Gayle Eidelson, a longtime resident of Santa Barbara, announced her candidacy Tuesday for the Santa Barbara school board.

A former preschool teacher, Eidelson received her bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and her multisubject teaching credential from Cal State Northridge.
A mother of seven children who have all attended Santa Barbara public schools, Eidelson has been involved in school and district issues since 1988.
“This is an opportunity for me to give back and contribute to the community, utilizing some of the knowledge and experience that I’ve gained in nearly 25 years of involvement with our schools,” she said.
Eidelson served on the Committee to Rebuild Roosevelt, has maintained active involvement in school parent organizations, participated in the principal hiring process, fundraised for school and district programs, acted as a classroom volunteer, and spent six years on the district’s Elementary and Secondary Parent Advisory Committees.
Her educational philosophy centers on ensuring that local schools have strong academics and excellent teachers, while providing all students with the guidance needed to ultimately take responsibility for their own learning. She strongly believes that the Santa Barbara Unified School District is a critical community resource.
“I am open to the concerns of students, parents and the community as it relates to our schools because I highly value educational opportunities and safe schools for our students,” Eidelson said.
She believes that it is important to maintain strong fiscal control in these difficult economic times.
“Through these tough periods of decreased state funding,” Eidelson said, “I want to work hard to ensure that Santa Barbara schools maintain and improve their high standards for programs and teachers.”
Eidelson and her husband, Jon, have lived in Santa Barbara since 1983. Five of their children have graduated from district schools and gone on to successful post-secondary education and careers, while the two youngest attend Santa Barbara Junior High School and Santa Barbara High School.
Eidelson can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).








