council for families of children with disabilities, giving them a direct channel to the Superintendent and the Board to shape how the IEP process actually works for their kids. I think that same model, building a real structure for families and students who have historically been left out of the conversation to be heard regularly, not just during a crisis, is how boards create school cultures where every student feels safe, supported, and able to participate fully. That means clear anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies, staff training that is actually followed up on, and holding administrators accountable for how those policies play out in practice.

Educator burnout, staffing shortages, and retention challenges continue to affect schools across California. What do you believe districts should do to better support and retain teachers, counselors, classified staff, and other school employees?

Teachers, counselors, and classified staff are the reason our schools work, and I do not think districts have done enough to treat retention as the crisis it is. I have focused on responsible budgeting specifically so that we can protect class sizes and staffing levels rather than balancing budgets on the backs of the people doing the work closest to our kids. Beyond compensation, I think districts need to reduce the administrative burden on teachers, involve staff directly in decisions that affect their classrooms, and take staff mental health as seriously as we take student mental health. I am proud that my collaborative approach on the board earned the endorsement of the Del Mar California Teachers Association, and I intend to keep making decisions with staff at the table, not just informed after the fact.

Student achievement data often reflects persistent disparities based on race, income, disability, language access, housing instability, and other factors. What strategies or priorities would you support to improve student outcomes while also addressing underlying inequities?

Closing outcome gaps starts with being honest about where they exist and why, and then targeting resources instead of spreading them evenly. On our board, that meant looking closely at how our special education program was actually serving families, reducing legal costs that were not helping kids, and redirecting that focus toward a family council that keeps us accountable to the students who need the most support. I think that same approach, using data to find where students are being underserved because of income, disability, language access, or housing instability, and then building specific programs and support systems around what that data shows, is how districts make real progress rather than just talking about equity. It also means making sure language access and family engagement are not an afterthought for families navigating the system in a second language.

Schools are increasingly navigating questions related to technology, artificial intelligence, social media, student privacy, and digital safety. What principles should guide district decisions around technology use while ensuring students are both prepared for the future and protected from harm?

My background is in engineering, technology, and corporate compliance, so I take student data privacy seriously, both as a parent and as a policymaker. I think districts need clear, board approved policies on how technology and AI tools are evaluated before they reach a classroom, with real privacy protections built in from the start rather than added after a problem shows up. At the same time, I do not think the answer is to keep students away from tools they will need to understand for their futures. The goal should be thoughtful, age-appropriate integration, real digital literacy education so students understand how their data is used, and ongoing input from teachers and families, not just vendors, in deciding what belongs in our classrooms.

How should school districts ensure that all students, regardless of background, identity, ability, or zip code, have equitable access to high-quality academic programs, mental health supports, extracurricular opportunities, and pathways to college and careers?

Equity of access across a district only happens when a board treats it as a budget priority, not a hope. Some of our school sites have more parent fundraising capacity than others, and if a board is not deliberate about it, that gap becomes a gap in what students actually receive. I think districts need to fund enrichment programs like STEAM+, mental health support, and extracurriculars at the district level so that every school site has access regardless of what its parents can raise, and to track that access by school so gaps are visible instead of hidden in an average. The same principle applies to career pathways. Every student deserves a clear path forward, not just the students at schools with the most resources behind them.

School board members must balance their duty to act in the best interest of students and the families they represent with the practical realities of overseeing a district's operations and finances. How do you plan to communicate with your constituents to understand their needs and priorities? What steps will you take to follow through and verify that what the district reports is actually being implemented as promised?

I attend regular round tables with PTA presidents from every one of our schools specifically so I would hear directly from families rather than relying only on what comes up through official channels, and I plan to keep that practice going. When it comes to verifying that the district is actually doing what it says, I bring a business governance background to this work. I meet routinely with the Superintendent to review progress against the district's stated priorities, and I believe boards should ask for specific, measurable updates rather than accepting general assurances that a program is working. If a district commits to a policy or a program, the board's job is to keep checking that it is being implemented as promised, and to ask hard questions when the results on the ground do not match the report.

For more about Alan, visit: https://kholos4dmusd.com/

Douglas Rafner

Declined To Participate / Did Not Respond

ENCINITAS CANDIDATES

Jillian Cocayne

What do you see as the greatest challenges facing public school districts over the next several years?

Budget pressure. Encinitas Union is a basic aid district, funded mostly by local property taxes, which cushions us against a trend we cannot control: smaller families, and young families priced out of North County. But our per-student spending sits just below average, so every change in state and federal money is felt, and Sacramento keeps sending mandates without funding them. Federal voucher schemes worry me most. They move money out of public schools and into private schools many of our families can’t afford. A board that keeps a long view avoids panicked cuts, which always land hardest on the students with the greatest need.

Schools as a culture war battleground. We have a federal government that treats inclusion itself as suspect, and organized outside groups pushing book challenges and curriculum fights into districts that were not having those arguments locally. This is not a community disagreement. It is imported, and it costs districts enormous time and goodwill.

Keeping good people. Burnout is real, and the cost of living here makes it worse. We need to keep good teachers and staff in the district and make sure we aren’t short on exactly the specialties our most vulnerable students depend on.

Encinitas Union has adopted inclusive practices and takes steady criticism online for it. We should stay the course. A board that reverses an inclusion policy under pressure has not restored peace. It has told organized opposition that pressure works, and told the children the policy protects where they rank.

Tone is where these fights usually go wrong. Outrage answered with outrage feels righteous and rarely helps the student. I have been very close to a child going through a gender transition, and the loudest defense is not always the most protective one. When a child becomes the subject of a public battle, that child is less safe afterward. I would defend the policy forcefully in general terms and protect the individual child by refusing to make them the illustration.

Most lost trust here is procedural: people do not know what the board decided or why. Agendas carry dozens of separate documents, presentations often appear only after the meeting, and the language is technical. Rumor fills the gap. I want a plain-language explanation of every decision, published promptly, and trustees who are reachable. A district that explains itself is much harder to caricature.

Boards do not run school culture day to day. They set policy, approve the budget that staffs it, and decide what gets measured, and what gets measured gets attention. That role is narrower than people expect, and more powerful.

Fund inclusion, do not just declare it. My district runs two weeks of Inclusion in Action, holds cultural celebrations year-round, and works to keep the curriculum equivalent across our Spanish immersion and English classrooms rather than letting them become two schools inside one. That takes staff time and money, which the board provides.

Take slurs seriously at the age they start. Children use hate speech long before they understand it, and uncorrected, it becomes ordinary. I want those incidents counted and reported to the board, with racist and anti-LGBTQ+ slurs named specifically rather than folded into one bullying number, plus age-appropriate teaching about why they cause harm.

