With the incumbent retiring, San Diego voters face a choice between multiple candidates, and multiple visions for the public education system, in the upcoming 2022 election.
A multi-candidate race is underway to fill an opening in the District C seat of the San Diego Unified School Board, with incumbent Michael McQuary having announced that he does not plan to run again.
Candidates who have thrown their names in the ring to replace McQuary include Becca Williams, a former teacher; Cody Petterson, a UC San Diego lecturer; and Lily Higman, a former telecommunications executive.
While the school board race is officially nonpartisan, the three candidates bring very different visions to the table.
Williams, who is a mother and former racecar driver, has been harshly critical of the current school board, saying that recent policies have eroded trust and “alienated families.” In an interview, Williams said that the board “doesn’t have too many dissenting voices,” and that board members “largely ignore parents and… traffic in a narrow set of ideas.”
She has been a vocal opponent of mask mandates, virtual schooling, and “divisive” curriculum, arguing that “These aren’t small things and someone has to get in there.”
For his part, Petterson holds numerous local administrative positions, including as a Senior Advisor for Land Use, Education, and Environment for the county, and he unsuccessfully ran in 2020 to represent California Assembly District 78. He has been endorsed in the current race by the San Diego County Democratic Party.
If elected, Petterson promises, among other things, to promote Ethnic Studies and a comprehensive climate curriculum in schools, and to draft a Climate Action Plan that will make San Diego Unified reach a “zero carbon” target. He has listed “Full, equitable funding of public schools, with universal pre-school and adoption of the Community Schools model” as one of his top three priorities.
Meanwhile, Lily Higman has run on a platform of cutting budget deficits, increasing fiscal transparency, and extending services for English as a Second Language learners. Higman herself immigrated to the United States and learned English at the age of nine.
District C, which is one of five sub-districts of the San Diego Unified School Board, covers much of the westernmost portion of San Diego. The winner of the race will represent an area that includes Point Loma, La Jolla, Mission Bay, and University City high schools. Election Day will be held on November 8.
