South Bay School Board Candidates Explain Why They Deserve Your Vote

Representatives voters choose for the South Bay Union School District (SBUSD) Board of Trustees can determine matters important to children's development, safety and academic performance.

That's why, for the final Candidates Q&A question, IB Patch asked "Why should voters elect you to the SBUSD Board of Trustees?"

Lincoln Pickard declined to participate.

For a complete list of questions IB Patch asked Board of Trustees candidates, see the Candidates Q&A column.

Barbara Elliott-Sanders

There are several reasons I believe I should be elected to the South Bay Union School District Board of Trustees.

I bring:

Passion: For 30 years, teaching and advocating for children has been my life's work. Now in retirement I continue my advocacy for children by being a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) with Voices for Children.  

Insight: Being a 23-year member and two-time President of the Imperial Beach Optimist Club, I have worked on many community projects which have afforded me the insight of the needs of our community.  

Reputation: I am proud of the reputation I have built in this community. I am known as someone who is reliable, dependable, positive and will stand up for her beliefs even when it might not be the popular opinion.

Parent: I am the parent of a SBUSD graduate. I know the challenges of being a working mother and single parent. I have worked to empower parents in advocating for their children's education by conducting parent workshops. A well informed parent helps create a powerful team when paired with their child's teacher.  

Knowledge: I have served on over 20 different district and county educational committees. I continue to read professional journals which help keep me abreast of innovations in education.

I will bring a unique perspective to the Board through my skills and experience. I truly care about the families of the South Bay and I would appreciate your vote on Nov. 6. Thank you!

Nick Inzunza

District gains and district levels in reading, writing and arithmetic have never been higher. This years California State Test results put our District’s Grade Point Average higher than the County Average.

As an incumbent, these official indicators clearly demonstrate that the “talk and the walk” are genuinely being met. On this incumbent’s watch, records reveal a steady successful pattern of district academic growth over the last eight years.

To put this tremendous academic growth in perspective, it can almost be stated that the District’s Grade Point Average has tripled during this incumbent’s watch. This is HUGE! This is delivering real accountability to our students, our parents and to the taxpayer.

This incumbent is also proud to report that the district’s old Roosevelt era buildings are being refurbished and made earthquake safe and generally brought up to modern standards. This is HUGE! The old electronic technology is being replaced by the most advanced in the county. All of our classrooms now have Prometheans Boards. This is HUGE!

At parents request, it can also be reported that a seventh and a eighth grade component options have been added to the district’s curriculum. All of these students have been furbisher with a laptop.  We can also report that our seventh and eighth students academically out performed their neighboring counter parts. This is HUGE!

At this point and time the district has and is experiencing HUGE successes and has a bright future as we continue to perfect and develop our curriculum. There is no need to fix something that is not broken. This incumbent offers real experience and real results, not “happy talk” or bunch idle rhetoric. Together, lets work hard and continue hitting home runs for our schools and community.

Dave Lopez

My primary goal and responsibility as a school board member is to create an open line of communication between the authentic stakeholders in the district, local parents and students, and the school board. When I ran for my seat four years ago, there was not a single member who currently had a child in a South Bay school. Local parents and students were disenfranchised. We felt detached from the board's decisions and completely separated from the process. I am the parent of four students, two are currently South Bay Union students; my connection to the district and community is deep.

A major concern during my first term was class size. Everyone knows that real learning does not occur in classrooms with 30 or more students. I was a voice for limiting the size of district classes. I made this a primary goal of my term.

Additionally, there is concern that education is becoming a dash to a test score. Local parents, myself included, want to see our children exposed to a world of learning. With that in mind, I've pushed for additional offerings like art, history, physical education and for increased technological opportunities for oh children.

Cheryl Quinones

When Cheryl Quinones is elected she will bring a wealth of training and experience necessary in these challenging times with student achievement, budget accountability while saving jobs. The District Administration will take ownership of their budget accounting practices which need some serious review in administrative unreported funds.

A vote for Cheryl for SBUSD School Board of Trustees will bring change.

Cheryl does not believe taxing our community is the answer.

“The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts.” ― C.S. Lewis

The Commitment We Want, the Attention Our Children Deserve!