Close the belonging gap for families, not only students. A parent who cannot read the newsletter, or who fears who is waiting outside the school, will not participate. We have had ICE arrests within sight of children walking to school. Our community liaisons keep vulnerable families connected and should be protected in every budget.

Start by being honest: a district cannot pay its way out of the North County cost of living on its own. That is not a reason to stop trying. It means compensation has to be paired with everything else that makes a job sustainable.

Reduce the load that has nothing to do with teaching. Duplicate data entry, overlapping platforms, meetings that could have been a document. Every new initiative should arrive with an honest accounting of what it will cost teachers in time, and for every task added one should be removed.

Give staff real authority over their tools. Software adopted over teachers' objections and then mandated is a reliable source of burnout. Teachers need a real voice in what is chosen and a real route to say a tool is not working.

Treat classified staff as staff, not overhead. Instructional assistants, custodians, food service, office and IT staff are not a line to trim when money is short. Many work most closely with our most vulnerable students, who need the consistency of seeing the same faces year after year. Moving more of them onto full-time contracts with benefits will improve needed retention.

Our English learner outcomes could be better, and they are not consistent from school to school. I have a hypothesis I want tested: that English learners are not being reached properly by the special education department. Language acquisition and learning disability look alike to an untrained eye, in both directions. A child can be identified with a disability when they are simply still learning English, and a child with a real disability can go unidentified for years because the adults attribute everything to language. Both are failures, and both stay invisible unless someone is actively looking into it.

Outside the classroom, our community liaisons do remarkable work with our most vulnerable families, on attendance, housing instability, food insecurity, and fear of institutions. Their caseloads keep growing. The research is consistent that this kind of support is among the most effective ways to keep a struggling student in school. The district needs to invest to keep pace, and the board should be looking for ways to grow the program rather than asking it to absorb more needs with the same number of people.

I have four principles.

Technology has to add to a teacher's ability to teach. If technology substitutes for a teacher, or exists mainly to generate data for adults, it does not belong in an elementary classroom.

Students are not the product. We should handle AI better than we handled one-to-one devices, which arrived without teacher input or a plan for using them. No application belongs in our schools if student work or data is sold or brokered, or if children can be advertised to. The contracts should say so, and someone should read them. That is board-level work, and reading documents like that is what I did for twenty years.

Transparency by default. I want a published inventory of every application on student iPads, easy for parents to find. Each should answer three questions: What learning goal does it serve? Is there evidence it works? Who is accountable for using it well? If we cannot answer all three, it does not belong on the device.

Sensible limits. I support keeping personal phones and smart watches put away during the school day, storing iPads off the desk when not in use, and never using screen time as a reward.

Equal access means recognizing that we do not all start from the same place, and then acting so everyone can succeed together. In K-6, every child should be given a strong foundation and not sorted into a pathway too soon. It is also an operational commitment that hinges on basic questions.

Is the program actually available, or available in name only? If enrichment happens after school and there is no transportation, it is only available to families with a parent free at 2:20. If it charges a fee and the waiver is embarrassing to ask for, it is only available to families who can pay. If the signup form exists only in English, it is only available to English-speaking families. Nearly every access barrier I have seen in schools is that mundane, and that fixable.

Is it the same at all nine campuses? Quality drifting from school to school is how a district manufactures inequity inside its own boundaries. Trustees should ask for school-level comparisons, not district averages, which are very good at hiding a problem. Much of our enrichment is PTA-funded, site by site, which makes a challenge that can exist outside the regular buses.

On listening. I have held open Community Coffees throughout this campaign, and as a trustee I would keep regular, publicly posted office hours: a standing time and place where anyone can find me without having to learn how to speak at a board meeting. I would much rather hear a complaint early and informally than at public comment after it has hardened. I also want to reach the families who never come to a board meeting, which means meeting them at school events, English Learner Advisory Committee meetings, the Special Education Parent Council coffees, site visits.

On verification. I serve on the Citizens' Bond Oversight Committee for Measure Z, our $158.3 million facilities bond, so I already read change orders, the documents where what was promised and what is being built quietly part ways. What I would ask for is simple. When the district commits to something, record it with an owner, a date, and a description of what done looks like. Then put it back on an agenda on that date and report against whether or not it went well. That follow-up creates accountability that will ensure we continue to have a well run district.

For more about Jillian, visit: • www.jillian4eusd.com

Michelle Clark

Declined To Participate / Did Not Respond

Marika Dixon

What do you see as the greatest challenges facing public school districts over the next several years?

Our greatest challenge is rebuilding trust between parents and teachers, while raising academic and behavioral expectations.

Children are capable of far more than we sometimes expect of them. They need knowledge, challenge, boundaries and real consequences. They need to learn that effort matters, mistakes are part of learning, and they have agency over their future.

We also need to address the youth mental-health crisis. Schools should focus less on constantly changing wellness trends and more on proven foundations: strong academics, meaningful PE and movement, friendships, belonging, less social media and screen exposure, and adults who provide structure and stability.

Our job is not to prepare the world for children. It is to prepare children for the world.

Schools should bring children together, not become another political battlefield. Every child deserves to feel safe, respected and supported, but we should not divide students into smaller groups based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability or mental-health labels. Our students come from many different backgrounds, but in American public schools we should unite them around shared human values that shaped our country and Western civilization: individual freedom, equality under the law, personal responsibility, critical thinking, respect for others and service to our community.

Boards rebuild trust by being transparent, welcoming different viewpoints, respecting parents and teachers, and keeping schools focused on education rather than ideology. Every child belongs, and what unites us should always be greater than what divides us.

Every child should walk into school knowing: I belong here, I am capable, and I will be treated with dignity.

We should never tolerate bullying or discrimination. Children who need additional support should receive it based on their individual needs. Schools should celebrate students for their character, effort, kindness, courage, achievement and service to others - not primarily categorize them by race, gender, disability or other identities.

Children need something larger than themselves to belong to. Our schools should build common purpose around respect, responsibility and service.

Different backgrounds should enrich the community, not divide it into separate tribes. We can recognize our differences while teaching children that what they share matters more.

Let teachers teach and bring their authority back into the classroom.

Teachers need manageable classrooms, adequate staffing, fewer unnecessary meetings and administrative demands, respect from families and time to actually prepare and teach.

Most importantly, teachers need their authority restored in the classroom. Expectations should be clear, and repeated serious misbehavior should have consistent consequences. A teacher cannot effectively teach 25 or 30 children while constantly managing disruptive behavior.

