The three candidates for the Santa Barbara Unified School District board for Area 1 took part in a debate Monday leading up to the Nov. 8 election.
Retired educator Efigenia Banales, student affairs professional Gabe Escobedo and executive director/parent Dan La Berge are competing for an open seat on the school board.
Ballots for the Nov. 8 election hit mailboxes this week and, in a big political change, seats on the Santa Barbara school board are being chosen by neighborhood district.
Area 1 includes much of the city’s Eastside, Westside and downtown areas.
The candidates answered questions on the topics of equity, literacy and racism in Santa Barbara schools. They also talked about the leadership changes in the district and their impact on the students.
The debate was hosted by Josh Molina, owner of Santa Barbara Talks, a podcast centered on conversations with local people on the topics of education, business and culture. Jerry Roberts of Newsmakers with JR served as the co-moderator.
In District 3, Rose Munoz is running for re-election against candidate Phebe Mansur.
Check Noozhawk for more coverage of local school board elections.
— Consider a donation to this podcast by clicking here. Subscribe to this podcast by clicking here. Josh Molina has been a journalist in Santa Barbara for 20 years. He also covered City Hall for the San Jose Mercury News. In addition to working as a reporter at Noozhawk, he teaches journalism at Cal State University, Northridge and Santa Barbara City College. Please subscribe to his YouTube channel for more content.