SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools title=
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools
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Source: Santa Barbara Education Foundation 

Speaking to community members at the Elings Park Amphitheater, Santa Barbara Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Hilda Maldonado and students addressed the community during the State of Our Schools presentation.

In years past, the event has been an informative and sometimes data-driven presentation. This year, Dr. Maldonado invited student leaders to share the stage to report their perspectives on Santa Barbara Unified schools to the community.

In introducing the student panel, Maldonado explained, “I would be remiss if I didn’t do this in collaboration with who I work for. And that is why I have students with me today.” She then quipped, “I have all these bosses. I have 13,000, today, I only brought five!”

But aside from the joking, Maldonado started by looking at the Santa Barbara Unified’s mission “to prepare students for a world that has yet to be created,” and asked the question of what is the best way to prepare students to take on tomorrow’s challenges.

The superintendent admitted that there was still much work to do to get the District to where it needs to be. She then highlighted the progress made with a lengthy list of some of the recent improvements to classrooms, facilities, and resources for teachers. She emphasized the District’s investment in increasing the staff-to-student ratio with the addition of counselors, tutoring services, and family engagement liaisons at every school site.

Dr. Maldonado then passed the microphone to students so that attendees could hear directly how District policies and efforts are affecting them and their peers.

The student panelists included Dawson Kelly (San Marcos High School), Kavya Suresh (San Marcos High School), Emily Pineda (Santa Barbara High School), Isabella Mireles (Dos Pueblos High School), and Finnegan Wright (Dos Pueblos High School). The students spoke on mental health, campus safety, inclusivity, diversity, and student advocacy. Many of the students highlighted what was working in terms of services for students and used examples from their own experiences.

But students didn’t just celebrate only what was working well. They also spoke about where they thought the District had room for improvement and made calls to action.

San Marcos High School sophomore and incoming Santa Barbara Unified Student School Board member Kavya Suresh shared student survey data on what is seen as an appropriate response for school safety at all three Santa Barbara Unified high school campuses. 

“As a student closely involved in the campaign to reimagine school safety as something to be achieved without the active involvement from law enforcement, I urge the District to continue to investing in mental health professionals, social workers, and campus security to protect our students’ mental, emotional, and social well-being.”

Suresh went on to say, “We deserve to be in learning environments that grant equitable access to restorative justice and rehabilitation for all students and staff to help us prepare for a world that is yet to be created.”

To watch the entire State of Our Schools presentation, please visit sbefoundation.org/state-of-our-schools-tickets.

SBEF also wishes to recognize and thank State of Our Schools sponsors, including 19six Architects, Santa Barbara City College Foundation, Future Leaders of America, Hospice of Santa Barbara, Oniracom, and Jeannine’s.

Santa Barbara Education Foundation promotes private support of Santa Barbara’s public education system in 19 schools. For more information, visit www.santabarbaraeducation.org

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sacjon
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May 26, 2022 09:17 AM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

VOICE - just to update about the "good guy with a gun" "solution" you have - at least two "good guys" tried to stop the shooter from entering the school. They were both shot. A third "good guy" was there, the school resource officer (armed guard), but not clear whether he fired any shots. To top it all off, the COPS (aren't they the best "good guys with guns?") were there OUTSIDE the school for ONE HOUR as the guy was barricaded inside and shooting.

So, ONCE AGAIN, good guys with guns failed. We need a better solution. What more will it take before we finally go after the real problem - guns.

sacjon
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May 26, 2022 09:55 AM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

BICYCLIST - good point. So, it was even more reprehensible that the cops didn't charge in. Sad to say, it's starting to look like the cops were pretty useless here, as the school cop in Parkland was. Once again, this shows how weak and toothless the "good guy with a gun" argument is.

bicyclist
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May 26, 2022 09:43 AM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

Sac - not to "nitpick" but he had "Locked the door", so technically barricaded would be an exaggeration, as all that was needed was to "Unlock the door" which apparently took some time, for an as yet unexplained reason. This whole thing is HORRIBLE! Facts are changing/coming forward...
https://www.yahoo.com/news/police-narrative-on-texas-school-shooting-in-question-as-new-details-emerge-132129728.html

edney
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May 25, 2022 12:13 PM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

Hi Joe Sixpack

This is via CNN
https://constitutioncenter.org/images/uploads/news/CNN_Aug_11.pdf

"Well-regulated in the 18th century tended to be something like well-organized, well-armed,
well-disciplined," says Rakove. "It didn't mean 'regulation' in the sense that we use it now, in
that it's not about the regulatory state. There's been nuance there. It means the militia was
in an effective shape to fight."
In other words, it didn't mean the state was controlling the militia in a certain way, but rather
that the militia was prepared to do its duty.