Parents have responsibilities too. Schools cannot do everything. Parents need to support attendance, homework, respect, effort and appropriate behavior at home.

Teachers should know that when they establish reasonable expectations, parents, administrators and the board will stand behind them.

Start with the individual child. A child’s race, income, disability or circumstances should never determine how much we expect from them. Lowering expectations for disadvantaged children does not empower them - it limits them. Who are we to decide what a child cannot achieve because of where they started?

Children need different levels of support, but they all deserve high expectations. English learners need strong language instruction, students with learning disabilities need targeted support and appropriate accommodations, and children ready for more need greater challenge.

School should be the place where, regardless of what is happening at home or in a child’s life, adults say: We believe in you. You are capable. We will support you, but we will also push you, because effort matters and you can do hard things. That builds agency - the belief that your circumstances may shape where you start, but they do not have to determine where you finish. That is real equity.

Especially in elementary school, childhood should come before technology. I support no personal phones, smartwatches or social media during the school day and far less reliance on screens for learning.

Children learn through books, handwriting, conversation, movement, memorization and problem-solving. Technology and AI can be powerful tools, but children must first build knowledge and critical-thinking skills themselves. You cannot judge whether AI is wrong if you do not have the knowledge to question it.

Technology should support learning - not replace teachers, relationships, handwriting or independent thinking.

Start with an excellent education for every child.

Every school should offer strong academics, effective teachers, meaningful PE, safe classrooms and opportunities for children who need additional support as well as those ready for greater challenge.

Support should follow individual need rather than assumptions based on identity.

Schools also have an important role in children's well-being: creating structure, belonging, friendships, physical activity, purpose and adults they trust. But schools should recognize their limits. Clinical mental-health care belongs with qualified professionals working with families; schools should not try to replace parents or healthcare providers.

And success should not mean only college. Children have different strengths. We should prepare them for college, trades, entrepreneurship, careers and responsible adulthood.

The goal is opportunity: give every child strong foundations and the ability to choose his or her own path.

Listen, verify and report back.

I want regular opportunities to hear directly from parents, teachers, classified employees and students - not only when there is a controversy.

When the district conducts parent or staff surveys, results should be published clearly. People deserve to know what was heard, what decision was made and why.

As a board member, I would not rely only on presentations and reports. I would ask questions, examine data, visit schools, talk with the people doing the work and compare what the board approved with what is actually happening in classrooms.

My business background taught me that approving a plan is not the same as implementing it successfully.

Transparency also requires being willing to say when something isn't working. The board's responsibility is not to defend every past decision. It is to learn, correct course when necessary and remain accountable to the families and community it serves.

Christine Hargrave

What do you see as the greatest challenges facing public school districts over the next several years?

Over the next several years, school districts will continue to focus on developing policies on technology usage within and outside of classrooms. In elementary classrooms, school districts will evaluate the kind of technology that is being used and the impact it has on student learning outcomes. Additionally, school districts will continue to evaluate the effectiveness of online educational programs and the impact these programs have on student achievement. In secondary schools, districts will continue to monitor the use of AI in all aspects of the learning environment; learning, research, and how it is used during the assessment of student learning.

Additionally, school districts must continue to analyze student achievement data to ensure that all students are learning grade level standards in all subjects. There should be a laser-like focus to narrow achievement gaps between English learners and fluent English speakers, students of color and white students, and students with disabilities and students without disabilities. As long as these disparities remain, marginalized students will leave school without the knowledge, skills, and habits of mind they need to be productive and active members of society. For students who perform below grade level, schools must evaluate where the gaps are and how to target instruction to close those gaps.

How should school boards respond to political polarization, censorship efforts, attacks on policies/programs aimed at supporting marginalized students, and declining trust in public education?

I believe school districts must develop policies and procedures that protect students’ whom others may target because of their religious beliefs, sexual orientation, socioeconomic level, or ethnicity. We have a moral obligation to provide every student with a proven and effective education in the public school system, regardless of their socioeconomic level, sexual orientation, gender or ability. Special interest groups who attempt to thwart these efforts should be publicly held accountable for the inappropriate and egregious comments they make towards students they deem unequal. Students should be treated fairly, respectfully, and kindly and their rights to a free and appropriate education should be protected. There is no place for censorship, book banning, or marginalizing students' freedoms to choose who they are and what they believe.

How would you work to ensure that all students, including students from historically marginalized communities, feel safe, supported, respected and able to fully participate in school. What role should school boards play in creating inclusive school cultures?

Schools must recognize and celebrate the diversity of all students and staff members. Campus’ should create a climate that welcomes and celebrates diversity and inclusivity as the culture of the school. Additionally, curriculum and courses should be developed reflect the diversity all students bring to campus which means adopting curriculum and providing resources that are culturally responsive, relevant and represents the history and culture of every student. Schools and districts are responsible for developing policies that create cultures on campus that are based on mutual respect, tolerance, and accepting of ideas that may be different from the mainstream.

Additionally, schools should provide opportunities for all students to participate in sports, arts, and extracurricular activities and events that are relevant and engage students’ intellect and creativity. Many schools offer mentor programs for students to learn about leadership opportunities within the community which helps students realize that their actions can impact the school and community. School districts must develop policies and procedures that create safe environments for all students’ academics as well as their social emotional development.

Educator burn out, staffing shortages, and retention challenges continue to reflect schools across California. What do you believe schools should do to better retain teachers, counselors, and other school employees?

Teacher burn out, staffing shortages, and retention challenges are the realities in many schools across California. Unfortunately, schools in high poverty areas experience more burnout, staffing shortages than districts in higher socioeconomic areas. School districts must do a better job of recruiting exceptional teachers from local colleges and universities. Also, it benefits the schools if they partner with universities on teacher education and development to ensure that student teachers’ are familiar with the curriculum and resources that are available for classroom use. Once teachers are hired, they must be provided with orientation workshops that will help them prepare their classroom environment and create structures and supports that align with students’ physical as well as academic needs. Ideally, ongoing support by mentor teachers should be provided throughout the year with frequent opportunities for them to observe lessons and provide feedback. Also, site administrators are a critical component to supporting all teachers but especially new teachers in particular through classroom observations and feedback. And it’s beneficial for teachers to observe other successful teachers and work side-by-side with them to understand how teachers develop successful lessons and instructional strategies. Districts should provide incentives for teachers and counselors to participate in professional development, coaching, and workshops to support teacher efficacy and knowledge about effective instruction and assessment tools. All employees would benefit from having a work environment that is clean, safe, attractive and welcoming. Along with good health benefits and opportunities for growth and development.

