Yesterday, I was made aware of a hateful and hurtful smear attack made against me in a campaign mailer. The attack was deeply personal, so I feel the need to address it publicly.
I was attacked for being a teacher because of who and where I teach, even though I have taught in classrooms for years and still do today. My opponent claims to be a teacher but has not taught in years.
I was attacked as being a “MAGA Extremist,” even though I don’t take money from political parties, partisan politicians or special interest groups. My opponent takes money from all three.
I was attacked for voting to give school board trustees their first raise in 45 years at the request of a fellow working mother to encourage others like my opponent to run for this office. My opponent has received an automatic raise every year for more than a decade.
Ironically, when my opponent started her campaign, I was presented with evidence that she falsified her candidate filing and claimed she was still teaching just to be a “teacher” on the ballot. Instead of filing a formal complaint or attacking her publicly, I chose to focus on the issues and my priorities: hiring more teachers, improving test scores and promoting student safety.
Ironically, my opponent does not teach in any classroom — she’s an administrator who takes home over $200,000 per year. She is part of an endlessly expanding bureaucracy that is bankrupting our schools when that money should be going to our actual teachers and their classrooms.
Special interest groups have poured over $120,000 into our school board elections so my opponent will vote to send millions of taxpayer dollars out of our classrooms and into their pockets. Now they’re using that money to attack and defame my character and my profession, and I’m not going to stand by silently anymore.
Voters have a clear choice in this race for who they want leading our district. That choice just became even more clear.
Gretchen Vurbeff represents Area 4 on the Carlsbad Unified School District board of trustees.
1 comment
Trustee Vurbeff calls a campaign mailer a “smear,” but voters are entitled to judge her record, and it doesn’t show support for a positive environment for ALL students.
I’m voting for Tracey Perrault: integrity, plus experience as a classroom teacher, school administrator, and PhD in Education in Organizational Leadership. Vurbeff ran in 2022 as “Wellness Educator/Parent” and is now listed as “Board Trustee/Teacher,” yet she teaches fitness at MiraCosta College, not in K-12.
Her record speaks for itself:
-The lone vote against the district’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging plan in 2023. This year, a group AOMS students bullied and harassed a Black classmate.
-The lone “no” on the Pride flag resolution, and a vote against the Carlsbad High School Equality Coalition club.
-A vote against an Ethnic Studies elective.
-A vote for a trustee raise but against a teacher raise, after saying she hadn’t realized how much work the job required.
Students learn best when every child feels safe and welcome. Teachers work best when they feel supported. I’m voting for Dr. Perrault.