SLO County school boards have become an election battleground. Here’s how candidates compare

Emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic in a time of unprecedented political polarization, some of the most heated races in the November election are occurring in an anomalous place: local school boards.

Across eight local districts, San Luis Obispo County voters will fill 19 school board seats, choosing from a competitive field of 47 candidates.

The crowded field follows schools being put under a magnifying glass after students spent the last two years working from home during distance learning, and then later returned to campuses with stringent — and controversial — health measures in place.

Those difficulties were then compounded as national discussions and reckonings on racism, gun control, LGBTQ+ rights and climate change reached boiling points.

In response, more parents began turning up at virtual meetings and in person to voice their concerns regarding their kids’ education, sometimes coalescing through activist groups such as Moms for Liberty.

After some districts saw recall efforts and meetings devolve into shouting matches with police being called over topics such as mask policies, history curricula and protections for LGBTQ+ students, a few of those parents are now running for seats on the dais.

And they’re bringing pointed critiques with them, some taking clear partisan stances and even calling out districts for the so-called “indoctrination” of children.

The result has left voters with choices in this election that, depending on the outcome, could drastically shift the direction of school boards for years to come.

The Tribune spoke with or received written testimony from 27 of the school board candidates running for election this November. We asked why they were running, whether they thought school boards should be nonpartisan bodies and what their positions are on topics such as the COVID-19 pandemic recovery, LGBTQ+ rights, classroom curricula and books in the school libraries.

Why some school board candidates are running

Some candidates noted they were called to run for the board over a specific event or issue that occurred over the past few years.

Adrienne Garcia-Specht, for example, said she was compelled to run for Cuesta College’s board of trustees when the incumbent, Pete Sysak, was censured and asked to resign by the board after posts to his Facebook page were made public. The now-deleted posts were called racist, homophobic, misogynistic, xenophobic and anti-immigrant by critics, and the board deemed them to be “offensive, disrespectful, demeaning” social media posts that violated “the trustee role,” according to the board’s December 2020 censure resolution.

“I’m bringing a fresh perspective that is very informed by the current challenges that colleges are facing, that students are facing, that faculty and staff are facing,” said Garcia-Specht, a Latina and financial aid counselor at Cal Poly. “I think I bring compassion to the board, and a sense of professionalism that the board needs right now.”

When asked about that 2020 controversy, Sysak told The Tribune that the California Community College Chancellor’s Office asked each college to adopt certain diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and he supported “some elements of that.”

Both of the Cuesta board of trustees candidates are strong advocates for expanding the community college’s programs to the more southern reaches of the county.

Somewhat similarly, Sondra Williams, a candidate for Paso Robles Joint Unified’s school board, said she was running because of the political controversies that arose in the North County’s board over the past few years. She noted that these have interfered with the board’s typical agenda items.

“I am invested in the success of these students,” she wrote in response to Tribune questions. “I am tired of letting national politics govern more of our school board’s time than actually serving our children. We owe it to our students and our educators to actually discuss issues and plans relevant to their success.”

Other San Luis Obispo County school board candidates said they have felt compelled to run against incumbents because of what they described to be a lack of communication between the board, community and school district administration. Candidates said they felt it was important that school board members have kids in the district.

“I want to be that bridge between the community, families and the school district,” said Loren Leidinger who has a daughter at Morro Bay High School and is running against longtime incumbent Marilyn Rodger for a seat on the San Luis Coastal Unified School District board of trustees. “It is time that the school board represent those with current and recent experience on the ground at the schools.”

Rodger, whose kids graduated from the district well over a decade ago and has served on the board for 20 years, said she’s running again because she brings longtime experience on the board and her perspective as a blue-collar worker.

“I have consistently represented the desires of families like mine, working families, that have a lot of hopes for their kids, and they want their education to be good, and they want the best for them,” Rodger said. “They may not be able to be really participatory because they’re working one or two jobs, but they need representation. Those kids need it. And I hope that I have been their voice.”

