OCEANSIDE — As the November election draws closer, candidates for the Oceanside Unified School District board answered questions about the district’s most pressing issues.
Two board seats are up for election this year. Rosie Higuera is challenging incumbent Trustee Mike Blessing for the Area 5 seat, while Emily Ortiz Wichmann is challenging incumbent Trustee Eleanor Evans in Area 2.
As a school board member, what strategies would you explore or implement to address declining enrollment?
EVANS: The Oceanside Unified School District continues to improve and innovate our transitional kindergarten through grade 12 academic programs, utilizing the best pedagogical practices of our teachers and support staff to engage, motivate, and challenge students.
We are strengthening after-school and extracurricular programs, modernizing and renovating school facilities to create a more conducive learning environment, and encouraging student growth, academic achievement, and community pride. We foster a student-driven community of learning within a welcoming and inclusive environment where students are supported and valued. We prioritize social-emotional learning, cultural sensitivity, and anti-bullying initiatives.
We ensure our students’ physical safety with state-of-the-art technology and security partnerships. We engage parents, community organizations, businesses, and stakeholders as supportive partners with Oceanside Unified School District to benefit our students. We are improving communications and marketing to highlight our achievements.
WICHMANN: We need to focus on better academic performance, improved communication with parents, and better organization among staff to address absenteeism.
BLESSING: Declining enrollment is a statewide issue affecting the majority of school districts in California, with particularly significant declines in coastal communities. Factors such as low birth rates, cost of living, and aging populations contribute to this trend. We are making outstanding progress in decreasing absenteeism and providing our district with social workers and staff who have developed a student support program. Through these efforts, we are assisting families and ensuring their students can attend school daily.
HIGUERA: Students are leaving schools due to the poor quality of education. Schools are no longer safe; there is violence and bullying that are not addressed, and girls are not protected in spaces that should be safe, like bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports.
What would you do to successfully implement the state’s ethnic studies guidelines while involving the community in the process?
EVANS: We successfully implemented mandated State Law A.B. 101, the state’s ethnic studies course, two years ahead of schedule by involving teachers, parents, guardians, students, community organizations, businesses, Cal State San Marcos University, MiraCosta College and diverse stakeholders in a transparent process. Our robust ethnic studies curriculum reflects our Oceanside community.
The process included extensive community outreach through forums, surveys, open town halls, and interviews. Teachers and support staff received extensive training. We collaborated with the Oceanside Museum of Art, local colleges, and cultural centers to provide hands-on learning opportunities. A key to our success is emphasizing cultural sensitivity, dispelling stereotypes, and promoting positive cultural diversity within a transparent environment.
WICHMANN: I am on the OUSD Ethnic Studies Community Advisory Committee. There have been meetings but little communication about the results of our input. I am meeting with the associate superintendent to inquire about what is being taught.
BLESSING: OUSD implemented ethnic studies as a graduation requirement for the class of 2026 well ahead of the state requirement. Our Board of Education prioritized this, engaging staff and community volunteers to provide input and design a curriculum that reflects the Oceanside community. We collaborated with MiraCosta College faculty to ensure our course aligns with state guidelines. A significant part of our curriculum focuses on local history and culture, developed in collaboration with community stakeholders.
HIGUERA: I believe ethnic studies should be eliminated from the curriculum. It is divisive and teaches children to be racist and to hate themselves, their neighbors, and their country.
What is your stance on AB 1955?
EVANS: Parents and guardians are the first teachers of our students and are legally responsible for their welfare and well-being. As a school board member, I uphold the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of California, state and local laws, and the California Education Code. All Oceanside Unified School District policies are based on law and the Education Code.
WICHMANN: It will ultimately be decided by a Supreme Court ruling. The majority of parents, teachers, and I agree that parents should be notified about everything concerning their children. If abuse is suspected, Child Protective Services should be contacted, as mandated by law.
BLESSING: AB 1955 is law. As board members, we take an oath to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law. Our staff will always make decisions based on the law and the education code, and we have a responsibility to approve board policies accordingly.
HIGUERA: AB 1955 is an assault on families and parental rights. The government has no right to interfere with parents and their children. Period. AB 1955 should be ignored because a law cannot supersede a God-given right!
What are ways you can save taxpayer dollars and/or raise revenue for the district as a school board official?
EVANS: The easiest way to raise revenue is to minimize expenses and maximize student enrollment. We can offer school facilities for a fee or rent them out to community organizations (provided they have their own insurance), allow public use of electric vehicle charging stations for a fee, and apply for grants. When a school bond is passed, saving taxpayer dollars involves transparency and accountability for every cent spent. An Independent Citizen Bond Oversight Committee representing taxpayers ensures transparency and accountability. If bond interest rates drop, the bond should be refinanced to save tax dollars. School bonds improve facilities, which increases property values and raises revenue for schools.
WICHMANN: The state allocates funding for school districts. Using grants and carefully monitoring expenditures and revenues will ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely to provide students with a quality education.
BLESSING: We have saved taxpayers millions by refinancing our school construction bonds. Our staff diligently applies for various grants; since July 1, we have secured $2.1 million in grants, with more in the pipeline. All our bond projects improve facilities for students, contributing to an increase in property values in Oceanside.
