KXFM school board candidate forum centers on trust, technology and student achievement
By CLARA BEARD
Courtesy of Stu News
Photos by Mary Hurlbut
Three candidates for the Laguna Beach Unified School District Board of Education discussed student achievement, artificial intelligence, board governance and restoring trust during a September 8 candidate forum hosted by KXFM at the Neighborhood Congregational Church.
The school board forum followed a City Council candidate forum. Shaena Stabler of Stu News moderated the discussion, which featured incumbent Joan Malczewski and challengers Shaheen Sheik-Sadhal and Kimberly Smith.
Incumbent Dee Perry and candidate Elizabeth Bates did not attend.
Moderator Shaena Stabler (left) with candidate Joan Malczewski during the KXFM school board forum
Stabler opened the school board portion with questions about the strengths each candidate would bring to the board and areas where they hoped to grow. Malczewski, a UC Irvine history professor completing her first term on the board, pointed to her experience working with people who hold differing views.
“I love a good disagreement. I love a good argument,” Malczewski said. “I don’t see that as being a bad thing.”
Sheik-Sadhal, an attorney and longtime school volunteer, said coalition-building was one of her strongest skills, drawing on her PTA leadership and experience organizing parents. She said she is working to balance her instinct to lead with her heart with the need to remain “factual and objective and patient.”
Smith, a technology executive and parent of two Laguna Beach public school students, said her professional work has prepared her to navigate board governance, budgets, conflict and strategic planning. She said effective governance requires a clear focus on the district’s mission and students.
Joan Malczewski addresses the audience at Neighborhood Congregational Church’s Bridge Hall
The forum then turned to how a high-performing district should identify areas for improvement.
Sheik-Sadhal said the board should begin by listening to teachers and staff, whom she described as the experts in education. She said she was particularly interested in whether the district is adequately serving students who may not be struggling academically but are less visible or less likely to seek leadership roles.
“What can we do and continue to build on…the next innovative thing that we can do for our students?” she said. “Always the question should be what is best for our students for their future.”
Shaheen Sheik-Sadhal discusses her priorities during the school board candidate forum
Smith said the board’s central responsibility is to set the district’s vision, hold itself accountable to its standards and manage the superintendent, rather than direct curriculum. She said the district should continue to raise expectations while carefully considering technology and artificial intelligence in classrooms.
Smith said she does not support student-facing artificial intelligence tools at the elementary level, while acknowledging students need preparation to understand misinformation and information bias as the technology becomes more prevalent.
“We don’t want to lose the core critical-thinking skills, the collaboration, unique innate human skills that we can learn only through human interactions and with incredible teachers,” Smith said.
Malczewski focused on reading habits and the effects of technology on students’ ability to think deeply. While Laguna Beach students perform well on traditional metrics, she said national data show only 14% of students report reading for pleasure.
“We have a very literate student population, but we don’t have a culture of reading anymore,” Malczewski said.
She added that students need the “endurance to get through difficult texts” and complex problems rather than constantly shifting between short pieces of content.
Questions about trust and board collaboration repeatedly returned to the candidates’ views of the district’s recent conflicts.
Smith said she would prioritize listening to teachers, families and the broader community. She referred to a vote of no confidence by teachers in the board during the past year and said the board must take responsibility for rebuilding relationships.
“The district does not serve us,” Smith said. “We serve this district.”
Kimberly Smith speaks as Joan Malczewski and Shaheen Sheik-Sadhal look onKimberly Smith speaks as Joan Malczewski and Shaheen Sheik-Sadhal look on
Sheik-Sadhal said the parents she has worked with over the past year and a half came from different political perspectives but shared a concern for students. Their common “north star,” she said, was determining what was best for children.
Malczewski said a functioning school board must recognize that it operates as one governing body, even when members disagree. She said she tried during her first two years on the board to ensure different perspectives were reflected in board discussions and documents.
“We don’t have to agree, but you’re supposed to act as one board,” Malczewski said.
The candidates also agreed that school board members should avoid public online arguments with constituents. Smith said officials should identify the role and perspective from which they are speaking online, while Seik-Sadhal said she would not say something online that she would not say in person.
Malczewski said board members should be “a booster for the district” while remaining transparent and willing to speak directly with community members.
Asked what one word they hoped would describe an LBUSD graduate, Sheik-Sadhal chose “happy,” while Smith chose “prepared.” Malczewski said “fulfilled” because she wants a district that meets students’ varied aspirations and allows them to lead fulfilling lives.