Adrian Arancibia, an English professor at Miramar College, is running for re-election to the Area 2 seat on the Sweetwater Union High School District board of trustees, where he’s currently president. The San Diego Union-Tribune asked all the candidates running for school board in districts around San Diego County about their policies, plans and priorities. Here’s what Arancibia told us about his. Adrian Arancibia (Eddie Flores) Why are you running for school board? What makes you a good candidate? I am a parent of two students in the district. As the incumbent, I am proud of the fiscal and educational stability we have been able to accomplish over the past four years. Before I was a board trustee, our district used to be a cautionary tale of mismanagement. Now we are a model for the area in our approaches to the challenges facing the district. What is the most important issue currently facing your school district? One of the most important issues is declining enrollment that is facing not only our district, but every district in the state and the greater region. We have to work with all stakeholders to address how to proceed fiscally and programmatically. What are the top three specific things you would seek to accomplish on the school board? Continued fiscal discipline. A focus on instruction/teaching for all students. Maintaining programs attracting students that foster a sense of belonging. What would your approach be to district budget planning and spending? What would you do if your district had a budget shortfall? Over the past four years, we have worked very hard to be fiscally disciplined and have three years of positive budgetary outlook. To do this, we have worked with teachers, counselors and classified staff to work within our means while maintaining a balanced budget. We believe we have accomplished something great in this sense, as it has been a collaborative effort to rescue the district from a structural $37 million dollar deficit. How should your school district raise student academic achievement, and what would you do as a school board member to accomplish that? I believe that we have to utilize programs that work. I am a board member of several literacy groups, such as the University of California Reading and Literacy Program. As a 30-year teacher, I have a track record of understanding instruction and what works. I work hand-in-hand with the superintendent to assure that academic achievement is at the forefront of our goals. We must be a district that develops and grows excellence from all students. Do you think anything currently offered in school curricula or libraries should be removed? If yes, what, and why? If no, why not? As a writer and professor, I believe in the power of literacy. Books are some of our most valuable resources. They allow us to understand and appreciate the different experiences all of us go through. What do you think is driving student absenteeism in your district, and what would you as a school board member do to reduce it? We have worked hard to reduce absenteeism. These efforts are starting to get us back to pre-pandemic levels of attendance. We have taken a very hands-on approach to reaching out to families. We have assured that their basic needs are being taken care of and developed partnerships based on trust and an understanding our schools are sites where their children can be nurtured and thrive. Do you think schools should notify parents if their child’s gender identity or presentation at school changes? Why or why not? As a father of a nonbinary child with a family of different sexualities, what is most important to me (what is non-negotiable) is child safety. We cannot avoid violence, harassment and bullying without support and child safety.