Martin Arias, a taxpayer advocate for the county assessor, is running for a seat on the San Ysidro School District board of trustees. 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 Arias told us about his. Why are you running for school board? What makes you a good candidate? I am bilingual in Spanish and English and bicultural, having grown up in the vibrant San Diego/Tijuana region. This upbringing has given me a deep understanding of the unique challenges and experiences faced by those living in border communities, but I also know the extraordinary experiences gained in this community can be a pathway to success. I am running for the San Ysidro School Board because I wholeheartedly believe that this community is a gem, and I see the potential in every single one of the children in our binational community. Martin Arias (Courtesy Martin Arias) I have dedicated over eight years of my professional career to public service and understand bureaucracy and how to navigate it. This combined with my deep understanding of the challenges and experiences of San Ysidro makes me an excellent candidate to get the job done. What is the most important issue currently facing your school district? School districts across the state continue to recover from COVID-19, and the San Ysidro School District is no exception. Per the California School Dashboard, academic achievement scores in our district continue to be below standard, and over 30 percent of students are chronically absent. To resolve these issues, we have to support our teachers and look at bringing resources to the San Ysidro community. When I am elected to the San Ysidro School Board, you’re electing someone who is committed to bringing wraparound resources to the San Ysidro community so that students can focus on attending and excelling in school. What are the top three specific things you would seek to accomplish on the school board? Firstly, I would focus on creating listening sessions for our stakeholders. These sessions would be held with teachers and parents to identify their pain points and hear their ideas. Identifying their key issues will enable me to advocate and create policy that resolves and promotes growth. Secondly, California legislators recently passed AB 3216 (Phone-Free School Act). In essence, the law will require that school districts in California develop a policy by July 1, 2026, to limit or prohibit the use of smartphones by students while they’re at a school site or while they’re under the supervision of employees of that school district. Focusing on removing the distraction that smartphones are to our children would undoubtedly have a positive impact on academic achievement and their mental well-being. Lastly, I would focus on building meaningful partnerships with local businesses, companies and organizations that can offer students valuable insight and opportunities to excel. What would your approach be to district budget planning and spending? What would you do if your district had a budget shortfall? My approach to the budget would be to work strategically with the leadership at the schools to ensure we are adequately using resources. Scheduling monthly or bi-monthly meetings would guarantee that we are aware of any potential shortfalls. This would enable us to act promptly and swiftly to prevent and/or mitigate shortfalls. In the event of a shortfall, fundraising and looking strategically at fund reallocation would be the best course of action. How should your school district raise student academic achievement, and what would you do as a school board member to accomplish that? Removing distracting barriers from the classroom and supporting our teachers with adequate resources would increase our chances of success. As previously mentioned, creating policy around phone-free schools and identifying teachers’ key issues would give us better outcomes. In addition, creating events for parents with incentives to increase their involvement would also support stronger academic achievement. Do you think anything currently offered in school curricula or libraries should be removed? If yes, what, and why? If no, why not? No. In any society, in order to keep growing and evolving, we have to learn from our history, which includes our mistakes. Removing any literature or curriculum from schools and libraries would prohibit us from learning about our past and would be detrimental to our societal growth. In the words of former Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court Potter Stewart, “Censorship reflects society’s lack of confidence in itself. It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime.” It is my personal belief that as a society, we should always strive to progress and not regress. What do you think is driving student absenteeism in your district, and what would you as a school board member do to reduce it? The San Ysidro School District is geographically unique in that it is the southernmost school district in San Diego County. Because of its proximity to Mexico, a significant portion of the students who attend this district have ties to Tijuana. Often those ties will lead them to travel there over weekends, thus impacting attendance on Fridays and Mondays. In addition, the California Schools Dashboard identified that over 58 percent of the students who attend the San Ysidro School District are socioeconomically disadvantaged. Working to bring resources to this community to improve quality of life would enable parents and students to focus more on being at school and education than on where their next meal is going to come from or how they’re going to come up with money for rent or mortgage. Do you think schools should notify parents if their child’s gender identity or presentation at school changes? Why or why not? We have to be cautious about the expectations we put on our educators. COVID-19 has strained our education system and educators who are already spread thin. Asking them to police our children’s gender identity or presentation goes beyond the scope of the classroom. Of course, if these factors are distracting or endangering a child or the classroom as a whole, that should undoubtedly be reported to parents, but requiring any more than that would create a contentious and counterproductive learning environment. As a parent, it is our duty to be actively engaged in our children’s lives and know the intricacies of their day-to-day. Further, it is our responsibility to know the issues that trouble them so that we can provide adequate solutions and support.