Student achievement data often reflects persistent disparities based on race, income, language access, housing instability and other factors. What strategies or supports would you support to improve student outcomes while also addressing underlying inequities?

To begin with, we need to ensure that we recruit the best qualified teachers that teach in schools that serve students in poverty. And there should be incentives for teachers to serve in high-poverty areas. Some districts were able to provide more affordable housing and cheaper home loans for teachers who worked in the communities where they taught. Additionally, teachers should be provided with weekly professional development opportunities to work in grade level teams to; plan instruction and assessments, develop lessons, research effective teaching strategies, and analyze student work for evidence of student learning. Hiring coaches to work side-by-side with teachers while their planning lessons and instruction has proven to have a positive effect on student achievement.

Also, we need to be responsive to students’ emotional development when their parents are working two or three jobs to keep their families afloat, when there are food insecurities, and families are without permanent housing. All of these factors create conditions where students feel unsafe and unsettled. Schools serving students in high poverty areas need to have more counselors, nurses, and community agencies who can support families who are in crises. Also, we need to provide free before and after school child care in every community to ensure that students are cared for while their parents are working.

Schools are increasingly navigating questions related to technology, artificial intelligence, social media, and digital safety. What principles should guide district decisions around technology use, while ensuring students are both prepared for the future and protected from harm?

Currently, schools are reporting that it is very difficult for professionals to detect when students are using Artificial Intelligence to complete written assignments. Schools are experimenting with on demand assessments in classrooms and offline to ensure their work is authentic. School Boards will need to diligently monitor and develop policies about how technologies will be utilized in classrooms. I believe policies about social media usage within schools must be age appropriate and fully address how and when it’s appropriate. Social media has caused harm in most schools when students are the target of bullying and negative comments about how they look or what they believe. School discipline policies should clearly delineate what the expectations are for student behavior and the use of social media.All students should be provided with the grade level lessons designed to educate students on how to assess the reliability and validity of information they read and see on the Internet. Additionally, students should learn about bias and how to assess what they read, see, or hear to recognize bias and which point of views are missing. The goal of any board is to ensure that students are protected from predatory online behavior and becoming targets because of their sexual orientation, race, or beliefs. Ensuring that students have access to advanced technologies that will allow them to broaden their education, while at the same time keeping them safe, will be a challenge for all school boards for years to come.

How should districts ensure that all students, regardless of background, identity or zip code have equitable access to high-quality programs, mental health supports, extra curricular opportunities and access to college and careers?

All school districts must ensure that every student has access to high-quality educational experiences, mental health supports, robust extra curricular programs and access to college and career pathways, regardless of where they live. School boards must align resources equitably across schools to ensure that all students have opportunities to enroll in advanced course work, participate in athletic, academic, art, drama, and music programs. School boards need to conduct audits to ensure all schools are maintained to the same high standards.

School Board members must balance their duties to act in the best interest of students and families they represent with the practical realities of overseeing district’s operations and finances. How do you plan to communicate with your constituents to understand their needs and priorities? What steps will you take to follow through and verify with what the distinct reports are actually being implemented as promised?

The Superintendent provides monthly check-ins with board members to ensure they know what issues have been raised with the superintendent, all budgetary agenda items, review calendar events, schedule classroom observations, follow up with all mandated state and federal requirements, and all operations as they relate to running a school district. The new School Board will participate in workshops following the election to ensure all new and returning board members understand their role and responsibility in overseeing schools’ operations and finances. The Superintendent provides a monthly summary of all school activities, and updates from each area assistant superintendent on budget, finance, curriculum and instruction, human resources, and technology. Board meetings are in person and anyone can request to speak to the board before the regular meeting convenes. Board members have the responsibility to verify the information is factual and that we follow up to ensure expenditures align with school and classroom needs, board policy, contracts, and Prop Z school improvement projects. Board members will conduct monthly school site visitations to observe how dollars are supporting teaching and learning in classrooms and monitor the progress of Prop Z building projects.

Jorge Sanchez

Declined To Participate / Did Not Respond

Bill Shen

1. What do you see as the greatest challenges facing public school districts over the next several years?

The first is technology, and specifically finding the grade-appropriate use of it. EUSD has been putting devices in children’s hands since 2012, and it is time for a detailed audit of what we spend on technology, how student data is secured and kept private, and what all of it has actually done for student outcomes. I have called for no iPads in kindergarten through second grade, and for phased and purposeful use in the upper grades. Every district is being asked this question right now, and I would rather we answer it with our own evidence.

The second is staffing. It is expensive to live here. Our teachers feel it and our classified staff feel it more, and no district strategy survives an inability to attract and keep good people.

The third is the breakdown of trust in public institutions, which reaches our schools in a specific form: people questioning the intentions and the agendas of teachers who are, in my experience, working very hard on behalf of other people’s children. That corrodes a district quietly. It wears down good teachers, it makes families suspicious of one another, and it makes every ordinary decision harder than it needs to be.

2. How should school boards respond to increasing political polarization, censorship efforts, attacks on policies/programs aimed at supporting marginalized students, and declining trust in public education?

Two years ago a teacher suggested I come to an EUSD board meeting. I went, and I watched adults step to the microphone and call our teachers groomers and tell them they would be judged in hell. My kids were in those classrooms. That night is a large part of why I am on this ballot. So on organized attacks: a board should not treat them as an ordinary difference of opinion. When staff are targeted, trustees should say so out loud, in public, from the dais. Silence reads as permission. Decisions about curriculum and library materials belong with educators and established review processes, not with whoever shows up angriest. The broader decline in trust is more ours to fix. The district can communicate more clearly and more consistently, and on a critical policy change there is no such thing as overcommunicating. I advocate for massive transparency: reasoning shown before the vote rather than defended after it, the data attached to the item, plain English instead of district vocabulary, and a straight answer when the answer is no. Parents, teachers and community members want to be heard. Very few of them are asking to run the district. They want to know what is coming and why, early enough that speaking up still matters.

3. How would you work to ensure that all students, including students from historically marginalized communities, feel safe, supported, respected, and able to fully participate in school? What role should school boards play in creating inclusive school cultures?

My three children attend Capri, a Title I school, in the dual language immersion program. I chaired its School Site Council and I currently serve on the PTA board. What I have learned there is that inclusion is rarely won by a resolution. It is won by ordinary operational things done reliably. Are the services in a child’s IEP actually delivered, or delivered on paper? Is there real interpretation at the meetings where Spanish-speaking parents are expected to participate? When a family arrives mid-year, does someone own getting that child settled? Does a kid who needs a counselor actually get time with one? The board’s role is to set the expectation, fund it, and then insist on seeing the data broken out by school, by student group, by disability status, and by language. Averages in a district like ours can unintentionally hide individual kids. Discipline, chronic absenteeism, and climate survey results should all come to the board disaggregated, on a schedule, whether or not the news is good. And trustees should spend real time in the schools that get the least attention.

