Jen Belnap is running for school board in District 2 and served on a PTA board and the Public Art Subcommittee for the City of Carlsbad. 

“These positions provided perspective, knowledge and experience that lead to my decision to run for school board. Running to be on the board is another way to continue serving our community,” she said.

As a school board member, she hopes to be a voice for the community, reflecting their will in her votes. 

“I’m in touch with the pulse of our community. I’ve established relationships with teachers, staff, students and families because I’ve been serving them for years,” she said.

If elected, she brings many ideas on how to enhance certain aspects of the district. One of these ideas is to bring Sage Creek a football team in hopes of fostering school spirit and bridging the local community and the school together. 

“SCHS was established over a decade ago. It’s time for Friday Night Lights at SCHS,” she said.

In terms of connecting the district, Belnap believes that there are already plenty of ways campuses are connected, such as Sage Creek’s Shadowcat program which invites rising freshmen to experience a day in the life of a high school student. 

“I’d say we’re doing a great job of providing opportunities to connect our campuses. We can continue to build on those opportunities in the coming years,” she said.

Along with new ideas, board members also inherit plans previously implemented. The DEI-B initiative is one of the major policies implemented in recent years, aiming to strengthen student connection, ensuring every student feels safe and has an opportunity to thrive at school.

Belnap supports this plan and was part of a district focus group that gave feedback on its effectiveness last year. She noted that it failed to meet the mark in terms of improved academics among students, and there is still room for improvement.

“I think any work that we do in this area needs to come from a focus point of unity: Diversity strengthens, while divisiveness weakens,” she said.

Belnap is also a strong supporter of the new phone policy that took effect at the beginning of the school year, sharing that she has heard support from teachers and students alike about its success in removing distractions from the classroom. She believes that the Chromebooks and internet access provided by the district are ample enough, especially with the push by the district to have a one-to-one ratio of Chromebooks to students at all school sites.

“It is my understanding that students’ ability to access technology is not hampered,” she said.

When asked about allocating funds, she stressed the importance of the budget, focusing on students and classrooms. She broadly noted a lack of funding across the district’s middle and high schools, which she believes is made apparent through SBAC scores.

“Last year’s data showed that less than 50% of our previous year’s 11th graders who took the SBAC at one CUSD school site were proficient in math. That’s a significant failure.” She continued, “I think adding resources for our secondary schools will help us to achieve stronger results more quickly.”

She leaves one final message for voters:

“Our students are creative, energized, inquisitive, engaging, intelligent and so much more. We also see lots of stress, anxiety and overall emotional/mental health challenges. I’m confident that staff, students, families and community members can continue to work together to achieve our mission of providing an extraordinary education in an inspiring environment,” she said.

Alison Emery is running for school board in District 2. She is a Carlsbad native and a teacher of 20 years. She hopes to bring this educational background and experience to the position if elected.

“I decided that it was a good opportunity with the seat opening up to throw my hat in, because I have a lot of experience with my education background and some new ideas that I’m hoping to bring,” she said.

One of these ideas revolves around the district’s use of STAR testing, which Emery believes is an area for improvement. 

“A lot of those are considered by most of the academic community a little outdated, especially in the way that they’re being used,” she said. ”I think that we can streamline that process and also save the district some money.”

Emery is endorsed by the Carlsbad Unified Teachers Association and Congressman Mike Levin, and she is a Moms Demand Action gun sense candidate. She is a strong advocate for the DEI-B plan implemented in CUSD schools and believes that it is necessary to promote inclusion for student safety and well-being.

“Our job as educators is to welcome everyone and let them know that this is a safe place to learn and to move them back to the next year. If someone doesn’t feel safe they’re not going to learn,” she said.

She hopes to continue improving the plan with student feedback. Another area she is looking for student input on is the new phone policy. While she agrees with its implementation she still sees areas for growth.

“I, as a parent, understand the need for my child to have a phone in order to communicate,” Emery said. “However, I have also seen the distraction phones cause in classrooms, especially with our elementary students. I would really like some feedback, because if it’s not working, then what? What’s the point when you can try something else.”

Addressing the relationship between schools in the district, she hopes to foster new connections and promote collaboration.

“You can’t compare apples to oranges. It’s not one against the other, instead empowering the kids to share their stories and journeys,” she said.

She noted that 4the district has a considerable amount of funds in reserves and acknowledged that while it is necessary to save a certain state-mandated percent for emergencies, some of that money should be spent now to help current students.

“I think having more opportunities for office hours and tutoring and peer helpers and other things that could fund that time of those personnel to help those students directly, who are here right now, instead of staying for future students and future problems is where we need the most help,” she said.

To conclude, she reaffirmed her commitment to the district and prioritizing teachers and students.

“I’m hoping to bring my expertise to the district, so that we can hit the ground running,” she said. “It really is just about the best teaching practices and what is best for the students.”

Laura Siaosi is running for school board in District 3. She is a long-time resident of Carlsbad and hopes to continue her involvement with schools in the community.

“I have always prioritized investing in our community, volunteering thousands of hours inside and outside of classrooms,” she said. “Now that my children are older, serving as a School Board Trustee feels like a natural progression to continue serving this community I love so much.”

In the past she has served as a PTA board member and a Carlsbad Pop Warner Board Member and taught the Art Masters Program at CUSD. Currently, she works in a dental office and owns a local business in Carlsbad.

“I have lots of experience with managing communications, budgeting, accounting, supply chain management and managing human resources, all important skills for this role,” she said.

In the district, she believes that it is important to continue working on cultivating a culture of kindness and respect. 

“I would like to see the diversity of perspective, kindness and mutual respect we value to be more than just words.” She continued, “I am here to represent all CUSD students and their families – and to listen.”

