Six candidates vie for four seats on board
CITY WIDE — With six candidates boasting strong ties to education and the connections in the community to back them up, the race to fill four seats on the Santa Monica- Malibu Unified school board has all the makings of a highly competitive campaign, one that could overshadow the much more visible race for control of the City Council.
The field of candidates includes three incumbents running for their first re-elections — Emily Bloomfield, Shane McLoud and Oscar de la Torre — and three political novices — Barry Snell, Kelly Pye and Sidonie Smith.
Each has their sights set on closing the achievement gap, easing overcrowding and continuing the district’s recent success, including steadily rising test scores.
Incumbents plan to rely heavily on experience and the academic achievements of the last four years, many of which were guided by policies crafted under former school superintendent John Deasy. On the other hand, challengers are pointing to the failure of the current board to raise grade point averages of students of color, particularly males.
McLoud, 38, is the lone teacher currently on the school board, serving students at the Camino Nuevo Charter Academy near downtown Los Angeles. He has been an educator for the past 10 years and believes his experience in the classroom gives him a unique perspective on what students need to succeed.
“I want to continue with what I’ve been working on for the last four years … including enhancing teacher training, a new facilities master plan and bond measure … increased public funding, which helped us save music and art programs, nurses and class size reduction for (kindergarten through third grade),” McLoud said.
If re-elected, McLoud said he will focus his attention on five areas: class size reduction for all grade levels to help underper-forming students, improved operational efficiencies to save money and hire more teachers, professional development of faculty, increased resources and programs for disadvantaged students to ensure equity in education, and increased parent participation.
McLoud said he has the support of the mayors of Malibu and Santa Monica, and is looking to once again secure the backing of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce.
“We need to find more money so that class sizes can be reduced,” McLoud said. “If you look at our most underachieving students … their core classes have 32 to 34 more kids … It’s embarrassing.”
With de la Torre, voters get a life-time Santa Monica resident who once served as the school-body president at Santa Monica High School. The director of the Pico Youth & Family Center, de la Torre believes he is in touch with the students who are most at risk of dropping out, making him a qualified candidate who can connect with youth like no other school board member can. De la Torre also said he is the only resident of the Pico neighborhood currently serving on any elected board, aside from the Planning Commission, which is important given the recent violence there.
“If re-elected, I will continue to be an advocate for the public school system that made me who I am today,” de la Torre said. “I see myself as a role model for students who come from … the south-side schools — that they can achieve academically, receive a master’s degree and one day serve on the school board. By supporting me, we send the right message to our student body.”
De la Torre, 34, who has been endorsed by the powerful tenants group Santa Monica for Renters’ Rights (SMRR), said he will put his energy into enhancing campus security and institute consistent disciplinary policies, as well as reduce class sizes. He said he also will work to institute programs that teach students about the importance of protecting the environment.
Another incumbent who is endorsed by SMRR is Bloomfield, a 46-year-old mother of three SMMUSD students who has worked in the private sector as an economist specializing in business management.
“I’m running again because I want to continue to see through a lot of the initiatives that were begun when I first started on the board, with a focus on closing the achievement gap,” Bloomfield said, pointing to the redesign of Samohi into six smaller learning communities as an example of real reform that has helped students raise test scores.
Bloomfield feels stability and continuity are key in light of recent changes in the administration, including a new superintendent. There also have been changes at secondary schools in Santa Monica, with new principals coming on board.
“I would like to build new bridges with the community college to bring about new ways to collaborate and be creative,” Bloomfield said. “We also have an opportunity to pass a new bond to bring all our schools up to basic standards in terms of safety and technology. That’s another big opportunity that I want to be a part of.”
Snell, 51, a resident of Santa Monica for 10 years, also is a SMRR-backed candidate, securing more votes at the political party’s convention last month than any other candidate.
A father of three SMMUSD students, Snell has been active in the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) at Samohi, where his daughter and youngest son attend.
“I’ve always been very passionate about education and also very committed to giving back to the community,” said Snell, a certified public accountant.“I think Santa Monica has an excellent school system … but I feel we are not paying enough attention to our male students. Being a male raising three kids on my own, I feel I can offer another perspective. And being a CPA, I have a healthy understanding of the struggle maintaining funding at levels we’re accustomed to.”
Snell said he would like to look at other revenue streams for the district, including building new partnerships with local businesses. If elected, he said he will also focus on bringing in male mentors.
“I’m hoping my commitment might stimulate more men to work in the system,” Snell said.“Being a black male, a lot of times people will think that my interest only rests with children of color. While I’m concerned about the achievements of African- American and Latino students, I want to position myself as an individual who is looking for quality education for all.”
Pye, an advisory committee member of Community for Excellent Public Schools (CEPS), and a member of the district’s equity fund oversight committee, rounds out the SMRR slate.
A former advertising sales representative for the Santa Monica Outlook and other newspapers, Pye now works for her husband. She runs his masonry business, which she said allows her time to take care of their two children and volunteer at school sites.
“Working to strengthen the schools has been my passionate commitment for the past seven years,” Pye said in her candidate’s statement.
Pye was out of town on vacation and could not be reached for comment.
If elected, Pye said she will work to expand art and music programs, as well as community partnerships and parental involvement, according to her candidate’s statement.
“With your vote, I will help our district achieve a rich educational experience for all our children,” she said.
Smith, a single parent of a Samohi alum, challenged Snell and Pye for the SMRR endorsement, but failed to secure enough votes. However, that hasn’t stopped the “over 60 candidate” from moving full-steam ahead with her own campaign, which emphasizes curriculum reform to make it more culturally relevant for students of color.
“Santa Monica is a wonderful place … but wonderful isn’t perfect. We can grow in many areas,” Smith said. “I would love to see our city, our community, take the idea that every child will graduate high school and make it a citywide effort, to put forth a marketing campaign so that everywhere students go, they are getting that message.”
Smith is a an administrator with Project GRAD (Graduation Really Achieves Dreams) LA, which helps disadvantaged students graduate from high school and attend college. Smith, a 30-year veteran in education and a long-time resident of Ocean Park, also works as a speech-language pathologist and former administrator with the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Smith is looking for the faith-based and business communities, as well as parents, to get more involved in education. Such involvement will allow students to see first-hand that someone cares about them, she said. She would also like to see curriculum changes that reflect the experiences of all students.
“When we talk about education, we often think that one size fits all, and that just does-n’t work,”Smith said.“Black and brown children weren’t part of the conversation for establishing public schools, and when we have, there hasn’t been much of a response.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 29, 2006. Read the original PDF.