Jerry RobertsBy Jerry Roberts of Newsmakers
Up against the Rams-49ers game for ratings, 10 candidates for five seats in two local school districts shared their views Monday night about literacy, sex ed, pandemic learning loss and a host of other issues facing public education.
A partnership of community groups, including The Resource Santa Barbara, the Coalition for Neighborhood Schools and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, sponsored a campaign forum featuring competitors for both the Goleta Union and Santa Barbara Unified district boards of educations.
The November 8 election is the first under a new district election system for local school board contests, and the candidates answered questions for 90 minutes about challenges confronting public schools, both universal and district-specific.
Participating in the event were:
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Three contenders for an open seat in SBUSD Trustee Area #1 – retired educator Efigenia Banales, student affairs professional Gabe Escobedo and parent Dan Le Berge
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The incumbent in the Santa Barbara district’s Trustee Area #4, Rose Munoz, and her challenger, small business owner Phebe Mansur.
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The rivals in Goleta Union’s Trustee Area #1 – incumbent and UCSB professor Richard Mayer, facing off against school teacher Caroline Abate.
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Two of three candidates in the Goleta District’s Trustee Area #3 – teacher Christy Lozano and teacher Emily Zacarias. Also on the ballot is businessman Bert Haley.
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Ethan Bertrand, a Democratic Party activist, who is the only candidate for the seat representing Goleta Union’s Trustee Area #5.
Among the more contentious matters were the sex education curriculum in Santa Barbara and a joint-use agreement between the City of Goleta and the School District.
The affair was co-moderated by longtime public schools advocate Lanny Ebenstein and Newsmakers’ own genial host.
You can watch the forum via YouTube below or by clicking through this link. Check back for a link to the podcast version.
Schools can do a better job and there are many systemic issues and entrenched interests that need to be addressed. But hiring a laid-off PE teacher and other assorted wannabe Fox News culture warriors is no way to do it. They have zero experience and their plans just consist of a mashup of slogans. If they think they can do a better job and have realistic policy plans, more power to them. But they don’t even come close to having a plan.
Why can’t California round up these wanna be textbook/ masking ‘fascists’ and send them to …..Florida…..where they would be welcomed with open arms. These Lozano acolytes do not have the best interests of the public schools at heart. They would rather destroy our local public schools. Vouchers are always lurking in the background.
Wow. Here’s the first and most relevant question: why in the world is the moderator sitting in his own home space and still wearing a damn mask? Laughable.
Maybe he’s not in his home. Maybe he has an illness making him vulnerable. Maybe someone off camera has cancer and is not from his home. Maybe lot’s of things. Who cares? It doesn’t change anything about the candidates.
“most relevant question” – no, it’s not.
What’s laughable about a person wearing a mask? There are all kinds of possible reasons. Why should I care about that detail? How does it affect me?
Basic I know someone with cancer who wears a mask in house with family members due to vulnerability. Maybe you should do a little research perhaps.
BASIC you just got schooled. Shameful to make fun of others, but typical of the lEtS gO bRaNDoN crowd.
C’mon, Alex, you know that right wingers don’t apologize for their sociopathic behavior.
And also who is “Mony”!? Who just dumped right in to someone’s else’s feed. Clueless.
It’s relevant to people Sac, you just don’t know any of them.
No, thank God I don’t. Will it affect your vote? Does it change your thoughts on the issues?
How?
Christy Lozano wouldn’t be rehired in SB again as a teacher. She was a miserably qualified candidate for Superintendent. Her home school has failed and she tried to start a $100 per day private school out of the Boys and Girls club, but the neighborhood chased her off. She might be a “normal” candidate in rural Oklahoma, but not here.
Applause for Ethan Bertrand who called out the other candidates who openly support harmful anti-LGBTQ ideas and rhetoric.
https://youtu.be/s5VVhDe0ovE?t=780
MARCELK – you should have included a disclaimer: “This video addresses sexual issues and racism and will cause children to become violent adults.”
I can only pity the angry hateful people who downvote me solely for providing an informative link to the referenced section of the video.
Achoo, I assumed that he was unaccompanied on the video, since I saw no one else in the room. Apparently that was not the case, as was pointed out. And to answer your question, I’ll tell you why. There was a major disruption to our childrens’ education which was driven not by science, studies, or even any evidence (of children being spreaders of the virus) but by a lot of paranoia. That manifested in overkill shutdowns and mask wearing within our schools. It was unfounded, costly, and it was a detriment to the kids. Can anyone wear a mask if they want to? Sure, but don’t be thinking just because you chose to it means it should be fine to force that on others at this point, after where we went the past couple years. Call me defensive. On this one at this time, yeah absolutely.
So in the context of a debate about where our schools are headed, it was upsetting to see someone moderating it with a mask on remotely. I made the incorrect assumption, and that’s on me. I appreciate the moderator’s clarification and respect his wish to wear a mask. I’m happy to see none of the candidates had to do so.
I would encourage the undecided voters to cast your ballot for Phebe Mansur, SB District 4 candidate. She will add something much needed to the school board: a quality alternative to the status quo that runs most of Santa Barbara, as well as the state. Her constituency will be YOU; her focus the STUDENTS. Not a political party or ideology. Many of us attended California public schools when we were the envy of the nation. For decades, we ranked number one in schools. For some time now, we are positioned at or near the bottom. Status Quo clearly is not working. Vote for the candidate, not the party! Checks and Balance is a necessary component of our form of governance. We require healthy debate in the public arena, rigorous debate that encourages diversity of opinion and philosophy. Phebe Mansur is smart, concerned about improving the education of all our students, including those most vulnerable. She runs a small business (print shop) and is successful, skills that will serve her well on the dais. She’s a fine woman, committed to our community. Before you make a decision, check her out. Contact Phebe and ask her questions about the issues of greatest concern to you regarding local schools.