One way she believes this can happen is to continue to improve upon the district’s DEI-B plan. She referenced that it is not a static plan and will need to change and adapt to ensure it is meeting its goals.

“After one year there are several goals and related success indicators that aren’t yet showing the progress anyone would have hoped for,” she said. “We need to keep working on this until we get it right. There is no place for hate in Carlsbad.”

Another policy she is in support of is the removal of phones. She believes there to be no room for improvement as California school districts will be required to have some form of phone-free policy by 2026.

“I have heard universally supportive feedback from teachers and staff regardless of any differing opinions, CUSD must adhere to Ed Code, so it’s no longer something that our school board would be discussing,” she said.

There are several qualities Siaosi will be looking for in a new superintendent if elected to this position: 

“Integrity, leadership, financial acuity, accountability and someone who values collaboration and transparency are all things I would personally be looking for.” 

One issue Siaosi sees within the district is the lack of Special Education resources. She believes this area has seen a decrease in available resources while an increasing number of students need access to these resources.

”Many of our schools need resources for improved facilities maintenance, and we need to make sure we are taking care of our Classified Employees so that we can consistently provide a clean, safe and inspiring environment for all students,” she said.

Siaosi’s approach to engagement emphasizes the value of listening to the local community.

“I love connecting with people, getting to know them and what they care about. I’m excited to visit all of our campuses and find out from students and teachers what they feel is working well and where they feel we have room for improvement,” she said.

As the election approaches, Siaosi reminds everyone of the importance of community strength, and urges this election to not divide, but to unify.

“I hope that we can all remember that on November 6th, we will all still be neighbors. This is a non-partisan position and every Trustee should be an advocate for every child in the district. 

True character is revealed by one’s actions. Kindness matters,” she said.

Ejehan Turker is running for school board in District 3 and has been an active part of the school community for 10 years. After many years of advocating at school board meetings, she decided to become a candidate. 

“I started attending school board meetings, speaking at them, and connecting with more parents who had the same concerns,” she said.

She currently works in corporate America as the director of compliance at a medical device company. Turker drew many comparisons between the duties of her current job and the responsibilities of the board.

“I hire and train employees, I manage vendors, I review contracts, I manage budgets and I supervise staff, those are all things that I’ve been doing for the last 25 years,” she continued.  “Even though I’m doing it for a corporation right now, those skill sets are completely transferable to a board of directors.”

Her campaign has gained endorsements from the Carlsbad Unified Teachers Association and Congressman Mike Levin. She believes in equal opportunity for all students in Carlsbad.

“Public education really is what they call the great equalizer. Everybody has the same opportunity if you’re willing to work hard and get a good education,” she said. “That’s the basis of my conviction, that’s what everybody deserves here in Carlsbad.”

Aside from this core principle, as a board member, she brings many new ideas to the position. Notably, she has recognized the feedback from students in the district in a survey sent out in last year’s stakeholder survey where the top-ranked item was the desire for better food choices.

“I really feel like this is an area we can do better. It’s important for a lot of reasons, not just because students want tastier food, but it’s part of a holistic approach: creating healthier habits and addressing food insecurity issues for families. For some, the breakfast and lunches provided at school might be a real safety net,” she said.

Turker is also a strong advocate of the district’s DEI-B plan, something she has experience with in her current job. 

“I currently work in a male-dominated industry, and we have a resource group for women to empower themselves. It’s not controversial; it’s about understanding who we are, leveraging our strengths, and creating more inclusion and equity,” she said.

Referencing survey results, she explained that there was a high level of individuals who selected responses akin to “don’t know.” She sees this as a critical place for improvement within the plan.

“It’s an opportunity to educate people,” she continues, “by communicating to parents and teachers what we’re trying to achieve, the results, and the activities.”

She also supports the new phone policy, but recognizes that there are times where a student will need to access their phone.

“In order for students to learn, we have to remove distractions from any type of learning, but of course, recognizing with safety and possibly students that have health concerns or things like that might need to be able to reach their parents quickly,” she said. “The reality is that these things are part of life. We all have to develop a little bit of restraint, recognizing when they’re a distraction, but I think we can get there.”

As for the hiring of the school superintendent, Turker stressed the importance of this election as the elected members will be selecting who will be leading the district for the foreseeable future. If elected, she will be looking for a replacement who has quality experience, willing to listen and ideally a love for public education.

“He’s leaving and the election is happening so whoever is on that panel is going to have to jump right into this. I think it is important for us to be prepared,” she said. 

She also hopes to explore further opportunities for connections between schools in the district, such as exchange programs that allow students to experience programs only offered at certain sites in the district.

“There might very well come a time where you’re not locked into Sage, you’re not locked into Carlsbad High School,” she said. “I think public education, like anything else, has to innovate”

She noted that funding for schools can be volatile, and it is important to remain financially conservative while making sure every dollar is going toward students. She proposed that the district should take a closer look at its reserves and see what can be done to continue supporting students and teachers alike.

“We really need to cover supplies, textbooks, technology, and even extracurriculars. Families shouldn’t have to pay for things like school sports uniforms,” she said.

Turker encouraged the community to attend school board meetings, email, and have meaningful conversations. As a school board member, this is how she would engage with the community.

“I might not be able to go to everybody’s house every day, but as much as I humanly could I would meet with parents, meet with community members and welcome their feedback at the meetings,” she continued. “I’m asking you all for your votes so I have an obligation to give back to you. I very much believe in that.”

In summary, Turker is dedicated to making decisions that benefit students and enhance their future.

“We always have to remember as a community that this is about schools, this is about children and their future,” she continues, “we need to make these schools the best that they can be for everybody.”