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 complete, 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.

SANTEE UNIFIED

SEAT 1 CANDIDATES

Misty Kendall

Declined To Participate / Did Not Respond

Cindy Petretta

Declined To Participate / Did Not Respond

Frank Peterson

Declined To Participate / Did Not Respond

SEAT 5 CANDIDATES

Steven Dobesh

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

The biggest challenges facing districts like ours are fiscal and academic, and the two are connected. Declining enrollment, uncertain state funding formulas, and rising fixed costs are squeezing budgets at the same time districts are being asked to do more with special education, mental health, and safety. Boards need members who understand financial modeling and can make hard tradeoffs transparently, rather than deferring difficult budget decisions until a crisis forces them.

At the same time, districts are still working to curb the significant declines in academic performance that began even before the pandemic. Chronic absenteeism, learning gaps in early literacy and math, and stretched support staff all make recovery harder. I believe the board's job is to set clear, measurable academic goals, fund what the data shows works, and hold the district accountable for results, not just intentions. Add to these academic problems, Santee schools are facing unfunded (currently) infrastructure improvements that only grow with time.

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?

The board's job is student outcomes and operations, not importing national political fights into the district. School boards are beholden to the rules, regulations, policies, and laws passed down from the state and federal government. Our job is to implement those laws and regulations in the best interest of students, teachers, and parents, not to introduce national hot-button cultural topics.

The board shouldn't be relitigating national culture-war debates at the dais, and it also means the board has an obligation to follow the law as written, including protections for students, even when those protections are politically contested elsewhere. Local control works best when it's exercised on local questions: budgets, staffing, facilities, curriculum implementation, and school safety.

On declining trust, I think boards earn trust back the same way any organization does: by being transparent about decisions and the data behind them, communicating in plain language, following through on commitments, and staying focused on whether kids are learning and safe rather than on scoring political points. A board that consistently does its actual job, calmly and predictably, is the best response to polarization I know of.

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?

Every student in the district deserves to feel safe, treated with respect, and able to participate fully in their education, full stop. Practically, I see the board's role as making sure that standard is applied consistently and is backed by clear policy, not just good intentions. California Law mandates this already!

That means anti-bullying and anti-harassment policies that are actually enforced, not just published; staff who are trained to recognize and respond to problems early; and complaint and reporting processes that families and students trust enough to use. It also means following applicable state and federal anti-discrimination law and holding the administration accountable when a school falls short, regardless of which students are affected.

I'd rather the board set a clear, viewpoint-neutral standard, safety, respect, and full participation for every student, than legislate specific outcomes for specific groups from the dais. The standard itself does the work if it's genuinely enforced everywhere, for every kid. Where I can add value is asking for the data: attendance, discipline, and climate-survey numbers broken out enough to see if any group of students is being underserved, and then following up until that gap closes. I serve on the School Site Council at Carlton Oaks where our children attend. We regularly assesses academic performance and attendance of multiple subsets of students to determine how best to approach their struggles and ensure they are not left behind.

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?

Staffing shortages and burnout are real, and I don't think districts will solve them with slogans. Retention comes down to compensation, workload, and whether staff feel supported by leadership, and boards need to be honest about all three.

On compensation, I know from running a growing company that you can’t solve a budget problem with hope, boards need realistic multi-year financial plans that make competitive pay sustainable rather than promising raises the district can't fund long-term. The board needs to continue advocating on our local Bond proposition to allow a re-investment of funds back into infrastructure. Dilapidated schools do not attract students and they certainly do not attract staff. On workload, that means looking hard at class sizes, caseloads for counselors and special education staff, and how much non-teaching administrative burden we're putting on classified staff, and cutting what doesn't serve students.

Retention of students and staff are leading indicators of whether a district is being run well, and the board should treat it that way.

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?

Achievement data that's broken out by race, income, disability, language access, and housing stability tells the board and schools where to focus, and I think that's exactly how it should be used: as a targeting tool, not a talking point. This is how we approached assessment on the School Site Council – we looked at the discrete data to determine trends and to identify the best places to introduce additional support. I would continue to prioritize proven, practical interventions, early literacy support, high-dosage tutoring, and language-access services, funded specifically for the schools and grade levels where the data shows the biggest gaps, rather than spread evenly regardless of need.

I also think you can't separate academic outcomes from the underlying conditions some kids are navigating: housing instability, hunger, and lack of access to health or mental health services all show up in attendance and performance. One of the best outcomes from the Pandemic was the shift to fully funded meals for all students regardless of income. Children should NEVER go hungry!!

