A longtime liberal incumbent is facing a challenge from a conservative activist for a seat on the Goleta Union School District Board of Education.
Richard Mayer, who has served for more than 40 years on the school board, is trying to win another term on the board that oversees the 3,700-student, nine-school district. Abate is well known in political circles, openly displaying her support for former President Donald Trump, religion and pro-life positions.
The contest for the District 1 seat comes at a time when public school education is ground zero for the latest wave of culture wars. Nationally, conservative candidates are attempting to tip the balance of power on school boards. They have raised concerns about literacy rates, test scores and sexual education curriculum.
If Abate and Christy Lozano, who is running in District 3, were to upset their liberal Democrat opponents, it would mark the first time in several years that the Goleta school board had a strong conservative influence.
The K-6 district is dealing with many of the issues facing California schools — a persistent gap in test scores between white students and students of color, and how to recover from learning loss because of school closures and online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Noozhawk reached out to the candidates for District 1 and asked them questions about their priorities if elected.
Caroline Abate
Abate is used to fighting uphill battles.
She’s a conservative, pro-life Republican in a region dominated by liberal Democrats, but that has never stopped Abate from spreading her form of joy, speaking at public meetings across the South Coast with a gleeful, polite approach.
While some candidates tell people what they want to hear in order to get elected, Abate is tactfully blunt and strongly convicted in her conservative values.
Now, she’s looking to win a seat on the Goleta school board.
“I am running for the Goleta school board because, as we look around at our community, we see problems such as increased homelessness and drug use, especially marijuana, domestic abuse, violence and an increase in crime rates,” Abate said. “In our schools, there are sexual curriculums so inappropriate, the details of which cannot even be spoken about in public, and students who are not meeting basic-level proficiency standards, and a shift away from the importance of learning English.”
Abate said she is focused on improving literacy rates and test scores for students.
“The purpose of a school is to educate students, so improving test scores must be made a priority,” Abate said. “I believe strong proficiency test scores are the culmination of a lot of different aspects of the school community, all coming together to support the common goal.”
She said school board policy must be based on common sense and good judgment, which then benefits all students equally, regardless of race.
Abate said student performance can only be improved when honest discussions are allowed and difficult issues are addressed.
“The discussion starts by asking the difficult questions. For example: Are students respecting the teacher’s authority, and following directions in the classroom?” Abate said. “Are teachers well-trained in effective and judicious classroom discipline, and are they supported in these efforts by parents and the entire school staff? Is there too much distraction on inappropriate sexual or racial curriculum?”
Abate, an elementary school teacher, said she believes helping students improve their social-emotional health is important.
“Clearly, we are not all the same,” Abate said. “We each have different strengths, weaknesses, talents, skills and abilities. Let’s teach our students to work together in a complementary manner, each student complementing the other with their own strength or talent for a weakness or lack of ability in someone else. This way, we take advantage of a wonderful naturally occurring phenomenon and everyone feels included, while bringing out the best in each other.”
Abate said it’s important for the school to help build good character traits and a strong work ethic.
“Let’s teach our Goleta students an understanding of the American tradition of personal responsibility and individual freedom and liberty, and above all, teach a profound respect for the dignity of all human life, from our earliest unborn moments until natural death,” Abate said. “These valuable character traits are equally necessary for all students’ success, regardless of race or skin color.”
She said she doesn’t believe singling out groups of students based on race or ethnicity is wise because it divides rather than unites.
“Eventually, the other non-included groups feel a resentment, and then the entire system begins to deteriorate and breakdown, resulting in problems for everyone,” Abate said.
Abate added that she hopes others and their elected leaders soon will see the benefits of returning prayer and biblical values back into public schools.
“Prayer has a healing, calming and therapeutic effect,” Abate said. “It gives a sense of purpose, a chance to pause and reflect and to be objective about our behavior and see where we can improve. These benefits are especially important now for the emotional health of our children and young people, as they cope with many difficult issues.”
Richard Mayer
Mayer is the longest-serving elected official in Santa Barbara County. He has served on the Goleta school board since 1981.
He’s also a pyschologist who teaches at UCSB.
“My priorities continue to be to provide low class size, a rich curriculum with high standards at every school, and welcoming and safe neighborhood schools,” Mayer said.
He cites providing after-school programs at every campus, providing psychologists and social-emotional learning at every school, running an all-day free summer school, providing free nutritious lunches and breakfasts, and funding community social workers to connect schools with families among his most significant accomplishments.
He also said the district hired extra teachers to reduce class sizes down to below 20-to-1, and hired permanent substitutes at each school to make sure that classes continue uninterrupted throughout the year during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the issue of improving literacy and math skills for all students and specifically students of color, Mayer said a strong predictor of success in high school and beyond is the development of reading and math skills in elementary school.
“I will continue to be a strong voice on the board for high-quality education with high standards for every child,” Mayer said. “I will continue to focus on providing additional instructional support to students who are not yet meeting standards in aspects of literacy or math. I have supported our district taking a data-driven approach, where we have formative assessments of each child that allow teachers to target specific skills.”
He said smaller class sizes are important because they allow for more focused instruction on each child.
“I will continue to support providing additional, small-group instruction for students in need in specific academic areas,” Mayer said. “I will continue to support providing free before-school and after-school programs and an all-day summer school program to support students in need of academic support.”
Mayer said he has a “strong and unwavering commitment to making sure every child and every family feels welcome, included and appreciated in their school.”
“I have supported hiring social workers to connect families and schools,” Mayer said. “I supported the establishment of a districtwide Task Force on Social Justice and Equity, consisting of parents, teachers and administrators, and I am proud to being serving on it since its inception.”
Mayer said he has participated in three anti-racism training programs that the district has offered. He also serves as the board’s representative on the district English Learner Advisory Committee, consisting of parents and administrators from each school. The board focuses on issues of importance to English learners and multi-language learners.
“I am proud of our success in helping students reach full English fluency,” Mayer said. “I supported the establishment of our district’s Dual Language Immersion Program, which is now in its third year and has been successful.”
Despite the length of his public service on the school board, Mayer remains humble.
“I have been learning a lot about how to maintain a stable, caring district that focuses on a high-quality education for every child,” Mayer said. “I am a proud admirer and supporter of the Goleta Union School District, and I am honored to be able to play even a small role in our mission of helping every child learn, grow and develop.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
