It was a close call.
And a mixed bag.
But the bottom line is that the attempted takeover of the Coronado Unified School Board by a slate of candidates backed by the radical Awaken Church, Richard Bailey and We the Parents Coronado failed to win the day. It’s a major victory for our schools, our teachers, our students and our community.
The Newly Elected Trustees:
Congratulations to:
Scot Youngblood, a retired Navy officer and orthopedic surgeon who has three children in CUSD schools.
Alexia Palacios-Peters, a mother to three children in CUSD schools, former teacher, and an attorney who has spent her career advocating for families, children, and veterans.
Mal Sandie, a father to four boys who all attend or attended Coronado Schools, a Coronado community volunteer (Little League and P.A.W.S.), and a retired Navy Captain.
Renee Cavanaugh, a recently retired CUSD teacher and former chair of the board for the Coronado Schools Foundation who also served as president of the Coronado Junior Woman’s Club and the Optimist Club of Coronado.
Incoming trustees Palacios-Peters, Sandie and Cavanaugh were mainstream candidates with long-standing records of service to our community. Their victories ensure that there will continue to be a majority on the board that will not be swayed by the disruptive forces that have attacked and demeaned our schools over the past two years.
Youngblood, however, is the only one of the three “culture warriors” who ran for the school board who won. That’s why it’s a mixed bag.
During the pandemic, Youngblood gave several presentations claiming masks and vaccines don’t work. His arguments were widely refuted by the medical community, especially by those with expertise in infectious disease. Youngblood’s position was also ironic, since all surgeons in the modern world wear masks in operating rooms to inhibit the spread of disease and infection.
Note: When I asked Mr. Youngblood for comment on his endorsement from Awaken, he stated he knew nothing about the church and rejected the endorsement. I have found no other connection between him and Awaken. He did, however, acknowledge attending We the Parents Coronado meetings.
The Rest of “The Slate”
Candidate Gerri Machin, head of We the Parents Coronado, was defeated by Renee Cavanaugh, who won by a landslide in the race for the single two-year term on the school board.
Over the past two years, Machin has been a fixture at Coronado School Board meetings, opposing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and No Place for Hate programs, railing against masks during the pandemic, and speaking out against programs that don’t even exist at our schools. The We the Parents Coronado website also links to a national group seeking to disrupt and destabilize school boards with an ultimate goal of defunding and dismantling public education in America.
It’s important to note that despite its name, We the Parents Coronado does not represent a majority of parents in Coronado, a fact clearly born out by the election results.
Lisa Meglioli, a member of Awaken Church who ran for one of the full four-year terms open on the board, also fell short of victory. Something of an enigma, Meglioli attended only one of four candidate forums and apparently only recently established residency in Coronado. She was also part of Awaken’s candidate trainings, a centerpiece of the church’s attempt to infiltrate school boards throughout San Diego County in order to impose its radical agenda on public schools.
Perhaps the biggest loser, however, wasn’t even a candidate…
Mayor Richard Bailey served as the nexus between Awaken Church, We the Parents, and the Youngblood/Machin/Meglioli slate of candidates for the school board. Despite having no children, Bailey joined We the Parents Coronado early on and for at least two years has been affiliated with Awaken Church and it’s political wing called RMNNT, Warriors of Liberty. RMNNT hosted the mayor for a political speech at Awaken during his failed bid for a seat in Congress (52nd District) and endorsed him during his past two mayoral races. Bailey also led a candidate training for Awaken/RMNNT this year.
The connection is alarming because Awaken/RMNNT social media posts are filled with conspiracy theories, attacks on public schools, election denialism and criticisms of gay people. The church’s lead pastor urges his followers to stand before the cameras at school board meetings and scream “pedophile” and “child groomer” while calling his perceived enemies liars, idiots, demonic, vile, and even satanic murderers.
Note: Despite my numerous requests for the mayor to be candid and forthright, he has steadfastly refused to comment or explain his connections with Awaken Church/RMNNT.
This is also the first time in our city’s history that a mayor has so directly sought to influence a school board election. In doing so, Richard Bailey clearly put his political influence on the line… and did not prevail.
School Programs
The rejection of the full slate of Awaken/Bailey/We the Parents Coronado candidates is also good news for the valuable school programs they were attacking. Most notably, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Numerous highly successful public schools incorporate DEI, recognizing these principles help students interact more effectively with one another and with society in general. This is especially important once Coronado students move on from our small town atmosphere to more ethnically and culturally diverse communities.
Note: DEI is also widely embraced by major corporations, the defense industry and our US Armed Forces, including the Navy, shown below hosting the second annual DEI summit in Coronado last month.
No Place for Hate (NPH), designed to mitigate racism, bias and bullying on campus, still has an uncertain future at Coronado schools. Some 1800 schools in more than forty states have successful NPH programs, which help build an atmosphere of inclusivity, respect and equity on campuses. But its implementation at CUSD came under heavy attack by We the Parents Coronado and it was subsequently changed from a school program to a student-run club.
It’s astonishing, really, that seeking to combat racism, bias and bullying is anathema to anyone. The same for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the opposite of which would be Uniformity, Inequity and Exclusion.
Academic Excellence
This election also bodes well for ongoing academic excellence at our Coronado Public Schools. CUSD is one of the top-rated districts in the state, and our student achieved outstanding marks on the 2021-22 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress tests. Yet the school board assailants sought to cherry pick and misrepresent the latest statistics in attempts to stain the academic reputation of our schools.
Our educators have been under great pressure as a result of the assaults on our school board. Given the results of the election, they can now feel more supported and secure as they continue to provide excellent curriculums in our classrooms.
Here’s My Take
Make no mistake: the future of our public schools will continue to be under threat by radical conservative groups who are committed to a national agenda designed to demean and attack public education. Therefore, it’s important to remain vigilant. The next election is just two years away and also promises to be hotly contested. In the meantime, there are numerous ways to support our public schools, including:
Attending CUSD board meetings and staying informed.
Supporting the Coronado Schools Foundation which raises and manages funds to provide exceptional learning experiences for all Coronado Unified School District students.
Joining the Parent Teacher Organizations for the Coronado Public School your child or children attend.
Coronado Public Schools are a major reason many of us choose to live here and many more families aspire to raise their children here. The school system is a true gem in the crown of our community and should be protected, celebrated and cherished, not assailed, misrepresented or denigrated.
Let’s stay involved and enthusiastically support our public schools, our teachers and our students even more vigorously as the new year unfolds.
Resources:
The Mayor, Our Schools, and the Radical Right
The Mayor and the Culture Wars Candidate