DEL MAR — Two candidates in a competitive race for the San Dieguito Union High School District board’s Area 4 seat answered policy questions from community members during a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of North County San Diego last week.
Area 4 incumbent Michael Allman and political consultant and former Carlsbad Planning Commissioner Kevin Sabellico spoke to a packed house at the Del Mar Powerhouse Community Center on Oct. 15. Candidates Kelly Friis and Jodie William, both running for the Area 2 seat, were not included in the forum.
The forum follows a dramatic few months of campaigning, with strong accusations of dishonesty between both candidates. Allman is currently under investigation for alleged campaign ad violations (he claims that his opponent doctored evidence submitted to the state), and a judge ruled in August that Sabellico’s ballot designation as an educator was “false and misleading.”
In his first term on the board, Allman has also been at the center of several controversies, including overcoming a recall effort early in his term, supporting a redistricting map that landed the district in a gerrymandering lawsuit, and being accused of bullying behavior toward fellow board members, students, district staff and the former superintendent.
While some jabs were thrown, Tuesday’s forum focused largely on policy and the role of the school board. Sabellico said he represents the “new generation” of trustees as a graduate of the district himself. He emphasized his focus on a new beginning for the district board, with sound leadership, more respectful debates and more “boring” meetings with less divisive politics.
“I’m not your typical school board candidate. I represent the next generation of school board trustees, and I understand the pressures that modern students face,” Sabellico said. “I want you to close your eyes and think about the last four years — the lawsuits, divisive politics, the staff turnover, the ethical lapses. Do we want four more years of this?”
Allman said he is the best candidate for parents and students, as he advocates for transparency, a focus on basic education, and always making the district better.
“I am the candidate and the board member who puts parents and students first, their interest first,” Allman said. “We need a board who’s willing to take action, not one that’s just [there] to rubber stamp and make the meetings boring. We need to take action to have a continuous state of improvement for our kids.”
Teacher pay was a hot topic at the forum. Sabellico said educators cannot afford to live in the district due to the skyrocketing cost of living and said he would advocate for salaries to be increased to keep up.
Allman also acknowledged that the cost of living has risen but emphasized that San Dieguito offers the highest teacher salaries of any district in San Diego County. He also stated that he is not “beholden” to the teacher’s union, as Sabellico is endorsed by the San Dieguito Faculty Association.
When it comes to curriculum, Allman said it is the board’s job to determine what is taught in schools, noting that there have been instances where “inappropriate” teaching materials were being used.
Allman also said he will advocate for more transparency in curriculum development, particularly with the ongoing ethnic studies implementation process. He said he does not agree with teaching this topic during freshman English and would prefer it be taught as its own course for upperclassmen.
“I want hyper-transparency,” Allman said.
Sabellico agreed that the board is tasked with approving the curriculum but said they are still required to follow state-set standards. He also said teachers’ academic freedom should be respected and that they should be trusted to choose materials that best fit the context of the class and current events.
Attendees also asked about college counseling and increasing the admission rates of district students into UC schools. Allman said he supports increasing counselors and would like to see a third-party service funded by the district to provide expert college application services for students.
“Many parents have shown to me extreme frustration, that they thought they had a deal with society, that if their kids performed and got straight As and did well on the tests, they would be accepted into the college of their choice. It turns out, especially for our Asian community, that they’ve been discriminated against,” Allman said.
Sabellico said the highly competitive application process for elite schools has created a cottage industry focused solely on admissions. To help students, the district should focus on making sure they can complete application requirements as easily as possible and also advocate for an improved testing system among the UCs.
“We should advocate for some form of standardized testing to return. I really believe it’s hurting our students here, because they compete with so many other very qualified candidates,” Sabellico said. “I know the UC is supposedly developing their own assessment. We need to help them develop that assessment very quickly, because the longer we don’t allow test scores to be a factor under consideration, the more it’s really hurting our kids.”
Sabellico and Allman agreed that the district needs to work more collaboratively with special education families and reduce spending on litigation against them. They also agreed that only librarians should have the power to remove books from the school library.
Candidates were also asked a series of yes-or-no questions, including whether they have a degree in the educational field. Sabellico said he has a substitute teaching permit, followed by Allman stating that counts as a “no.” He also said he does not have a degree in this area.
When asked to estimate the percentage of their campaign contributions that have come from outside the district, Sabellico estimated 20%, while Allman said zero.
Campaign documents indicate Allman has received $3,250 in contributions from donors outside of the San Diego County area, including a $2,500 contribution from the Republican-supporting New Majority PAC based out of San Rafael.
Sabellico has received $1,225 from donors outside the San Diego County area, according to campaign documents for his school board campaign.
A full recording of the forum is available on the League of Women Voters of North County San Diego website.