Another new candidate, Gary Joralemon, who is running for a seat against longtime incumbent Colleen Martin on Lucia Mar Unified’s board of trustees, noted that he has been asked by some community members to run in the past, but it never felt like the right time until now.

“I think most of us would acknowledge that fresh eyes on the problem are usually a good thing,” Joralemon said. “The parents who approached me clearly felt dismissed and disrespected by the current board.”

Martin, who was one of the candidates who community members attempted to recall from the board in 2021, wrote to The Tribune that she is running again because her “leadership has made a difference.”

“I know I have the knowledge and experience to make the best decisions to move Lucia Mar forward as a welcoming district that serves all students and families and encourages them to reach their highest potential,” she wrote. “I will not be dissuaded by bullies trying to intimidate me and will work to represent all children no matter their circumstances.”

Should school boards remain nonpartisan bodies?

All of the candidates interviewed by The Tribune said school boards should remain non-partisan bodies. Many noted that the purpose of the board is to help provide students with a better education, and that education should remain the sole focus — not political agendas.

But that’s not always the case.

“They can stay nonpartisan bodies, and all that really means is you don’t have an R or a D or something like that behind your name when you appear on the ballot,” said Paso Robles Joint Unified School District incumbent candidate Chris Arend. “Our political interests are going to play a role. Not really partisan political interest, but political philosophies will obviously play a role in the school district as we’ve seen.”

Arend is running against Peter Byrne and Jim Cogan.

Byrne did not return any Tribune requests for comment. However, he sent out a flier in the mail to voters in his district that, in bold font, said one of his goals was to “stop the LGBTQ+ indoctrination of students and remove the LGBTQ section in the library.”

Other goals Byrne emphasized include having “the school board vote to not allow any references to or training for transsexual conversion,” including “chemical or surgical castration, mastectomies or similar procedures,” his flier said.

He also wishes vaccinations for COVID-19 or “COVID-related infections” to be voluntary, and to “restrict the teacher’s union from having any input in forming school administration policy.”

Cogan noted that he thinks the school board should remain nonpartisan and said it’s important to find the common ground that everyone can agree on.

“That common ground is going to be on the basis that our kids need the best education they can get,” he said. “And that starts by ensuring everyone feels welcome, supported and is not negatively impacted by our board.”

Concern over ‘indoctrination’ of students

The consistent concern of indoctrination of students was clear in some school board candidates’ written testimonies to The Tribune.

“The school is not to be used for partisan politics, exposing children to controversial lifestyle choices or for social experimentation,” wrote Atascadero Unified candidate Rebekah Koznek. “Our schools are going backwards in quality, taxpayers are being cheated and, frankly, home values are negatively affected by the perception of the ranking of the school. The library should have books that are free from inappropriate content and are reflective of the traditional American values that the vast majority of Atascadero voter’s support. If outside influences want to indoctrinate students, it should not be at the taxpayer’s expense.”

Others noted that they want parents to have more control over their kids’ educations to ensure indoctrination was not happening.

Jennifer Grinager, a candidate for Templeton Unified’s school board, wrote to The Tribune that she would advocate for parents’ needs and “make sure the board is free from ideological influence, outside influence and groups attempting to indoctrinate students into making choices that they are too young and inexperienced to make.”

“I am extremely concerned because there has been national news of pornographic and sexually charged curriculum in the schools,” she wrote in response to Tribune questions. “People in Templeton have felt that is not going to happen here, but we need to safeguard our kids and be on the alert. As a board member I would make sure there is transparency, parents are involved and that any inappropriate material is brought to the forefront.”

Running for a seat on the Paso Robles school board, Laurene McCoy, who did not respond to Tribune questions, has expressed her discomfort regarding books with LGBTQ+ characters in the library during board meetings.

“There are books in our library system that are very damaging to our children’s psychological growth, and I feel as though it’s not right,” she said at an Aug. 23 Paso Robles school board meeting. “These books need to be moved out of the library.”