HIGUERA: I can save taxpayer money by eliminating the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) and SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) departments, as well as all associate superintendents. We can also eliminate welfare programs such as eyeglasses, counseling, clothing, and food programs. Schools are not welfare departments.
How do you plan to support marginalized voices in the district, particularly non-English speakers?
EVANS: I am an active listener and advocate for all voices in the district. Every voice needs to be heard in decision-making. I develop educational policies that support the individual needs of all students. I actively engage with parents and prioritize communication. I promote cultural sensitivity training for teachers and support staff and support English language classes for non-English speakers.
I advocate for Dual Language Immersion classes and support site-level and district-level English Learner Advisory Councils to boost the academic achievement of our multilingual voices. I promote multilingual communications from the district and ensure oral translators are available at school board meetings. I comply with the California FAIR Education Act.
WICHMANN: Data are crucial for evaluating the district’s programs, personnel, and procedures for teaching English language learners.
BLESSING: Our district prioritizes hearing from families and caregivers regularly. As a board member, I support extensive outreach to families who speak languages other than English. We have bilingual staff at all sites, provide feedback opportunities in multiple languages, and support English Learner Advisory Councils to enhance the academic success of our multilingual learners.
HIGUERA: I plan to focus specialized attention and resources on marginalized groups to help them thrive, particularly special needs and military families.
How do you feel the district handled past closures and consolidation of certain schools, such as Garrison and Reynolds?
EVANS: The decades of neglect by previous school boards regarding facilities like Garrison and Reynolds, combined with Garrison’s sinkhole issues and Reynolds’ liquefaction concerns, made renovation impossible based on federal and state laws and district finances. Despite inheriting unexpected challenges, we were effective and transparent throughout the process, ensuring continued teaching and learning, student and staff safety, and family communication.
School closures in Oceanside are not unique; past boards closed San Rafael (on Camp Pendleton) in 2002, Pacifica in 2007, and Ditmar in 2008. A prior board’s attempt to close and sell Jefferson Middle School in 2015 failed due to concerns over low standardized test scores and bullying.
WICHMANN: Garrison should have been sold to the city for a reasonable price, with stipulations for community use as a park or playing fields. It should never have been sold to a developer for about $15 million. The city has indicated a need for more parks and playing fields. Regarding Reynolds, the buildings were earthquake-proof; the soil could have been mitigated, and the school could have served as a swing site for Pablo Tac and North Terrace. The superintendent had Reynolds bulldozed.
The Pacifica site was sold to developers for about $16 million, with a proposal for 200-300 dwellings. It should have been sold to a government entity or nonprofit for community benefit. Where will the new residents’ children go to school? Neighboring schools like Del Rio, Foussat, and Libby have used their playing fields for portable classrooms for Reynolds students.
I have addressed the board, urging them not to sell to another developer and to consider community use for the land, which could also provide a revenue stream for the district.
BLESSING: Many districts statewide are confronting similar challenges, and school closures are among the most difficult decisions a board must make. Previous OUSD boards have closed one school on Camp Pendleton (San Rafael), Ditmar Elementary, and the Pacifica site. The recent closures of Garrison and Reynolds were necessitated by geological and hydrological instability, rendering the campuses unsafe and costly to rebuild.
With declining enrollment and Sacramento’s financial constraints, rebuilding those sites would have been fiscally irresponsible. This was the most difficult decision I’ve faced in my 16 years on the board. In each case, the board worked hard to support students, staff, and families throughout the transition into more modern facilities.
HIGUERA: The district and school board handled the closures poorly, negatively impacting students and families. The OUSD engineer publicly stated that the liquefaction of soil did not justify closing Reynolds. Dr. Julie Vitale appears to prioritize the funds from selling these schools for a new $40 million district office over the needs of students, which is unacceptable. The current board and teachers’ unions should be held accountable!
What do you feel is the most pressing issue for the district?
EVANS: The Oceanside Unified School District has maintained a positive budget for four years. Finance and maintaining this budget is the most pressing issue. Prior to my tenure, the state threatened to take over the district, and teachers were on the verge of striking. Now, we have positive collaboration and collective negotiations among the district, teachers, and staff, enabling us to achieve economic success without cutting classroom funding.
We are providing a more rigorous curriculum at all levels, better technology, and resources to support inquiry-based learning. Bonds have enabled the modernization of schools, creating robust learning environments. Our professional development for teachers and staff has helped students flourish academically, athletically, and in the arts, and we have invested in high-level security systems to keep our students and staff safe.
WICHMANN: The district’s most pressing issue is a lack of leadership on the school board and from the superintendent. Indicators of academic performance, staff dissatisfaction, negligent special needs procedures, bullying, and parent dissatisfaction highlight the need for substantial improvement.
BLESSING: Under the direction of this board, our staff has established a positive budget for the past few years. We are committed to working with our labor partners to create the best possible educational environment for students and staff. We are proud of our students’ growth, updated facilities, and our award-winning sports and arts programs, and we look forward to continuing this success.
HIGUERA: The most pressing issue is the poor leadership that consistently votes in favor of detrimental policies for student learning. The Oceanside Board of Education has lost sight of its responsibility to parents and should have fired Dr. Julie Vitale long ago. She has used her position to harm students and undermine families for her political agenda and financial gain; she and the entire board need to be replaced!