The common thread is accountability: set measurable targets for closing specific gaps, fund strategies with evidence behind them, and review the data regularly enough that the board notices if something isn't working and can redirect resources before another school year is lost. Carlton Oaks is a great example where dedicated leadership at the school significantly drove chronic absenteeism down over five years. Students in the classroom will improve academically – students at home will continue to struggle.

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?

This is an area where I think my background is directly useful, I've spent my career working with sensitive data, compliance requirements, and emerging technology, both in the Navy and in building a SaaS company. A few principles should guide district decisions here.

First, student data privacy should be the default, not an afterthought: any tool or platform the district adopts needs a clear answer to what data it collects, how it's stored, who can access it, and how long it's retained, and that should be evaluated before adoption, not after a problem surfaces. Second, new technology, especially AI tools, should be piloted with real oversight and teacher input before being rolled out district-wide, with a clear educational purpose rather than adoption for its own sake. Third, digital safety and media literacy need to be taught explicitly, students should understand how their data is used and how to navigate social media responsibly, not just have it restricted.

This is the area where I am most passionate. The educational community is an agreement that “society” moved too fast and too far with the adoption of electronic devices in the classroom and in front of students. We must continue to roll it back further – K-3 students should not be using iPads/Chromebooks for their curriculum. Digital tools should slowly be introduced after 3rd grade with a clear focus on limiting overall screentime. As students get older, we can teach them appropriate digital habits along with how and when to use AI and the pitfalls associated with its use.

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?

School funding mechanics shape what's possible here more than people realize. Districts largely can't raise revenue on their own, we depend on state funding tied to enrollment, so the real lever a board has is controlling expenses responsibly while growing enrollment rather than watching it decline.

That connects directly to equitable access. It starts with attracting and retaining high-quality teachers with strong, specialized skill sets, because great teachers are what draw families to a district in the first place. Enrollment growth then comes from two directions: families choosing to move into our district because of school quality, and families in neighboring districts choosing to transfer their kids in because of our academic reputation.

If we can turn declining enrollment around by earning that reputation, we secure the state funding that comes with it, and reinvest it specifically toward making sure every student, regardless of background, identity, ability, or zip code, has access to high-quality academic programs, mental health support, and extracurricular opportunities. Equitable access isn't just a mission statement, it has to be funded, and the way you fund it is by running a district strong enough that families want to be part of it.

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'd invite parents, teachers, and community members to speak at school board meetings, and encourage them to get involved in district advisory councils, local school site councils, and the PTA, so communication runs both ways instead of just top-down.

As a board member, I intend to stay involved in committees, stay connected to our local school, and tour other schools in the district too. I pledge to listen directly to teachers, administrators, and students rather than relying only on what gets reported up to the board. One of the benefits of having two children attend school is the district is that I heave a direct line to the “end product” of our district – students!

On verification, I want to see the underlying data behind claims about student progress or program success, not take a status update at face value, and I'll ask hard questions in public session when the numbers don't match what was promised.

For more about Steven, visit: www.StevenDobeshForSanteeSchools.com

Matthew McKell

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

Public schools will have to manage several challenges at the same time: maintaining strong academic outcomes, recruiting and retaining excellent employees, responsibly managing limited resources, adapting to rapidly changing technology, and strengthening trust between schools and the communities they serve.

Our first responsibility is to ensure students leave our schools with strong foundations in reading, writing, mathematics, science, critical thinking, and the interpersonal skills they will need throughout their lives. Students arrive in the classroom with different needs and circumstances, so high expectations and appropriate support must go together.

Parent and guardian involvement is essential. Educators bring professional expertise and instruction, while parents and guardians help guarantee that expectations for attendance, effort, respect, curiosity, and perseverance continue at home. Students must also be receptive to learning and increasingly take ownership of their education. When students, educators, and families communicate honestly, maintain high standards, and reinforce one another, the possibilities for a student are extraordinary.

Technology, particularly artificial intelligence, will also fundamentally change education. We should neither ignore it nor allow it to become a substitute for learning. Districts must meet these challenges with transparency, accountability, and meaningful family engagement.

School boards should resist pressure to turn classrooms into political battlegrounds. Our responsibility is to educate children, protect their safety and dignity, follow the law, support educators, and remain accountable to the communities we serve.