4. Educator burnout, staffing shortages, and retention challenges continue to affect schools across California. What do you believe districts should do to better support and retain teachers, counselors, classified staff, and other school employees?

Start with compensation, because everything else is a rounding error next to whether teachers/staff can afford to live near our schools. As a basic aid district, EUSD has more control over this than most districts do. I want to add frontline positions, teachers, aides, reading and math specialists, funded out of budget reprioritization rather than by cutting programs kids depend on. Specifically, I believe we can redirect some technology dollars back to hiring teachers. Classified staff belong in this conversation and usually are not. Aides, office staff, custodians, nutrition services, the people students see every single day and who are paid the least.

We should have a community conversation about behavior and consequences. In my conversations with teachers, they’re increasingly concerned about student behavior and feel unsupported by current behavior and discipline policies. This negatively impacts teacher retention, as well as student learning. I am proud to be endorsed by the Teachers of Encinitas.

5. Student achievement data often reflects persistent disparities based on race, income, disability, language access, housing instability, and other factors. What strategies or priorities would you support to improve student outcomes while also addressing underlying inequities?

The first thing is to stop letting district averages do our thinking for us. EUSD scores well overall, but I would want achievement, growth, attendance and discipline data reported by school and by student group as a standing item. On strategy, I would put the money early and close to the child. Reading and math specialists and classroom aides in the K through 2 years, where intervention is most effective and where a gap either closes or widens. Real progress monitoring, so a struggling reader is identified in October rather than in May. Special education services delivered as written.

A bright spot within EUSD are our community liaisons who work closely with many vulnerable families to support and guide them. A few years ago the district’s own LCAP identified this need and the community liaisons have helped to bring stability to many at-risk students. Schools cannot fix housing costs or family income. What we can control is whether a child’s experience depends on which of our nine schools they happen to attend. I don’t want our district to just be consistent, I want our school to be consistently excellent.

6. Schools are increasingly navigating questions related to technology, artificial intelligence, social media, student privacy, and digital safety. What principles should guide district decisions around technology use while ensuring students are both prepared for the future and protected from harm?

I am running on “More Teachers, Less Tech,” so let me be precise about what that means and does not mean. I would commission an independent audit: what we own, what we spend, which apps are in use, how much screen time a child actually accumulates in a day, what student data those vendors collect and where it goes. From there: no iPads in K-2, where the research favors books, paper, manipulatives and a teacher. Phased and purposeful use in grades three through six, meaning the device comes out because a lesson requires it and goes away after. Assistive technology for students with IEPs and 504 plans is carved out of all of this, without exception. Those tools are access, not screen time, and that is not negotiable for me.

On AI, no student-facing generative AI in K-6 without direct teacher supervision and a clear purpose, and no student data into commercial AI products, in writing and enforced on vendors. Teacher-facing tools that give teachers time back are a different question worth piloting.

7. How should school districts ensure that all students, regardless of background, identity, ability, or zip code, have equitable access to high-quality academic programs, mental health supports, extracurricular opportunities, and pathways to college and careers?

The clearest example is parent fundraising. Some school communities can raise enough to fund an extra staff position or a full enrichment program, and some cannot, and over a decade that compounds into two different educational experiences under one district logo. I think the district has to know the size of the gap, publish it, and use its own dollars deliberately to close it.

We have to demonstrate a culture of inclusivity at all of our school sites. Beyond the classroom, our LRC staff, instructional aides, psychologists, and community liaisons work hard to ensure both equity and access. We are a K-6 district, so our contribution to college and career pathways is foundational: children reading and doing math confidently by sixth grade, and no child written off or informally tracked at age nine because of how they started.

8. School board members must balance their duty to act in the best interest of students and the families they represent with the practical realities of overseeing a district’s operations and finances. How do you plan to communicate with your constituents to understand their needs and priorities? What steps will you take to follow through and verify that what the district reports is actually being implemented as promised?

On communication, I would keep doing what I am doing now. I am knocking on doors several days a week, I serve on our PTA board, I answer my own messages. As a trustee I would hold regular open office hours, rotate them among the nine schools, and spend real time in classrooms rather than only at the dais. The families with the most at stake are usually the ones least able to attend meetings.

On verification, this is my professional habit. I sit on about ten boards and read financial statements for a living, and the discipline is simple: adoption is not implementation. Every significant program or contract should come to the board with a stated cost, a stated goal, and a date when we revisit whether it worked. Then someone has to actually ask, in public, with the numbers attached.

For more about Bill, visit: billshen.com

RANCHO SANTA FE CANDIDATES

Jared Khan

Declined To Participate / Did Not Respond

Jeetendra Manghani

Declined To Participate / Did Not Respond

Bow Ruggeri

Declined To Participate / Did Not Respond

Paul Seitz

Declined To Participate / Did Not Respond

SAN DIEGUITO UNION CANDIDATES

Amy Flicker

What do you see as the greatest challenges facing public school districts over the next several years?

I have 3 main areas that I am anchoring my campaign around:

1.) Fiscal Responsibility. Our District budget is not an abstraction. It is the sum of every decision we make about what our students need and what our community can sustain. We need to ensure that every dollar goes where it belongs: into the classrooms, teachers and student programs. I will push for transparency, accountability and smart stewardship of our public resources.

2.). Responsible AI Integration. AI is already in our student's lives, it is not a question of whether or not our District engages with it, but whether we do so thoughtfully. In the classroom, AI should enhance what great teachers do, not replace them. The goal is to adopt and adapt as the technology continues to rapidly evolve. We need to be a dynamic district that includes ALL of our students.

3.) Student Centered Education. Today, students are asking harder questions, expecting more from their schools, and actively engaging in what they are learning and why. I believe this is a very good thing. As Trustee, I will champion an educational environment that considers the whole student. What they need to succeed academically, what they need to thrive personally, and what will actually prepare them for the world they are walking into.

As a parent of a Special Needs Student son and our other son identifying as LGBTQ, I can relate to the effects feeling marginalized as a student has on our youth.

First and foremost, nothing has frustrated me more than the ONE elected position, our school boards, that are to be non-partisan have become the absolute opposite. Our children are not a pawn for political parties. However, as a society, we have let that slip away from us.

Second, as a Trustee, I will follow and uphold the laws.