On "Shall not be infringed"
"While there is a common law right to self-defense, most historians think that it would be
remarkable news to the framers of the Second Amendment that they were actually
constitutionalizing a personal right to self-defense as opposed to trying to say something
significant about the militia,"

I tend to disagree here because people in the late 18th century engaged in duels over honor, and also carried weapons openly for self defense, protection from robbery, protection from hostile Native Americans. That is a way wider range of weapons carry than we allow today
The historical precedent was open carry of the best weapons of the day - that you could afford - even if you weren't in any militia, had no training.

That said, I'm in favor of single trigger pull, single shot weapons, in favor of registering firearms, banning felons from possession, age limits, mental health exclusions, firearms safety tests at point of purchase, waiting periods (with exceptions. ex: person with violently abusive, life threatening partner)

OGSB
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May 25, 2022 07:49 PM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

PST- First off, Are you or anyone okay with 1 kid being killed with a musket? I assume no, so muskets are out too...The same type of problem.
You ask why?
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." So the big bad guy in this is not just being able to defend ourselves from armed criminals, but our government. Not to mention that target shooting is fun and wild protein is way better for you than farmed.
We are very sheltered here. If you lived in Chicago you might not feel the same about rampant crime.
So get rid of responsible people having guns and defund the police (cops are leaving in droves by themselves) and then the only ones with guns are the few cops and a million criminals!
I'm 100% for background checks (not for ammo every time like here), waiting periods, and what ever black lists as long as there's a set and reasonable set of rules. Not if someone goes to see a consular because they feel depressed.

pstarSR
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May 25, 2022 07:03 PM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

I am not going to argue your opinion, you can have it. and you make valid points edney. single shot muskets would make this type of situation difficult. ( mass shootings )

but I ask this, why? in this time, in this age why do we "need" to have this? there is no "natives" threatening us, there are no "robberies" plaguing the streets, the reasons we had these provisions before was because self protection was the only protection you could count on.

so I say again, why in todays age. do citizens NEED to own weapons that kill multiple people quickly?

Lucky 777
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May 25, 2022 11:16 AM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

I was told by a school administrator recently that there are numerous kids in our district that eat 3 meals a day at school. They are fed a free breakfast, then lunch, and then they get dinner too as they stay after school until their parents can pick them up. Seriously, I had no idea.

sblocal1967
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May 25, 2022 09:45 AM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

So much funding is going to "feel good" BS programs instead of much needed mental health / intervention programs that might at least put a damper of troubled kids growing up to do bad things. Think of all of the money being spent to provide school lunches that get thrown away - maybe, just maybe, that same money could have been used to hire a mental health person that is proactively engaging students to mitigate small issues that become big issues. it appears the 18 year old was bullied, had a mom who did drugs, and was socially lost. This is probably a common situation across every school. As a society we "feel good" doing the easy stuff at the expense of doing the hard stuff. All of this BS crap on CRT, equity grading, free lunches, day care. Schools are exist to educate not indoctrinate. They also have an opportunity to identify kids who have a messed up life and need help. This is not rocker science - it requires just some common sense thinking and no BS politics. Lastly, when it comes to guns, I agree there needs to be better regulations on who can get guns. The issue is that bad people who intend to use guns to do bad things do not care about regulations - this is the main argument pro-gun advocates have. I think if the left would actually keep these bad people in jail, then the pro-gun advocates would be less adamant of wanting access to guns to defend themselves. As a society we have lost a moral compass and having consequences for bad actions.

GeneralTree
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May 25, 2022 05:11 PM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

Duke - If they are going to continue with the packaged lunches they need a better vendor - the reports I get are that a lot of the meals aren't great. My understanding is they are trucked in and simply heated up. Biodegradable packaging would be a better choice.

dukemunson
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May 25, 2022 11:25 AM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

I don't have a problem with school lunches, I just think it's silly what they serve for lunches and snacks. GUSD sent out an email not to long ago about setting aside money for a nutritional consultant. That day they served cinnamon toast crunch at snack fried chicken and waffles for lunch. There is also individually wrapped with plastic (everything)...so in doing a good thing, they did it in an unhealthy way that was also bad for the environment.

