Where San Luis Coastal Unified School District candidate stands on the issues
Ballots are on the way to San Luis Obispo County residents, and among the dozens of offices up for election, are a number of hotly contested school board races.
To help as you make your decision, The Tribune has compiled a 2024 Election Voter Guide, meant to give easy access to some of the candidate's basic facts and stances.
Two candidates are running for one contested seat on the San Luis Coastal Unified School District Board of Trustees this November.
Incumbent Eve Hinton will face off against challenger Erica Flores Baltodano for the open seat in Area 6.
We asked candidates about their goals for the San Luis Coastal district and their stances on some key issues.
Hinton, however, declined The Tribune's requests for participation in the Voter Guide.
Here is Baltodano's response to our questions.
Erica Flores Baltodano
Political party:
Democratic Party
Age as of Election Day:
Campaign website:
www.baltodanoforschoolboard.com
Occupation:
Campus dean for San Luis Obispo College of Law and SLCUSD parent
:
UC Berkeley School of Law (JD, 2002); UCLA (BA Sociology and Public Policy, 1998)
Have you run for elected office before?
No.
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
IBEW PAC Educational Fund; Plumbers & Steamfitters Local Union 403 PAC; Pipe Trades District Council #16 PAC
What is your history with the district?
I am a district parent and volunteer. I lead civic education field trips for students, have served on a district task force for 8 years, established the PTA's business sponsorship program at Pacheco Elementary, and revived the Los Osos Middle School Mock Trial Team. As a founding board member of the San Luis Coastal Education Foundation, I backed hands-on innovation labs and team sports in elementary schools, initiated a pandemic emergency fund for families and fought to remove barriers to college access.
What do you believe is the most important issue facing your district today, and what will you do to address it?
One (not the only) important issue facing SLCUSD today is the impact of the local housing market on the recruitment and retention of qualified teachers and staff. In addition to doing everything possible to offer competitive salaries and benefits to attract and retain excellent employees, it will take outside-the-box thinking to find creative solutions. Some ideas include partnering with a local non-profit to help new teachers and staff home-share with established community members who have space to rent in their homes, or creatively utilizing surplus properties that can be sold, repurposed, or even traded to support workforce housing. I would also encourage advocacy at the state level to increase support for teacher homeownership and guidance for districts who are feeling cautious about getting into the housing business.
What is your vision for what your district should look like in 5 years? 10 years?
Is your district doing enough to support student safety and well-being? Is there anything you would like to improve?
Thanks to local voters, Measures D and C are making school facilities physically safer for students and state funding has added student Wellness Centers at high schools and additional mental health resources at all school sites. The most important thing our district can do to improve school safety and well-being is to foster inclusive schools where all youth feel they belong. This means a commitment to the principles of restorative justice; attending to student social emotional learning and mental health; improved outreach and creative efforts to hire and retain diverse teachers, staff, and administrators; an ongoing commitment to trauma-informed educational practices and the concept of "windows & mirrors" in school libraries, assemblies, and learning materials; ongoing and meaningful training in bias from the top down; effective mechanisms for addressing the achievement/opportunity gap; and opportunities for engagement, empowerment, and leadership for students district-wide.
Would you change any of your district's diversity, equity and inclusion policies? If so, how?
I will work to ensure our district upholds state antidiscrimination laws, such as the SAFETY Act supporting LGBTQ students and the FAIR Act prohibiting book bans and ensuring students are accurately taught California and US history that reflects the diversity of our communities, as well as new federal regulations addressing sex-based discrimination and harassment in educational programs and activities under Title IX. Districts have an obligation to address systemic bias and disparities in academic outcomes. They must proactively open doors with outstretched arms to engage and empower historically marginalized students; demand outside-the-box thinking to attract a diverse workforce; expect accountability surrounding the use of state funds to support our most vulnerable students; and support meaningful professional education and evidence-based methods to ensure every student has adult champions in their schools who will lift them up, help them dream, and reach their full potential.
