Four Candidates Debate for Two Seats on the School Board

By Iris Heckes

Ballots are going out nationwide for the Nov. 3 midterm elections, and local races are picking up. Two of the five seats on the Santa Barbara Unified School District (SBUSD) board are up for election. SBUSD’s Student Board Member Victoria Martinez Penaranda and Future Leaders of America member Daniela Espinoza Aguilar moderated a debate between candidates at La Cumbre Junior High School’s theater from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 5. The event attracted a small crowd; no more than 30 people sat in the spacious theater.

Many questions focused on technology, artificial intelligence, student wellness, student/staff support, and the role of SBUSD’s Student Board Member. Each participant had a 90-second answer time. Martinez Penaranda came up with the idea for the event, working with the League of Women Voters and Future Leaders of America to host a candidate forum for the four candidates running. 

The candidates are Jacqueline Inda Karlsen, Mark Thomas Philibosian, Valerie Amparan, and incumbent Rosemary Munoz. Both Inda Karlsen and Thomas Philibosian are fighting for a seat in Trustee Area 1, which includes the neighborhoods of Lower State Street and a large portion of the Eastside was formerly held by Gabe Escobedo, who is running for City Council. Munoz, the incumbent, and Amparan are both running for Trustee Area 4, which includes Old Town Goleta and areas nearby. 

Inda Karlsen is a SBHS and SBCC alum, born and raised in Santa Barbara. She focuses on community advocacy: immigrant rights and youth programs, to name a few. With a strong leadership background in nonprofit organizations such as the Restorative Justice Education Center, Inda Karlsen hopes to win over SBUSD this time around. In 2008, Inda Karlsen ran for the school board. Inda Karlsen shared an idea to tackle student/staff support by creating “a reporting system in which families, people, individuals, can report, then people feel heard.” 

Thomas Philibosian is a financial analyst, consultant, and now a candidate for the SBUSD school board. Thomas Philibosian is a Dos Pueblos High School alum and is married to a teacher who worked in SBUSD. With his background in economics, Thomas Philibosian hopes to place a big emphasis on the $9.7 million budget deficit. When asked about how he feels about student mental health and wellness, he said, “We need to be listening to the parents, we need to be listening to teachers, [and] we need to be listening to students… We have to ensure that we think about wellness, safety, and changing needs.”

Munoz is the Vice President of the SBUSD school board and has held two terms as the representative for Trustee Area 4. With her personal perspective as a Latina and Spanish speaker, Munoz champions a welcoming and inclusive environment. “[Teachers] need to know that their jobs matter and that they are a priority.” She explained that 90% of the school district’s discretionary budget goes to salary.

Amparan is a nonprofit executive with a background in tech and sales management. The Goleta resident and mother of two children was a first-generation college student. She targets low reading and math scores. 52% of students district-wide meet grade-level math standards, and 48% meet grade-level English standards. She said, “One thing that is interesting is that people are afraid of the things they don’t know. But there are a lot of benefits to AI for teachers, for educators, for students.” 

Candidates discussed the largest issues facing the district, including a $9.7 million budget deficit, declining enrollment numbers, and suboptimal proficiency statistics.