Third, after over 10 years in CA State PTA Leadership, as the largest and oldest child advocacy organization in California, we are absolutely non-partisan. Our mission, Every Child. One Voice. Kids are not Elephants or Donkeys...Red or Blue. They are their own independent canvases, and as a Trustee, I pledge that only the facts and common sense will drive my decisions. Not politics.

I served on the Executive Board for the North Coastal Consortium for Special Education. This is one of the largest Special Education Local Planning Areas in the state of California. We oversee 14 different school districts. While my son was enrolled in EUSD, myself and 2 other parents developed and implemented the District's very first Abilities Awareness programming, much of which is still being used today. It won multiple local and state awards. We were a bit ahead of our time, but we recognized that you can never start too early in helping to educate and provide opportunities for children to experience kids who are "not just like them".

Information is powerful. The more a school district can dispel assumptions or provide environments for safe and healthy exchanges, the better.

I believe that it BEGINS with the school board, it's policies, procedures and how it respects one another.

I appreciate this question, because my professional executive background is in Organizational & Succession Planning, I cannot emphisize enough how critical having a robust pipeline, a compensation and recognition program, a retention program and a succession program are to ANY successful organization.

In addition, it is important that a robust mentoring program is in place and is consistently being evaluated and updated for effectiveness. Workloads, class sizes, and classroom financial burdens are also areas to be addressed. Finally, after serving for several years on both the elementary and the high school district's Proposition Bond Funds Oversight Committees - having state of the art classrooms, workspaces, facilities and equipment are extremely important to students, teachers, administrators and our families alike.

Providing additional supports during and after school, for example, tutoring, would be a welcomed addition. Identifying students earlier who may need more formal additonal supports, perhaps by way of an IEP or a 504 would also be of benefit. We need to be able to adapt to HOW a student learns, and not WHAT they learn. The ability to connect with the whole family unit has also proven to be an effective mitigator to helping arrest any additional falling behind in outcomes.

Finally, the quality of who you hire is critical. Ensuring that your teaching staff are provided the opportunities to not only grow in their careers, but to continue to evolve and learn is important to so many teachers and para professionals.

Equal access to education is a nice bumper sticker, but often times we are not rising to that deliverable.

Responsible AI Integration is one of my 3 fundamental areas if am running on. Information and education is mission critical in this area. Most people do not know what an LLM is - how it is populated, what it does and doesn't store, what it can and cannot store, and the technology companies behind them.

This technical medium is moving at such a rapid pace, I believe that having some level of specialist consulting the Board of Trustees is worth discussing. A robust program for right now, 6 months form now and 1 year from now, is a very smart place to start. Planning for anything past that is really a fool's errand as things stand today.

The most important jobs of a Trustee is the safety and excellent education of its students. Educating students on AI is very important, and giving them the tools to understand how to protect themselves and their privacy is paramount.

These are specific areas the a Board of Trustees impacts. Policies and procedures that are implemented should address the fact that Every. Child. Counts. Regardless of all of the areas listed in the above question. Providing the appropriate supports and staffing each area with the proper employee to student ratio should be under constant evaluation.

In PTA, we often hear from parents that "well, we didn't know that was happening... or... we didn't know that was being offered...". Eventho we felt that we communicated something out in every way possible, we inevitably miss people and receive that feedback. We continue to try and improve that communication delivery. We need to engage and inform our families and students to the absolute best of our abilities, and continue to evaluate if we are being effective at doing so.

Again, during my time on the Proposition Bond Oversight Committees, I learned a lot about how to reach out and receive feedback, input and insights from not only the families, but the community at large as well regarding what we plan to spend these monies on and why. Being an INDEPENDENT Oversight Committee, we were not beholden to the District, Superintendent, nor Finance or Facilites Deparments. At the end of every year, we went thru a formal audit and need to present our results to the District and to the community.

I would like to continue in that spirit and process as a Trustee. Receiving input from our students and our families is of great importance to me. Just as I said in my previous answer, I plan to reach out and invite ANY family member or most importantly -our students- to provide me with input, insight and feedback regarding the District's Budget.

I genuinely hope to have the opportunity to serve in this capacity. Thank you in advance for all you do for us Candidates!

AREA 1 CANDIDATES

David Miyashiro

What do you see as the greatest challenges facing public school districts over the next several years?

Over the next several years, public school districts face financial volatility, aging infrastructure, and a rapidly evolving workforce. First, districts must navigate extreme funding uncertainty due to shifting state and federal priorities. Hope is not a strategy; we need entrepreneurial fiscal leadership that creates new revenue streams through grants and strategic partnerships to protect classroom funding. Second, deferred maintenance is no longer sufficient. Districts must proactively upgrade aging facilities and get out of the costly break/fix cycle to keep campuses safe and modern. Finally, with artificial intelligence reshaping the economy and eliminating entry-level jobs, our educational model must adapt. We must course correct by offering modern apprenticeships and advanced technical skills so our students graduate ready for higher education and gainful employment, rather than facing post-graduation underemployment. My 27 years of experience equips me to tackle these exact challenges at SDUHSD.

School boards must navigate political polarization by keeping the focus on student outcomes and maintaining an environment of respect. As a superintendent for 14 years, I’ve found that building trust requires transparent, inclusive, and highly communicative leadership. We anchor our policies and decisions in evidence, equity, and the law. When we prioritize open dialogue with parents, lean into data-driven instruction, and support policies that protect and validate every student's voice, we build bridges rather than deepen divides. By focusing on shared goals—like academic excellence, programming that reflects student interests, and future-ready career pathways—we can lower the political temperature and restore the community's trust in public education.

A school board’s most fundamental duty is ensuring every student feels physically and emotionally safe, respected, and fully included. During my career, including my time turning around Title 1 schools, I learned that a culture of belonging doesn’t happen by accident; it requires intentional policy and dedicated resources. School boards should ensure that campus life—from curriculum and arts to athletics and clubs—reflects and respects the diverse interests and values of our students. At SDUHSD, I will advocate for policies that create a genuinely inclusive culture, ensuring our schools are environments where every student has the support they need to participate, thrive, and reach their highest potential.

Educator burnout and staffing shortages are critical threats to student success. Having served as a classroom teacher and principal, I know that schools cannot function without dedicated educators, counselors, and classified staff. The solution goes beyond just praise; it requires action. In Cajon Valley, I’ve led our district to win San Diego's "Top Workplace" award multiple times by intentionally building a culture of trust and support. Boards must ensure highly competitive compensation, which I have successfully negotiated to outpace regional averages. We must also provide optimal working conditions, meaningful professional development, and robust health and wellness support for our employees. By treating labor organizations as true partners and fostering a genuinely collaborative environment, districts can attract and retain the very best professionals. I will bring this employee-first, supportive mindset to the SDUHSD board to ensure our staff feels valued and respected every day.

