7 candidates vie for 3 seats on Santa Barbara School Board

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- The Santa Barbara School Board candidates are a diverse group. The youngest is 27, while most are in their 50s. Two men and five women are running for three open seats. And their backgrounds all vary.

The four challengers include Virginia Alvarez, Brian Campbell, Elrawd MacLearn and Monie de Witt. They all see a similar trend in the district which led them to run.

Brian Campbell said, “And it’s been very disheartening to see kids in the 5th and 6th grade and they still can’t read off of a children’s menu. That’s not right. I’ve also noticed over the years things have been going on with our school board with a lack of leadership and a lack of transparency.”

Virginia Alvarez said, “Our achievement gap keeps growing every, every single year. We need to have a plan a set plan that is fiscally responsible and that addresses that achievement gap.”

Monie de Witt said, “I’m running because I see that a lot of our students who struggle with literacy are falling through the cracks and I would like to see a different literacy model. Because once students do, aren’t proficient by the end of the third grade, they often don’t recover.”

Elrawd MacLearn said, “A lot of illiteracy, a lack of parental engagement, and also the education is not equitable for our minority students. So I’m running for the flip side of that which is to promote parental engagement and support literacy and to provide an equitable education for all students.”

The three board members running for re-election are Jackie Reid, Wendy Sims-Moten and Laura Capps. They all were proud to get the school district more on budget.

Laura Capps said, “We need to make sure that every child has a nutritious meal. And we’re providing that at the school district right now. Because you know what, you can’t learn, you can’t thrive if your stomachs are growling. So that’s been something that’s been a passion of mine and something I’ve been able to advance on the school board.”

Jackie Reid said, “One of the changes was, how can we make the district more equitable. What can we do to ensure all of our students have the chances they need to be successful. And to be ready to go into this global world that we have to understand diversity and their own identity.”

Wendy Sims-Moten said, “And I wanted to make sure that everyone was able to see every percentage of all of our students so they’re recognized. So if there are needs that need to be, that they need to be tended to, I want to make sure that everyone is there and they’re not just clumped with everyone else.”

All seven say their unique experiences make them right for the job.

Reid said, “Myself to be that public community lesion to ensure that our parents, our students and our teachers have a someone, a confidante to listen to their concerns and be able to take that information to the right person and be able to listen and hear what the challenges are.”

Sims-Moten said, “I’m a CEO of First 5 and working with education and how critical it is to make sure that learning is early, how do we support parents as their child’s first teachers. I’m here to do that. I have the fiscal experience to do it. To look at it. And it’s important to know, and the relationships that we have with the district. Understanding the characteristics of the district and the experience will help us get through  this time that we’re in right now.”

Capps said, “We are in such a serious time of crisis with COVID and so many decisions impacting our families and our teachers and our students. And we need my steady hand of experience right now  to guide us through these next few months, these next few years, of teaching during a pandemic.”

Alvarez said, “I am the only bilingual candidate. I’m the only candidate with this level of experience in the daily functions of a district. I know the district inside and out, and I know that I will add value to the district. I am ready to hit the ground running.”

Campbell said, “Only one other board member has children in the school district. I have a vested interest in our education system unlike the rest of the school board. I’ve been in the classroom for nine years teaching science, math, reading, writing to children. I’ve been on the frontlines helping out teachers.”

MacLearn said, “I come from a low-income, dysfunctional, minority family that typically where we see students that are of that category do not succeed academically. However, I was taught literacy, I was taught how to succeed in life and I have those skills that I can in turn give to other minority students.”

de Witt said, “So I think someone from a different perspective, we know how much our current board says they love diversity and I represent neurodiversity. So it may seem scary but it’s really great and this is what they need because they keep doing the same thing and they haven’t made progress."

There is an eighth candidate on the ballot, who canceled his registration after the ballots were printed. The top three selected by voters each will serve a four-year term on the school board.