GeneralTree
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May 25, 2022 11:20 AM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

" Think of all of the money being spent to provide school lunches that get thrown away"
Think about all the kids that depend on those lunches because either there is nothing at home to eat. Why do tighty righties always hate school lunches? Oh, because they don't have kids in school and or hate to spend a penny for someone else's sustenance.

sacjon
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May 25, 2022 10:39 AM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

SBLOCAL1967 - You think school lunches, day care, teaching about racism, etc is a waste of time and money. So... how do you propose we help feed and care for the kids who's families aren't able to? Just leave them hungry and alone after school? What about teaching about racism? Just ignore that?

So would you be ok with your tax dollars being spent on mental health programs? I have a feeling you'd complain about that too.

GeneralTree
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May 25, 2022 10:28 AM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

If far-righties like yourself cared as much about our children as you do about the unborn, and cared as much about healthcare and mental health as you do about guns, chasing the CRT Boogeyman, or having library books with a "booby" in it, and would maybe vote for increased spending on mental health and on common sense gun reform - then maybe, just maybe we could start to work on the issue.

JoeSixPack
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May 25, 2022 08:40 AM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

Now that this has turned into a discussion of mass shootings, how about we start acknowledging the first 4 words of the 2nd amendment?
"A Well Regulated Militia…"

The laws that allow flooding of our nation with these readily available weapons of war are not “Well Regulated".
A pilots licence is well regulated (train, test, qualify, license, insure and stay current).
A drivers license is well regulated (train, test, qualify, license, insure and stay current).
A doctors license is well regulated (train, test, qualify, license, insure and stay current).
A barbers license is well regulated (train, test, qualify, license, insure and stay current).
A manicurist license is well regulated (train, test, qualify, license, insure and stay current).

This is not a big stretch...

dukemunson
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May 25, 2022 03:04 PM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

The thing is, we all agree and are OK with their being limits to what guns can be purchased and owned. We just need to expand that list to make more weapons illegal to own. Also, it's insane that you can buy an assault rifle 3 years before you can buy a beer...that makes no sense!!!!

dukemunson
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May 25, 2022 09:37 AM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

The problem truly is that both sides won’t budge an itch. To the right, any thought to restrict guns is tyranny! And to the left, any obvious and logical restraints on abortion is tyranny. The truth on most of these issues falls in the logical middle. We need much more restrictive gun laws. We also need a logical middle ground on when it’s a choice and when it’s a baby. Unfortunately you can’t have that logical conversation with a huge population on the right about guns (or many other things) or with a huge population on the left (about abortion and many other things).

We’re ruining our country by basing so many of our policies and agendas on the fringes of either party. It’s time to change that.

Voice of Reason
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May 25, 2022 09:27 AM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

Sacjon, part of the reason we'll haven't been able to put meaningful reforms in place is people like you, you make blanket statements that vilify more than half the country with no regard to accuracy of the statement or other viewpoints. " brainwashed killing-lovers" seriously!!?? Seriously!!?? All this does, on this issue and others, if further divide and alienate different groups and prevent them from coming together to agree on meaningful reforms for the betterment of all. For a liberal, the amount of hate, stereotypes, blanket inflammatory statements and condescension you and others apply to people with different views is stunning, and will never allow us to make meaningful progress on hot button issues. You're a politicians dream voter.

sacjon
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May 25, 2022 09:00 AM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

JOESIX - exactly. Sad and frustrating thing is, the NRA and their minions have drilled into the gun lovers' heads that ANY barrier to gun ownership, be it an age restriction or background checks or even writing their name with a crayon, is a "violation" of their "absolute" right under the 2nd Amendment to own any gun they want. THIS is the mentality we need to break. Sadly, these brainwashed killing-lovers also vote, so our cowardly politicians are scared to offend the drooling masses, lest they lose the next election.

Your suggestion is great and makes perfect sense and I support it 100%! But I worry that until we either amend the 2A or repeal it outright, there will be the same and extremely vocal and powerful resistance against making it in any inconvenient to buy a mass murder machine.

sacjon
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May 25, 2022 08:33 AM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

Problem with people like VOICE and other Repubs is that it always has to be all or nothing. Same with masks. If it doesn't cure covid, don't even bother trying to reduce risk. Same here, if it doesn't prevent ALL shootings, don't even bother trying to save maybe even 1 life. It's time for the political cowards in office to ball-up and ignore the screaming, howling gun worshipers and makes some meaningful legislation to help save ANY lives. Nothing will prevent gun violence 100%, but that's not an excuse to not even try. Enough is enough.

You're either OK with this or you support sensible gun laws.