During my time as an elementary principal at high-needs Title 1 schools with high English Language Learner populations, we successfully exited program improvement status by directly addressing the needs of our diverse learners. I support strategies that provide targeted, data-driven interventions and equitable resource allocation. This means scaling robust Response to Intervention (RTI) models, expanding access to language enrichment, and ensuring specialized support for students with disabilities. It also requires investing in early and intensive tutoring, reducing discipline referrals through restorative practices, and heavily engaging parents as partners in the educational process. We guarantee that every student, regardless of their zip code or background, receives the exact academic and social-emotional scaffolding they need. My proven track record of elevating student achievement in diverse communities will drive my oversight and decision making on the SDUHSD board.

As an advisor to the US Department of Education, the CA State Board of Education, and the California School Boards Association in educational technology and AI, I believe our technology policies must be smart and intentional. We have to help all stakeholders understand the line between high-value instructional technology and distracting recreational screen time. I support policies that remove smartphones and algorithm-driven social media from classrooms, as they undermine focus and digital safety. However, we cannot lock innovation out of our schools. Our guidelines should ensure that educational AI and technology are educator-led, ethical, age-appropriate, and fiercely protective of student data privacy. We judge tech tools by their proven educational value and ability to close learning gaps, not just screen minutes. By providing strong professional development for our teachers and focusing on responsible use for our students, we can safely leverage AI to prepare them for a modern workforce while keeping them and their data safe and secure.

Throughout my 27-year career, I have championed a whole-child approach to education. As Assistant Superintendent in Encinitas, I proudly established a nationally recognized health, wellness, arts, and culinary curriculum, ensuring these programs were available to all students. To guarantee equitable access across SDUHSD, the board must audit master schedules and resource allocations to eliminate barriers to advanced coursework and college/career pathways. We must also secure sustainable funding to embed counseling and rich extracurriculars—from championship athletics to modern apprenticeships—directly into the daily student experience. By removing roadblocks and actively connecting all students with these high-quality opportunities, we ensure that every child is prepared for success both in and out of the classroom.

Effective governance requires balancing executive oversight with deep community engagement. As an SDUHSD parent and a district Superintendent of 14 years, I understand both the personal stakes of families and the practical realities of district operations. I plan to communicate with constituents by maintaining a highly visible, accessible presence and participating in multiple stakeholder groups along with my fellow Trustees.

The Local Control Accountability Plan and our School Site Councils are the best opportunities for making sure our funding, priorities, and programs are having the intended impact. By combining grassroots community engagement with my executive-level understanding of public school finance and operations, I will ensure that SDUHSD keeps its promises to our students and taxpayers.

For more about David, visit: https://davidmiyashiro.com/

AREA 3 CANDIDATES

Summer Boger

Declined To Participate / Did Not Respond

Helen Doyle

What do you see as the greatest challenges facing public school districts over the next several years?

The next several years will test districts on several fronts at once: tightening state and federal funding, chronic absenteeism and learning recovery, growing student mental health needs, staffing and retention pressures, and the rapid arrival of AI in classrooms. Add to that a political climate that too often pulls boards into fights that have nothing to do with student outcomes. The districts that do best will be the ones that stay disciplined about the mission: strong instruction, fiscal responsibility, and keeping every decision centered on what's best for kids.

School boards have to be a steady, professional counterweight to that noise. That means defending programs that support marginalized students on the merits, with data and educator input, not political pressure. It means transparent decision-making so families can see how and why decisions get made. And it means modeling the kind of respectful, fact-based discourse we want to see reflected back in our classrooms. Trust is rebuilt through consistency: following through on commitments, communicating clearly, and never treating any group of students as a bargaining chip.

This is personal for me. As a longtime foster youth advocate and foster and adoptive parent, I've spent years making sure kids whose voices are too easily overlooked actually get heard. On the board, that means supporting culturally responsive teaching, robust counseling and restorative practices, and real family and community engagement so every student sees themselves reflected in their school. The board's job is to set clear policy and expectations, then hold the administration accountable for implementation, backed by listening directly to students, families, and staff about what's actually happening on campus.

Retention starts with respect: competitive pay, sustainable workloads, and real mental health support for the adults who support our kids, not just the students. I'd prioritize meaningful professional development, clear career pathways for classified staff, and genuine collaboration with our labor partners so educators have a real voice in the decisions that affect their classrooms. Staff who feel heard and supported stay, and that stability is one of the best things we can do for student outcomes.

Closing these gaps takes disaggregated data used honestly, not just collected. That means targeted intervention and tutoring where the need is greatest, real language access for English learners, and support systems that account for housing instability and other barriers outside the classroom. My engineering background taught me to make decisions based on evidence, not assumptions, and I'd bring that same rigor to how we allocate resources so equity isn't just a stated value but a measurable outcome.

Our students are heading into an AI-driven world and need real guidance on how, when, and where to use these tools responsibly, not just blanket bans or blanket access. At the same time, I believe in intentional, age-appropriate limits on screens so schools remain a place for face-to-face connection and belonging. Student data privacy has to be a non-negotiable baseline in any technology decision the district makes. The goal is preparing students for the future while protecting their wellbeing in the present.

Every student in this district deserves the same shot at strong academics, mental health support, extracurriculars, and a real pathway to college or career, regardless of which school they attend. That means looking honestly at how resources, staffing, and program access are distributed across sites and closing gaps where they exist. I'd also continue building out the kind of hands-on, real-world programs, like our Career Technical pathways and language immersion options, that give students more than one route to success.

I've already spent three years regularly attending board meetings, and I plan to keep that same habit of showing up, listening, and being present on campuses once I'm on the board, not just during election season. I'll hold regular listening sessions with families, staff, and community groups, and I believe budget and progress reporting should be clear enough that any parent can follow it. Verifying follow-through means asking specific questions of staff, visiting sites myself, and treating board oversight as an ongoing responsibility rather than a box to check.

AREA 5 CANDIDATES

Ginny Merrifield

Declined To Participate / Did Not Respond

Justin Moodie

What do you see as the greatest challenges facing public school districts over the next several years?

