Commentary: Vote for Cocayne, Taylor and Morton for EUSD board

To the Editor:

Election season is here, and EUSD parents and community members encourage everyone in the district to vote for Jillian Cocayne, Marlon Taylor, and Tom Morton to be trustees for our thriving elementary school district. They are the only responsible choice in this election to be entrusted with our children’s education.

Here are some facts about this slate of candidates:

• In 2022, the EUSD trustees won the Golden Gavel Award, a high honor for governance and focus on students, given to only one California school board per year. The existing board has proven its leadership abilities.
• The teachers of Encinitas — those who do the work every day — have officially endorsed Tom, Marlon and Jillian.
• Jillian Cocayne, a newcomer, has over 20 years of experience in nonpartisan governmental policy.

Tom, Marlon, and Jillian are wholly focused on effectively running the district (rather than pursuing a single-minded agenda). They have the skills, experience, and common sense to work towards EUSD’s broad vision.

Here are some facts about their opponents, Aimee Sproul and Monica Lee:

• They are passionately supported by anti-LGBT crusaders coordinating to unseat current trustees to drive their own religious and political agendas into the public school system. (Parallel efforts in other districts across the nation have been widely reported elsewhere.) This local group has recently staged hostile takeovers of school board meetings, disrupting the actual business of the school board to yell at teachers and trustees and perform public Bible readings.
• Ms. Sproul and Ms. Lee’s supporters are responsible for a new lawsuit against our district, a case praying that public school curricula should be able to be brought into alignment with their own religious preferences. Ms. Lee’s public comments are directly quoted in the lawsuit in support of their claims. (With these facts in mind, could we trust Ms. Sproul and Ms. Lee, if elected, to defend the district in this lawsuit?)
• Ms. Sproul’s years-long LGBT-focused agenda has wasted district resources and our taxpayer money with many public records inquiries, which ultimately failed to reveal the misgovernance she scoured for.
• Although she claims she is being unfairly targeted, the truth seems to be that Ms. Sproul thinks obsessively about LGBT people (and how to marginalize them), as evidenced by her own e-mails to the district over the past few years:
  • Ms. Sproul tells the assistant superintendent that anyone who ascribes to what she terms “Queer Theory” (apparently her classification for any LGBT inclusivity) condones child abuse and incest! (3/15/2024 email to Dr. Amy Illingworth)
  • Ms. Sproul demands to see a “complete list of the books each school site is purchasing” with grant money earmarked for increasing representation and asks, “…Who specifically requests new books for school libraries and approves their purchase.” (11/30/2022 email to Dr. Illingworth; see also a 7/9/2023 email to the district.)
  • Ms. Sproul raises another family’s child’s gender identity with the district superintendent – apparently without notice to the child’s parents – stating: “I hope you are aware of the student in [REDACTED] class who has rapid onset gender dysphoria.” (6/26/2023 email to Superintendent Dr. Andrée Grey)
  • Ms. Sproul demands information about how many students district-wide are subject to gender support plans. (6/8/24 email to the district)

Do you and your neighbors email school districts about other people’s children? We don’t.

Sproul and Lee proclaim the importance of parents’ rights. We share an interest in parents’ rights, including our right to send our children to inclusive, well-run public schools. Their narrow-minded agenda does not belong anywhere near the school board.

Our community deserves a school board that isn’t confused about what a public school is. In this election, vote for Tom Morton, Marlon Taylor, and Jillian Cocayne!

Brad Lefkowits, Farhad Mahmoudi, Joanie Mendenhall-Lefkowits, Mary Anne Mendenhall, Meenal Patel, Rachel Greer, Talitha Matlin, and 150+ allies and members of the EUSD community representing current and future families from all nine schools (in alphabetical order): Aaron Shook, Adam Fowler, Adriana Garcia, Adrianne Green, Adrianne Talbot, Alexis Hillenbrand, Allison Peters, Amanda Gardstrom, Amanda Gutierrez, Amber Ingoglia, Ana Simon, Andrea Reiter, Andrew & Ari Blocksidge, Andrew Bridges, Angela Cravens, Ann Cerny, Anna Lerner, Annarose Baca Lerner, Anne Schwartz, Barb Guthrie, Barbara Murray, Beth Beringer, Beth Hergesheimer, Beth Taylor, Blaze Newman, Bob Ayers, Brett Kener, Brian Sanford, Brittany Emal Hurd, Cara North, Carol & Jeff Skiljan, Chris Rogers, Christina Ohrazada, Christine Usher, Christopher Thomas, Cindy Mangold, Colin Depp, Courtney Fong, Crisann Tiemeyer, Dana Lind, Dani Balestrini, Daniel Monin MD, Danny Viemeister, Deborah Young MD, Denise Preston, Dennis Nicely, Dennise Aere, Denny Cope, Diana Hendricks, Eric Bean, Everett Fryman, Farah Belanger, Farahnaz Faegh, Farrokh Mahmoudi, Frank Verga, Gabriela Flanagan, Geri Tscherne, Gianfranco De Micheli, Happy Pham, Heather Bowen, Heather Rushton, Hetal Patel, Ida O’Connor, Inge Bisconer, Jamie Cruz, Janna Larson MD, Jeff Lerner, Jenn Budnovitch, Jennifer Duncan, Jennifer Hibbits, Jenny Adams, Jenny Oehler, Jesse Rushton, Jessica Petree, Jo Renison, Joanna Keeping, Jody Olson, Jody White, Johanna Wagstaff, John Hargreaves, Joy Chen, Julie Hinze, Julie Schindler Carroll, Julie Hinze, Julie Schindler Carroll, Julie Seebruch, Justin Tiemeyer, Kara Medina, Kate Burchfield, Katherine Skinner, Kathleen Paranthaman, Kathryn Keener, Kathy Stenger, Katie Andan, Kellie Hinze, Kim Piker, Krista Kendall-Depp, Kristin Viemeister, Lance Ohrazda, Lauren Krakowsky, Laura Morton, Lauren Hargrave, Lauren Newmark, Lisa Nava, Lisa Whittemore, Liza Suh MD, Lorilyn McCue, Louise Bruning, Mace Viemeister, Mali Woods-Drake, Marco Gonzalez, Maren & Tony Paster, Maria Al-Shamma, Maria Henshilwood, Martha Leedy, Meg Farley Varteressian, Melanie Hunter, Melissa Fischel, Michael Carroll, Michael Drennan, Michael Samuelian, Mimi Daluiso, Moira Haller, Nan Sterman, Narima Lopes, Natalie Drennan, Nick Roshon, Nicole Jackson, Olivia Heeren, Raksha Kanani Matthias, Richard Nishiura, Rina Kelting, Rob Ross, Robyne Ruterbusch, Ronette Youmans, Ryan Noell, Sarah Apuzzo, Sean Duncan, Sean St. John, Simone Maclellan, Stacy Prida, Stephanie Tarkington, Stephanie Williams, Sunamita Leming, Susan Legacki, Suzanne Ingoglia, Tambra Noell, Theresa Beauchamp, Tiffany O’Brien, Tiffany Rogers, Tim Baird, Todd Allington, Tracie Davee, Tricia Steiding, Vanessa Reed, Vicki Rawson, Dr. Victor Ruterbusch, Wehtahnah Tucker, Whitney Harrison and Yvonne Meulemans.