However, others told The Tribune they trust school staff and librarians to make informed and smart choices on curriculum and library books.

“Our curriculum is vetted by our education professionals, approved by the state and the community is given a chance to review before it is implemented,” said Matt Allison, another candidate for Templeton Unified’s board. “What I am concerned about is the book-banning movements backed by organizations such as Moms for Liberty. The vast majority of the books targeted for removal by Mom’s for Liberty and other groups feature characters of color, discuss race and racism in American history, and include LGBTQ+ identities.”

“It is clear that these book-banning movements are driven by political and ideological agendas,” he continued. “We should allow our schools the freedom to provide these books, within the confines of our approved curriculum, and our students the freedom to access these books.”

Grinager is chair for the San Luis Obispo chapter of Moms for Liberty, while Koznek is co-chair. The national organization aims to defend “parental rights at all levels of government,” its website says.

Are schools doing enough to support LGBTQ+, students of color and other marginalized students?

There was also divide among the candidates about whether their school districts were doing enough to support LGBTQ+ students, students of color and other marginalized groups.

Many candidates simply noted that there is always more to do to help those students.

“It’s about doing more and doing it correctly — and it shouldn’t be just a one-time thing, it needs to be ongoing,” said Atascadero Unified candidate Tracy Ellis-Weit. “Teaching racial equity and history, supporting LGBTQ+ and marginalized students in the TK-12 curriculum is critical in creating a school climate that is tolerant and respectful of diversity.”

Roxana Maldonado, a candidate for a seat on Lucia Mar Unified’s board of trustees, wrote to The Tribune that the district should focus on providing more mental health resources for historically marginalized groups, including LGBTQ+ students and students of color.

She added that while the district makes decisions, it should work to include all stakeholders in the process, “that means greater efforts at community outreach and hiring interpreters who speak English, Spanish and Mixteco,” she wrote.

Jim Irving, a candidate for Paso Robles’ school board, wrote to The Tribune that he wasn’t sure if more support for marginalized students at the district is needed, “though I believe students may need safe havens to discuss their concerns.”

Tami Gunther, an incumbent candidate for the Atascadero Unified board, wrote a similar response to The Tribune’s questions, noting that there is always more her district could be doing to support marginalized students.

“One thing I would like to see is expanded use of student advisory groups to help us understand the concerns our students have, and how we might be able to address those concerns,” she wrote.

Some candidates argued that certain groups of students shouldn’t be given special treatment, even though they may belong to marginalized groups.

“There is no need to single out and separate groups. We need to really be inclusive in the true sense of the word, unite people and treat all people as equal,” Koznek wrote to The Tribune. “Treating people as victims only reinforces marginalization, it does not improve their chances at success in life. We just need to make sure that all the students have the best resources to guarantee their academic success, which includes making sure their mental health is considered as well.”

Other candidates gave similar responses to Koznek. They didn’t expressly say whether LGBTQ+ students, students of color and other marginalized students should have more support at the district for which they are running for school board.

“I believe our district needs to provide the academic resources needed for ALL of our students to be successful,” wrote Atascadero Unified candidate Denise McGrew Kane in response to Tribune questions. “When it comes to matters outside of academics, I believe in the Golden Rule and that we should always encourage our children to be kind, empathetic, and most importantly, treat others how they would like to be treated if they were in their shoes.”

That statement was largely echoed by Daevin Thomas, an incumbent candidate for Lucia Mar Unified’s school board, in his response to Tribune questions.

He wrote that he is focused on “having representation of all voices in policies and strategies of the district.”

School board candidate forums

School board candidates will be participating in a couple of forums in the coming weeks.

The Paso Robles school district’s forum was on Sept. 28. You can watch a recording at bit.ly/3RMUQpa.

Templeton Unified candidates will hold their forum on Wednesday, Oct. 12, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Vineyard Elementary School.

And Atascadero Unified candidates will have a forum on the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 19.

This story was originally published October 6, 2022 at 7:00 AM.