Brian Campbell
Santa Barbara Unified School District
| Website: | www.Brian4SchoolBoard.com |
| Why are you running for office?: | I have growing concerns over what I’ve been seeing in our district. A lack of transparency, poor literacy rates and controversial programs that have had a large number of families protesting at the school board meetings and signing petitions. I am running to give families a voice. As a fellow parent, I pledge transparency to you all. |
| What makes you qualified for the job?: | I have a vested interest in our schools with two children in our local schools, besides the bachelor's degree, law degree, serving as CFO on local boards, helping manage the family company with 185 employees. I've been on the frontlines in the classrooms and schools for over 9 years. I’ve been volunteering in the classrooms and on campus teaching science, reading, math and other skills. I was a member of our PTA for five years, chair of other school events and organizations. Our family started the Teachers Fund 20 years ago to raise money for Teachers and classrooms. |
| What are your two main priorities if you win?: | End racism, bullying and intolerance. To not divide our students. To make education equal amongst all the schools and increase the students educational experience thereby increasing our literacy rates. |
| How will you interact with other governments?: | With an open mind and knowing that we will need to influence more than just the school board to achieve the above goals as we will need community support. |
| What are your plans to help overcome COVID-19?: | It's not a matter of overcoming COVID, COVID is a natural environmental virus that will occur again, but so we can react quickly to any future outbreaks. For getting students back in the classrooms we need to follow Public Health Department Guidelines. Some basic procedures would include testing all those that enter the campus. Prior to entering campus, temperature checks every morning, hand sanitizer, and wearing a mask on campus. SBPHD has stated cohorts of 14 are acceptable. This will make it easier to break classes down to two groups as most classed in the district are at least 28 students and more per class. My son's class has 34 students. Then rotate recesses and lunch schedules to minimize different groups that would be around each other. If someone tests positive, quarantine that cohort. The purpose of staying home was to flatten the curve so the hospitals would not become inundated. This goal has not been changed by the CDC. People will get COVID, it is how we react and treat the situation when it does arrive. |
| Which two issues are most important to you?: | Racism and Literacy. Racism is bullying, and we need to lead by example and inform the students why such actions are not acceptable. Children for the most part are trying to fit in and express jealousy and anxiety in many ways, we need to find alternative ways to lift the children up so they do not get to this point of hate language. Literacy: Washington & Franklin Elementary have great models in place. Franklin has a 57% literacy rate amongst a 91% Hispanic school. The current board is only acknowledging this because it is an election year and the opponents, such as myself, have brought this success to their attention. The incumbents are pushing dual-language learning and cite Adelante with a 20% literacy rate as a model of success. In fact they voted to create dual language education and have rolled it out in McKinley, showing by their actions that they do not acknowledge the success of Franklin School. |
Extended Interview with Brian Campbell
Santa Barbara Unified School District Candidate Forum
