Sheila King is a candidate for SDUHSD Board of Trustees for Area 3, representing Cardiff, Solana Beach, Del Mar, and parts of Encinitas and Rancho Santa Fe. GreatPacificReview asked its “GPR Five Questions” to find out more about Sheila King and her platform:
QOne
GPR: For those who don’t know you, give us a brief rundown of who you are in your life and in our North County community.
Sheila King: Hi, of course! I am a mom of three teenage boys, and the wife of a Navy Veteran. I have lived in Encinitas for over 20 years. I am a small business owner. I have always been involved with my kids’ school, whether it be volunteering in the classroom or fundraising. Over the years, I have worked as a child and veteran advocate at the Juvenile Detention Center and the VA Hospital. I feel fortunate to be able to raise my family in North County. Being of service to my community is important to me.
QTwo
GPR: Describe what was most important for you in deciding to run for the SDUHSD Board of Trustees.
Sheila King: I would have to say attending several school board meetings was what prompted me to run. School board meetings should not go on for eight hours and be hijacked by political agendas. This would never be tolerated in any other environment, and it has no place in school board meetings. The school board needs to stay focused on a common vision for the district to achieve academic excellence for all students. We need to get politics out of our school boards.
QThree
GPR: Your campaign describes you as an independent candidate. To the school community and to prospective voters, what does that mean, and why is it important in your view?
Sheila King: Being an independent board member means not being beholden to special interests. Trustees should be focused on students, families, and tax-paying members of the community. Running as an independent candidate is hard work. My campaign funds have been raised by soliciting family, friends, and neighbors. I am out every day knocking on doors to campaign. At the end of the day, I will represent students, parents, and voters of the district.
I think it is a fair statement that our district lacks leadership. Over the past couple of years, we have had multiple superintendents, in addition to being flagged for being at risk of fiscal insolvency. I think most people can agree, we need to get our district back on track. Having union backed board members in my opinion is a conflict of interest. It is akin to being the judge and jury. I say this because the teacher’s union in no way represents me, my student, or the taxpayer for that matter. If you are having an issue, you don’t go into your child’s school and ask to speak to a union rep.
QFour
GPR: What does SDUHSD do well, and what are areas in the district that need improvement?
Sheila King: The district has many incredible teachers and staff, this is evident in that we have been ranked one of the top districts in the state for many years. We should recognize teachers for their great work! I think we can all agree that we need great teachers to have great schools.
The area of improvement that I feel we would benefit most from as a district, would be fiscal management. We need to balance the budget. Without this, we risk fiscal insolvency and programs will be cut.
QFive
GPR: What do you feel are the paramount issues for the school district leadership to focus on most for the next 4 years?
Sheila King: I feel our district needs to focus on the learning loss that occurred during the pandemic as well as mental health. We need to identify and provide necessary academic support and interventions to all students that are not at grade level. As a nation, we are dealing with a national mental health crisis. We need to implement transparent mental health protocols and have resources readily available for all students. It is common sense that mental health and school safety go hand in hand.
"Trustees should be focused on students, families, and tax-paying members of the community... At the end of the day, I will represent students, parents, and voters of the district." - Sheila King, SDUHSD Board of Trustees Candidate Area 3
GreatPacificReview brings highlights from California to Polynesia... and beyond, with localized coverage of Greater San Diego. For more information on SDUHSD candidate Sheila King, visit her campaign webpage at: https://www.sheilakingforschoolboard.com
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