Broadly, public education is experiencing large-scale financial uncertainty. Districts are often competing with other schools / systems for funding and from the influence of outside interest groups that seek to influence changes. Paired with declining enrollment trends, many public schools are struggling to adjust. Fortunately, the San Dieguito Union High School District (SDUHSD) has experienced more enrollment stability than some surrounding communities. Yet, we must continue to ensure our students feel prepared for both university and the careers they hope to pursue. Their generation will face serious competition for jobs in every industry sector. Fortunately, SDUHSD has gone to great lengths to be a leader in attracting and retaining some of the best educators in the region. With our students gaining marketable skills in Career Technical Education (CTE) classrooms and through internships, we’re providing a perfect pairing for Advanced Placement (AP) and dual-enrollment classes to ensure our students feel ready and competitive. Therefore we must continue conversations around ideal uses of technology in the classroom and how to best support the mental health of our students as they take on many challenges to grow towards post-secondary success.

It is important that any school board works to avoid political turmoil by focusing on the task of supporting schools, to further strong teaching and learning. Often there is no need to debate certain issues that are brought to the dais, and a strong school board should always work to form decisions on a foundation of the educational laws that already exist. With legal backing and strong data-informed discussions, a school board does not need to be influenced by attacks from local or outside parties. Disagreement should be welcomed when it is expressed respectfully. Unfortunately, stability and trust have eroded in SDUHSD. Our district has cycled through superintendents and board conflict. Resulting turnover has cost us principals, teachers, and even parent confidence. I want to serve on a board that sets clear, measurable goals and works to achieve envisioned results. We should evaluate our superintendent, administrators, and even ourselves against any goals that we establish. We must keep disagreements at the policy level rather than the personal one. Steady, competent governance is not simply a slogan. We must work together to rebuild trust with the community by celebrating students and staff, and expanding the most successful programs we offer.

If we ground our work in quality data, then we will be able to identify the student groups with the most need and the areas in which we can provide the most effective support. I have spent a decade and a half teaching in historically unserved communities. These opportunities have helped to make me aware of my own positionality to advocate and to establish programs that uplift all of our students. Serving on the school board provides an amazing opportunity to advocate for a large community of students. Meetings are not only a great space to ask probing questions and to inform the public, but also to hear the voices of the community to ensure that all stories can be heard. It’s very important that we make space for all students and families to feel safe and to feel heard. SDUHSD has an amazing track record of graduating students and sending them off to strong post-secondary opportunities. Still, if given the opportunity to serve, I would love to dig into our data to identify the remaining group of students who we are still not able to reach. We must try new strategies to help those students across the finish line.

SDUHSD is already making a strong effort in working to attract large numbers of teachers and staff by offering the most competitive salaries and benefits in the region. The current, positive relationship between District admin and the unions should be applauded as these will continue to serve everyone positively in years to come. Not all staff can afford to live within the District, due to high real estate costs. Yet, they might still be incentivized to spend personal time within District boundaries if SDUHSD could identify local business partners who would support our staff by providing deep discounts. Towards retention, we must find new ways to celebrate our staff. Educators should feel seen and valued in a community where the students are (appropriately) at the center of attention. By encouraging innovation within classrooms we will keep staff excited. With teachers creating new ways to support student achievements, we will have more reasons to celebrate them. If they are happy and feel seen, they will want to stay. SDUHSD might tackle the broader challenge of recruiting teachers to the industry by engaging local university students and graduates about opportunities to serve as substitute teachers in our District.

The key to avoiding such disparities in the data is to maintain constant vigilance and always approach the data with a critical eye and an equity-based mindset. Each data set is different, so it’s challenging to suggest that there is one specific way to ensure all historically misrepresented groups can be uplifted. If we use the data to identify areas for growth we can work to reduce disparities without labeling student groups. We should be establishing clear measurable goals for student achievement, and also for our use of each new program and policy. When something is working we should look to scale it up, and inversely we shouldn’t hesitate to reconsider a program that is not producing gains. Always, we should be inviting all stakeholder groups to share a seat at the table. Often they might be able to help us see any flaws in the data. This includes students as they are living within the system we provide them and have a unique perspective that often goes overlooked. By initiating regular conversations around diversity and data, we should be able to educate others about the potential pitfalls of such data sets and minimize our own mistakes.

School technology must serve students, not the other way around. It’s critical that digital safety and AI policies should be written by people who have actually taught in a classroom. Yet, we must also work to ensure that schools and families are on the same page regarding what is appropriated for students at each level. On the issue of cell phones, I support genuinely phone-free instructional time, consistent with California's Phone-Free School Act. Districts that succeed set clear expectations, back teachers up administratively, communicate consequences ahead of time, and give parents a reliable way to reach a student in an emergency. That last communication piece is what parents actually worry about. It needs an answer before any new policy launches. On the issue of AI, a blanket ban is neither enforceable nor realistic. Our students are heading into universities and workplaces that use these tools daily. I support a policy that does three things: define clearly, by department and assignment type, (i) when AI use is permitted, (ii) when it must be cited, and (iii) when it is prohibited. We must also support teachers as they learn to redesign assessments and projects so more student thinking happens in class where a teacher can observe it.

Our mission and vision should explicitly state that all students will be supported to be successful at the highest possible levels. When areas of growth are identified, we can write measurable goals for equity, and check our progress towards those metrics on a regular basis. Ideally, this will guide the construction of a master plan that envisions new and evolving systems for identifying students of need and creating new structures to support them. Beyond this, ensuring that there is always room in the budget for mental health supports, extracurricular activities, and college and careers counseling will be critical to the implementation of such intentional structures to uplift historically underserved groups. SDUHSD already has many strong programs including our Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways in engineering, biotech, sports medicine, and more. By looking at enrollment data for each of these programs, we can develop recruitment programs that target students who are not yet represented well in a given pathway. Mental health supports should be provided with easy access to all students. Checking to ensure that all students know who their counselor is and where to find them is an easy first step towards ensuring safety and success.

The most important thing any Board member can do is show that they are actively listening to students and families by asking questions and by demonstrating interest. Such attention can be showcased through a continuation of inquiry, and requests that the team look further into issues raised in public comment. Additionally, while every Board has a series of issues that need to be addressed on an annual basis, it is not their responsibility to constantly bring new issues to be considered for new policy or change in policy. When a Board or Board member is bringing an agenda that is different from the sentiments shared by community members during public comment, there might be cause for concern. As a board, we should be working to make the budgeting process readable. All too often the term “transparency” is thrown around as if everyone in the room has the background to read a myriad of charted numbers. Budget presentations should make sense to a parent seeing one for the first time, with plain-language summaries of what changed and why. Teachers and classified staff belong at the table before proposals reach the board, not after.

For more about Justin, visit: justinmoodie.com

SOLANA BEACH CANDIDATES

Gaylin Allbaugh

Declined To Participate / Did Not Respond

Jomi Richard

Declined To Participate / Did Not Respond

Debra Schade

Declined To Participate / Did Not Respond

Katie Suel

Declined To Participate / Did Not Respond