Every student should be treated with respect, regardless of background, identity, ability, family circumstance, religion, or economic condition. At the same time, parents and guardians deserve transparency about curriculum, policies, and the educational environment their children experience. Those principles should complement rather than compete with one another.

Healthy schools depend on trust among students, educators, parents and guardians. Families should approach educators as partners, educators should welcome constructive family involvement, and students should understand that everyone involved is working toward their success.

When disagreements arise, board members should listen carefully, distinguish legitimate concerns from misinformation, and make decisions based on evidence, law, professional educational standards, and student outcomes. Public comment should be welcomed, even when uncomfortable. Trust is built through transparency and consistency: clearly explaining what the district is doing, why it is doing it, and how results will be evaluated.

Every student should be able to walk onto a school campus knowing they are safe, they belong, and the adults around them are committed to helping them succeed.

For me, inclusion begins with something practical: students should not be bullied, excluded, intimidated, or denied opportunities because of who they are, where they come from, their abilities, their family circumstances, or how others perceive them. Policies should protect students consistently, and students and families should have clear ways to raise concerns and confidence that those concerns will be addressed.

Parents and guardians are essential partners and guarantors of the educational standards surrounding a child outside the classroom. Educators can provide excellent instruction, resources, and encouragement, but meaningful learning also requires a student willing to engage. Expectations for effort, respect, attendance, and perseverance must be reinforced at home.

The board's role is to establish clear expectations, provide appropriate resources, listen to families and employees, and verify that policy is actually being implemented. Inclusive schools should maintain high expectations for every student. Supporting students means identifying barriers, providing appropriate assistance, and helping them reach their potential - not lowering expectations for what they can achieve.

Supporting students requires supporting the people who work with them every day. Compensation matters, but retention is also strongly influenced by workload, leadership, working conditions, professional respect, and whether employees believe their concerns are heard.

Districts should continually examine unnecessary administrative requirements and look for opportunities to give teachers more time to teach, plan, collaborate, communicate with families, and develop professionally. Counselors, classified employees, instructional assistants, custodians, transportation personnel, office staff, and other employees should likewise have appropriate staffing, training, equipment, and opportunities for growth.

Educators also cannot succeed alone. Strong, constructive parent and guardian involvement reinforces learning and behavior expectations at home and helps problems get addressed before they become crises. The strongest educational environment exists when educators are respected as professionals, families are welcomed as partners, and students understand that they have a responsibility to engage in their own learning.

Professional development should be useful and connected to real classroom or workplace needs. District leadership should also routinely seek input from the employees closest to the work. Retention ultimately depends on creating an organization in which good employees feel valued, supported, and able to focus their energy on students.

I believe we should begin with two commitments: maintain high expectations for every student and provide additional support when evidence shows that a student needs it.

Districts should use achievement, attendance, discipline, special education, English-language development, and other appropriate data to identify where students are struggling. The purpose should not be to label children or communities, but to determine where intervention can have the greatest effect. Early intervention is particularly important because reading and mathematics difficulties can compound over time if they are not addressed.

Parent and guardian involvement is a critical part of student success. Schools should communicate early and clearly when a student begins struggling and give families practical information about how they can help. Parents and guardians, in turn, are essential guarantors of the educational expectations that continue after the school day ends. Teachers can provide excellent instruction and support, but students must be receptive to learning, and expectations for attendance, effort, respect, and perseverance must be reinforced at home.

I also want programs evaluated by outcomes rather than intentions. If we invest money and instructional time, the board should establish what success looks like and determine whether students are actually benefiting.

Artificial intelligence is changing how people learn and work much as previous generations adapted to calculators, computers, the internet, and search engines. It is not going away, and our students need to know how to use it responsibly.

I would support a clear district framework for age-appropriate AI and technology use built around student privacy, digital safety, academic integrity, transparency, critical thinking, and human oversight.

Parents and guardians should be part of that conversation. Families deserve clear information about what technologies students are using, what information those systems collect, and the expectations for responsible use. Schools can teach good digital citizenship, but those lessons are strongest when reinforced at home.

AI should enhance education, not replace it. Students still need to learn how to write, research, calculate, reason, create, and evaluate information independently. Teachers remain central to that process, and students must remain active participants rather than passive consumers of technology.

Students should also learn that AI can be wrong, biased, incomplete, or confidently misleading. Knowing how to question a source, verify information, protect personal data, and recognize manipulated content will increasingly be fundamental literacy skills. Preparing students to use these technologies ethically and effectively is part of preparing them for their future.