Not a political party or ideology? How is that she struggled to read off her sheet of pre-printed far right talking points? Phebe was the least coherent and qualified candidate, absolutely not.
Please ignore the man behind the curtain, and the strings emanating from the articulations.
What a pile of dishonest baloney. She most certainly does have an ideology, and it’s why she is running–and no relevant experience or expertise (other than having spent a lot of time in summer school due to her admittedly having been a terrible student). Rose Muñoz is a better candidate in every way. That Phebe is “a fine woman” is completely irrelevant–so is Rose, so are many people. It’s not a reason to vote for Ms. Mansur. Likewise with Efi Banales, whom I know and have worked with on volunteer projects–a really nice person, but not the best candidate for the seat she is running for.
As a reminder, below are the “Nutty Nine” candidates who are running on a “chaos” platform.
They have banned together to infiltrate the system and will stop at nothing until their bigoted, religious agenda is inserted into the school system.
These are dangerous and self serving people!
Follow the money Santa Barbara, you deserve better!
Gabriel Morales
Caroline Abate
Christy Lozano
Sharon Jegottka
Debi Stoker
Efigenia Banales
Rosanne Crawford
Colleen Estrada
Dani Blunk
Lyin’ and a’ cryin’ all the day looooong,
Trollin’ and a’ moanin’ ’bout ev’ryone,
Rules fer theeeee….. oh yeah baby
But not fer meeeee… no how!
Fearin’ and a’ tearin’ ’bout them mean ol’ Liiiiiiiibs,
Dishin’ up a bowl o’ hot steamin’ fibs,
Rules fer theeeee….. oh yeah baby
But not fer meeeee… no how!
[Washboard and 1 string bass solo]
Projectin’ and deflectin’ and a’ wearin a fez,
Not gunna back up anything he says,
Rules fer theeeee….. oh yeah baby
But not fer meeeee… no how!
[mouth harp outro]
Sacjon quote “So, is someone speaks out about their beliefs and lifestyle choices, it’s OK to ridicule, laugh and insult them? That is what you are saying. Is that what you really mean? Think hard before answering that one……”
Holly crap bro… I’ve been saying that for a year only to get insulted and told what I believe.
@7:06PM So you disapprove of what VORW and Basic did.
Alright, someone please give a logical explanation of what you mean by the chaos platform. If you’re going to nail individual candidates for something be ready to back up your accusations. Let’s hear it…
What language is the word “alright” in?
You’re making zero sense.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alright
There are better reasons to criticize Basic … like a) the fact that the criticisms of “Fair Education Santa Barbara” and its agenda of inserting religious ideology into our schools have already been laid out in response to his absurd comments about “improving” those schools and b) he’s changing the subject from whether it was ok for him to “ridicule, laugh and insult” Jerry Roberts (among others protecting their own and other people’s health).
@8:33PM It makes sense to intelligent people, the sort who don’t attack cancer sufferers for wearing a mask.
I wouldn’t listen to anything the ITP @ UCSB wants to put out on ‘lessons on mask wearing’. There are far better sources, and it’s not Fauci and the CDC. It’s real academic institutions that have individuals that aren’t political, aren’t parrots, and specialize in data-driven conclusions. Think Stanford, John’s Hopkins, UCSF, etc. Anyone can tell you “a mask can prevent an airborne infection”. We’re way past that. At least some of us are.
“I wouldn’t listen to anything the ITP @ UCSB wants to put out on ‘lessons on mask wearing’.”
Of course you wouldn’t — one of the premier physics institutions in the country might say something you don’t want to hear.
Alright Marcel and Sac – tell us all who to vote for, and why. Thank you.
Basic, please tell us why the moderator wearing a mask affects you or any other viewer. Do you automatically discount mask-wearers’ credibility, despite not knowing their reasons for wearing masks?
AHCOO, if the moderator kept their mask wearing and feelings to themselves it’s be no problem. It’s when those hypochondria feelings are expressed with school boards, spoken at city council meetings, emailed to politicians, etc. that it impacts others leading to schools shutdowns or draconian rules/procedures for students, businesses being closed or unnecessarily restricted, continued mandates for vaccines even for those at very low-risk, etc.
“if the moderator kept their mask wearing and feelings to themselves it’s be no problem.” – he did, until he was called out and laughed at by your buddy.
Basic can’t even figure out how to reply properly to a comment to keep the thread organized. How do you expect him to come up with any sort of coherent answer to a complex question? For someone who claimed in the past to be a physician, he’s also remarkable clueless about health issues.
For you couple who are arguing semantics, and apparently having not been around the university for the past couple decades, it’s called the ITP. Just leave it at that and stick to real issues.
“stick to real issues” – like what? You’re the one who derailed this whole thing by making it all about the cancer-surviving moderator and his mask. What are the “real issues” you think we should be discussing here?
“We’re way past that. At least some of us are.” – are you the same guy who belittled, teased and laughed at the cancer survivor with an upper respiratory infection who wore a mask around other people in an enclosed area? Yeah, you’re totally “past” masks…….. LOL
If you don’t think masking is a real issue for schools, I can’t help you Sac. There are candidates on both sides of it. Some are ready to mask and shutdown, others are not. Covid and other viruses aren’t going away.
“If you don’t think masking is a real issue for schools” – where did I say that?
1) YOU, not me, said we need to “stick to real issues.” I asked what those where. You failed to answer but instead put words into my mouth in an attempt to deflect, much like your RW/con/Rep buddies here.
2) I agree that is a real issue, if that is what you now want to discuss here. Good thing is, NO PUBLIC SCHOOLS are requiring masks right now. So……..