Voice of Reason
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May 25, 2022 10:44 AM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

Sacjon, do you even know who "they" are? Yet again using blanket stereotypes for more than half the country based off what, what the MSM talking heads said and some hillbilly gun-nuts dumb post on social media (the far-right equivalent of LibsOfTikTok)?

dukemunson
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May 25, 2022 09:44 AM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

There is an obvious problem with allowing bars to be open while schools are closed. That you can sit eat and drink in a coffee shop but you need to order with a mask on. Same goes for our current gun laws. The problem is the people who are so blinded by ideology that they refuse to note the madness of that mask mandate… or of the insane ease of getting assault weapons at age 18. It’s the problem with Libs and repubs… they are so beholden to their political party that they end up making, enforcing and allowing insane rules and laws.

dukemunson
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May 25, 2022 09:41 AM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

Sac - that’s actually kind of a silly comparison. If anything it’s completely the other way around. We needed sensible mask rules and when they were a complete charade (walk into bar with it, then Remove) it was time to end that charade. It’s the same with guns. It’s too easy to get and have them… we need to (sensibly) make them harder to get, keep and have. Change ridiculous and nonsensical rules. Let’s get rid of assault rifles and require masking in nursing homes. Let’s not demand everyone mask at all times and allow any/all guns to just about any/all people. Sensible rules and laws. The mask rules quickly became farcical… much like our gun worshipping laws.

Voice of Reason
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May 25, 2022 09:29 AM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

Incredibly inaccurate Sacjon. " Same here, if it doesn't prevent ALL shootings, don't even bother trying to save maybe even 1 life." weren't you the one just bashing the idea of armed guards? Apply those same standards to yourself. "Howling gun worshipers", do you even hear yourself, you have no idea how more than 1/2 country's feels or what they believe and are seemingly incapable of appreciating other peoples views and thoughts, even when they want the same thing (like preventing mass shootings!).

Voice of Reason
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May 25, 2022 08:25 AM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

Alex, so what would you propose that we could enact TOMORROW to help prevent the next incident? The SB Bowls has better security and other preventive measures in place than a high school. Any type of meaningful firearm reform will take time, and even then, won't stop sociopath's and criminals from breaking any law in the way. And even then, there are simply too many guns out there to keep them out of the hands of criminals intent on doing harm. Take away all the guns? Great! But that's like saying lets address climate changing by having all cars run on unicorn farts, it simply isn't possible and not based in reality. Whatever firearm reforms are proposed, think, if this was in place would it have prevented X,Y, and Z tragedy? To have these calls to "do something", then bash the idea of having armed security personnel, single points of entry, things we could do tomorrow without major political reforms, is absolutely nuts. It's almost like people would rather lash out about it than actually do something about it - something politicians thrive on.

a-1653451928
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May 24, 2022 09:12 PM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

I don't have kids but support public education. The situation with SB Unified is obviously critical. I intend to write to the school board to pay attention to the district employees.

These are must reads:

https://www.noozhawk.com/article/dos_pueblos_faculty_senate_sends_demand_letter_to_school_board_over_hilda_m

https://www.noozhawk.com/article/leadership_changes_sweep_santa_barbara_unified_school_district_20210807

https://www.independent.com/2021/12/02/santa-barbara-unified-teachers-survey-highlights-dissatisfaction-with-superintendent-school-board/

dukemunson
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May 25, 2022 08:20 PM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

GT - I think I got it now! The source is the Santa Barbara education foundation… so they grabbed the one quote they really liked and appealed to them. Comes across as silly in both the words on their own and the implied (by virtue of being the only student quote) singular emphasis on this as a primary issue/concern. Read and interpreted as charitably as possible… Restorative justice (in any capacity) is not a primary concern for our local high schools.

GeneralTree
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May 25, 2022 06:20 PM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

Duke - listen to Kavya Suresh's whole speech. Very well spoken and well thought speech. We may not all agree with points like the school safety officer etc - but don't kill the girls speech by deeming it as "silliness" based on the one small quote taken out of her entire presentation.

GeneralTree
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May 25, 2022 06:01 PM
SB Unified Superintendent and Students Present at the State of Our Schools

What is it you are not getting Duke? "Restorative justice empowers students to resolve conflicts on their own and in small groups, and it's a growing practice at schools around the country. Essentially, the idea is to bring students together in peer-mediated small groups to talk, ask questions, and air their grievances. (This four-part tutorial from the Centre for Justice and Reconciliation is a wonderful primer.) For the growing number of districts using restorative justice, the programs have helped strengthen campus communities, prevent bullying, and reduce student conflicts. And the benefits are clear: early-adopting districts have seen drastic reductions in suspension and expulsion rates, and students say they are happier and feel safer."

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