Opportunity should not depend on which classroom a student enters, what neighborhood they live in, their family's financial circumstances, or whether they require additional educational support.

The board should examine not only which programs exist, but who can actually access and participate in them. Transportation, scheduling, cost, disability access, staffing, or other practical barriers can prevent students from taking advantage of opportunities that technically exist.

Parents and guardians also need good information. Families cannot help students pursue opportunities they do not know about. District communication should make academic programs, extracurricular opportunities, counseling resources, and college and career pathways understandable and accessible to every family.

Strong schools should provide rigorous academics as well as multiple pathways for success. College preparation is important, but so are career and technical education, technology, skilled trades, arts, athletics, leadership, and other experiences that help students discover their abilities and interests.

When students, parents or guardians, and educators identify a student's strengths and work together to develop them, the possibilities can be remarkable. The board's role is to identify gaps, allocate resources responsibly, communicate opportunities clearly, and measure whether programs are reaching the students they are intended to serve.

Communication cannot consist only of speaking at board meetings. Board members need to listen.

I intend to remain accessible to parents and guardians, educators, classified employees, students, and community members through school visits, community events, direct communication, public meetings, and regular conversations with the people doing the work every day. I also believe we must seek input from people who may not routinely attend board meetings.

I view parents and guardians as essential partners and guarantors of the educational standards that surround a child outside the classroom. Educators bring professional expertise and daily classroom experience; parents and guardians know their children and reinforce expectations at home; and students must increasingly take ownership of their own learning. None of those roles replaces another. When all three communicate honestly, maintain high expectations, and work toward the same objective, the sky really is the limit for what a student can accomplish.

Listening is only the first step. Good governance requires follow-through. When the district approves an initiative, I want to understand its objective, cost, timeline, responsible organization, and how success will be measured. I believe in trust but verify: ask appropriate questions, review evidence, visit schools, and listen to the people experiencing district policies firsthand.

Uday Kumar Sinha

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

From school board projections, enrollment and attendance are challenges that directly impacts funding for the school. Lower enrollment and lower attendance will impact the revenue and, thus, the operations.

Infrastructure improvements and repairs are long overdue.

Latest technology acquisition and adoption to modernize the learning.

Curriculum change and programs such as GATE, ROTC, magnet programs.

Attract talents from outside to create a student mix for improvement.

And more.

Increased and timely public relations from school district should strive to keep these influences away from school campuses and be limited to the extent of academic learning purposes. It should be recognized as bad influence and influencers should be engaged by district’s public relations, when compelling, to urge such influencers to refrain from such activities in the interest of student’s well-being. If needed, to get code passed by city council or state legislature.

This is enforcement issue and school should create awareness and enforce, whenever, violations occur. All violations should be brought to the board meetings regularly to keep tab on the situation. Enforcement will create healthy learning environment and confidence in students in their formative years and should be treated as solemn duty of the school.

Apart from re-structuring curriculum and learning schedules, teacher re-orientation and training by experts should be taken regularly for continuous improvements. School should strive to hire teachers who take teaching profession as bounden social duty of service and prepare well trained young adults of tomorrow. Smart curriculum and technology adoption will go a long way in mitigating these challenges. There may be need to consider reform in testing procedure.

School should proactively instill confidence across all students. Good teaching to encourage curiosity and in-depth knowledge will remove disparity to great extent. Financial hardship at home and housing instability are real impediments in learning. Additional funding should be requested at different levels based of financial status of students each year by collecting family data – schemes such as need based scholarships, limited housing for housing displaced and deserving students be started, not as shelter, but housing as in case of residential schools with all facilities.

Emerging areas of knowledge should adopted in curriculum and all guard rails of safety be included before including them in curriculum and regularly reviewed as these are rapidly changing such as in artificial intelligence by adopting in-house AI systems with expert tools to protect privacy and safety and facilitate learning ONLY.

Pathways to college – school counselors should create active relationships with college and university admission offices and follow up actively which will result in better acceptance at all colleges including premier league institutions across state, and country. Guidance for admission testing be given to senior students in high schools.

Careers – Students, particularly from low income families, be encouraged to engage in professional areas such as aviation, aviation technician certification, etc.

Extracurricular opportunities like sports and performing arts – district should open opportunities for students at places of excellence such as Olympic facilities in Chula Vista and more.

To accomplish this district should publish white paper on progress on key matrices of its activities and accomplishments and hold town hall meetings with Q&A when possible.