As part of our June 2026 primary voter guide, the Long Beach Post and LAist partnered to ask school board candidates how they’d handle the issues voters said they cared about most. See the answers from the other candidates in this race, Maureen Flaherty and Sara Pol-Lim, and find our guides for all the other local races at LBPost.com/elections.
Even after significant staff reductions this year, Long Beach Unified anticipates it needs to cut tens of millions more from its budget next year. What would you cut? In the long term, with steadily declining enrollment, what needs to be done to ensure adequate funding for LBUSD?
Our fiduciary responsibility as a Board is to preserve the highest academic standards while balancing educational priorities and operational needs. I support the district’s financial stabilization efforts that began this fiscal year. A review of central office operations revealed a potential for reductions resulting in a $2.5 million cost savings across various central office departments being instituted this fiscal year. The next fiscal year will see another $10 million in ongoing reductions reflecting approximately a 10% decrease. Staffing standards represent another area where cost savings can be found. Previously, staffing standards were based on the prior year’s enrollment, however, going forward staffing standards reflect projected enrollment numbers.
The board of education has set ambitious goals for boosting literacy, English language arts and algebra proficiency, and college and career readiness. These goals place particular emphasis on closing the achievement gap between Black students and other student groups. While recent monitoring reports show some modest improvement, the district is not currently on track to meet most of these goals. What would you do to accelerate academic achievement and close performance gaps?
Although only modest improvement is indicated so far, it is imperative we stay the course and trust in the Student Outcome Focused Governance model that we’ve adopted and implemented. As a Board we have made a commitment to adhere to the tenets set forth by this model of governance. Our practice of reviewing monitoring reports from staff has been a learning journey for both the Board and the staff. We are in the third year of this effort and believe that major shifts in practice take time for positive results to be achieved. The most effective strategy is for the Board to support the work being done and to closely monitor the data provided.
The board of education is currently engaged in a search for the district’s next superintendent, following Jill Baker’s retirement after this school year. With a new leader in such a powerful position, what would you tell the next superintendent to focus on?
We have a culture in LBUSD that includes partnership and collaboration with stakeholders and above all else our ideal of holding our students as the north star. To that end, I would advise the new superintendent to stay true to the vision and values of our community and to uphold our Vision2035. The last several years have been dedicated to Student Outcome Focused Governance and support of this effort is vital. The success of our multi-year endeavor is predicated on the support and cooperation of the superintendent as a pivotal part of the governance team. And lastly, I would strongly suggest a focus on the budget.
Tell voters why you should be elected.
I have served on the Board of Education for LBUSD for the last fourteen years. My experience and institutional knowledge will help guide the district through these challenging times of financial uncertainty and help to provide a smooth transition for the new superintendent. I have championed the Student Outcome Focused Governance work and am committed to seeing the successful conclusion in 2028. I am a dedicated and passionate public servant in service to the students and families I represent.