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Goleta school board Two spots open in district’s Nov. 3 race
SBCC Board of Trustees candidate profiles By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Three spots on the Santa Barbara City College Board of Trustees are up for grabs Nov. 3. Two incumbents are running, but area four sees two new candidates this year. The News-Press contacted all six candidates and received a response from three. ROBERT MILLER, INCUMBENT, AREA TWO
RAFAEL MALDONADO / NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTO
Isla Vista Elementary School students watch a ukulele concert in 2019. The school is part of the Goleta Union School District.
ELECTION 2020
Editor’s note: This is part of a News-Press series on local candidates in the Nov. 3 election. Next week’s stories will cover the legislative, congressional and Goleta mayoral races, as well as the Santa Barbara County Board of Education.
“I seek re-election to represent Goleta on the SBCC Board of Trustees because community colleges perform a critical role in reversing the widening equity, wage and achievement gaps in this country,” Robert Miller said in his candidate statement. “And I want to help SBCC do its part.” He was elected president of the Board of Trustees twice and led the search for a new superintendent in 2019. He received backlash for removing the Pledge of Allegiance from board meetings and reinstating it about a month later. He is involved in the community as a volunteer mediator for the Santa Barbara Superior Court. He was part of the Goleta Planning Commission from 2017 until this summer and was president of his neighborhood’s homeowner’s association. He was a lawyer for 31 years. Before then, he served in the Peace Corps, was a Congressional assistant and worked as U.S. Deputy Assistant
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
By JOSH GREGA
Goleta Union School District’s five-member board had two openings up for election Nov. 3. Susan Epstein has served her maximum number of terms, so the district is guaranteed at least one new board member. Here’s who is running in the K-6 district.
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Caroline Abate calls herself “the only Common-Sense Conservative for the Goleta Union School District” in her candidate statement. She goes on to say, “Partisan political ideas, harmful sexual curriculums and globalist educational agenda have no place in our public schools.” She is outspoken in her opposition of the new sexual health curriculum and the dual language immersion program. She teaches part time with a teaching credential from UCSB and holds a registered nurse license, which she said is beneficial as schools reopen. Her endorsers include Santa Barbara Conservative Republicans and Jean Blois, a former Goleta mayor and a former Goleta Union School Board member. Her website is carolineabate4goletausd.com.
NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTO
El Camino Elementary School is among those in the Goleta district. DEVANY BECHLER
DR. VICKI BEN-YAACOV
Devany Bechler is a former math teacher and mother of four Goleta Union students. “Our schools are made of incredible students and families and in light of this complicated season, our Board of Trustees now needs better parent representation from more diverse schools in our district,” she writes in her candidate statement. She has served as the president of the Hollister Parent Teacher Association for the past two years and was vice president for one year. She connects with administrators and parents as part of the school site council. She serves as a village leader in Santa Barbara County’s DSS Villages Program and helps foster and adoptive families. “I want the best possible outcome for students and the community, and I am committed to improving the quality of our district’s education and accessibility,” she says on her website, devanyforgusd.com.
Vicki Ben-Yaacov holds a doctorate in electrical engineering from UCSB. During her 12-year career as an engineer at Sonos, she led outreach programs for schools. The experience led her to launch Youth Innovation Club, a nonprofit that connects educators to professionals in science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. She has two daughters in the district and is endorsed by several of the current board members. She strives for academic excellence, equity and a balanced budget. “We must support students to optimize their educational progress, so every child can thrive,” she said in her candidate statement. Her website is vickiforschoolboard.com.
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RONALD LIECHTI, AREA TWO
Ronald Liechti joined the race after community members asked him to consider running. Incumbent Robert Miller was running unopposed at the time. “Our democracy is undersupported when voters don’t have a choice. I had a sense of civic duty to run,” he said. He has worked in finance for 35 years and helps government officials budget large sums of money. He says he can help the board make sound financial decisions after COVID-19’s budgetary hit. “I have an in-depth knowledge of budgets and publicly-funded institutions,” he said. “I’d love to use that experience and skills to help during this time.” He has lived in the area for over 30 years. His wife and his son both have SBCC degrees, and his daughter plans to dualenroll with her high school program. VERONICA GALLARDO, INCUMBENT, AREA THREE
Veronica Gallardo has been a trustee member for eight years and is an alumna of SBCC. She is a teacher at Roosevelt Please see sbcc on A8
More school waivers approved
By ANNELISE HANSHAW
CAROLINE ABATE
Secretary of Refugee Affairs. He has one donation recorded. It was from the Democratic Women of Santa Barbara County and exceeded the $200 limit, according to a financial statement published on the SBCC website; the check was returned.
GREG HAMMEL
Father of three Goleta alumni, Greg Hammel has volunteered
in the district and feels his experiences helped prepare him for a school board position. Mr. Hammel and his wife ran “Cans for Camps,” a recycling effort that raised $20,000 toward academic camp scholarships. He wants to focus on closing the achievement gaps in the district, if elected. “This inequitable education gap has been a long standing, chronic problem in the GUSD for at least the 20 years that I have been involved with the district,” he says on his website, greghammel.com. SHOLEH JAHANGIR, INCUMBENT
Sholeh Jahangir, the current board president, is running for reelection. She was a Santa Barbara Unified School District student before getting a history degree from UCLA. She is a former teacher and hopes to reduce the achievement gaps in core subjects. “Teaching taught me the Please see GOLETA on A8
A total of 26 local schools have had their waivers for reopening approved by the California Department of Public Health. According to a list from the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, a number of schools including Providence School, Los Olivos Elementary School, Santa Ynez Valley Charter School, and the Montecito Union School District now have permission to reopen for in-person lessons. Schools that have been given permission to reopen through the State of California’s waiver process will be able to reopen for in-person lessons for grades K through six. According to Santa Barbara County Public Health Department public information officer Jackie Ruiz, most schools that have had their waivers approved will reopen, but approaches will vary from one school to another. While some will reopen to complete in-person learning, other schools will employ a hybrid of in-person and distance learning. “Since they’ve been allowed to reopen, they have,” Ms. Ruiz said.
Most schools that have had their waivers approved will reopen, but approaches will vary from one school to another. In addition to the 26 schools that have had reopening waivers approved, waivers for Carpinteria Unified Elementary School, Ballard Elementary School, and Santa Barbara Middle School are currently at the California Department of Public Health awaiting approval. Children’s Montessori School of Lompoc’s waiver is pending additional information. Should the number of new COVID-19 cases remain low enough over the next few days to keep Santa Barbara County in the red tier, this Tuesday will mark two-weeks the county has been in the tier. After that, all grade levels at schools will be able to reopen for in-person classes. email: jgrega@newspress.com
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