Miembre de Junta — Distrito Escolar Unificado de Encinitas

Marla Strich is an active participant in both school and community organizations. Her involvement with the District began as serving as a co-chair of the successful campaign for the District’s $29.5 million facilities school modernization bond in 1996. She has served as chairperson of the Ocean Knoll Elementary and San Dieguito Academy School Site Councils and as Ocean Knoll’s PTA Legislative Vice President. Ocean Knoll PTA awarded her the Golden Oak, PTA’s highest award. Marla was appointed to the California School Board’s Association Delegate Assembly in 2017. She serves as Legislative Chair for the San Diego County School Boards Association. She was President of the San Dieguito Academy Foundation Board. She has been a member of the Legislative Action Network and Strategic Planning Committee for the San Dieguito Union High School District and participates in the North Coastal Regional Legislative Action Network. She has traveled to Sacramento numerous times to lobby for public education and has also advocated for our children in Washington, DC as part of the National School Board Association’s Federal Relations Network. She has served as School Board President five times during her tenure. In 2000 she completed the California School Board Association’s Masters in Governance professional development series. In addition to serving as a classroom volunteer for many years, Marla was a Girl Scout Leader for ten years, and has been a member of the Girl Scout Leadership Team in Encinitas and a Cub Scout den leader. She continues as one of the adult leadership team for San Dieguito Academy’s Robotics Team, Team Paradox, coordinating FIRST Lego League Robotics activities and competitions. She was recognized as 2016 Volunteer of the Year by FIRST Lego League Southern California Region for her contributions to the growth of the program. She was Ocean Knoll Elementary’s Volunteer of the Year in 2002, for her many school and community-related activities. Marla has resided in Encinitas for the past 32 years with her husband Dan. Their two children both attended Ocean Knoll Elementary from Kindergarten through sixth grade. Mrs. Strich graduated from Northwestern University and earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California. She worked for non-profit organizations for fifteen years.

Emily Andrade is a native of San Diego County and has lived in Encinitas for the last 18 years. She attended San Diego State University earning a B.A. in English and a Master's Degree in Elementary Education with an empasis in Reading. She has 3 adult children who were all educated in the public school and CA University systems.  Her daughters attended EUSD for their elemetary school experience.

Emily has worked in education for 45 years demonstrating her passion and commitment to a high quality education for every child.  In addition to serving as a member of the EUSD Govrning Board for the last 8 years, Emily Served the children and families of Encinitas and South Carlsbad as a Principal for 17 years.  She also served the children and families of Santee for 20 years as an Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, Vice Principal, curriculum coordinator, reading specialist and classroom teacher. 

During her career Emily won multiple awards for her exceptional leadership as an educator including:  Certificate of Cngressional Recognition, National Blue Ribbon Principal, Junior Achievement Chairman's Education Award, California Distinguished School's Principal Award, Encinitas Union District Administrator of the Year, and Leadership 2000 Outstanding North County Principal.

Emily is committed to service to others. She is a member of The Encinitas Rotary Club where she is an active participant in local and international service projects. She also supports service endeavors through her church including Kids Kingdom Orphanage in Ensenada, Mexico and tutoring at Casa de Amistad in Solana Beach.

Emily is a candidate for a non-partisan position. She believes the most important things you should know about her political position regarding the responsibilities of a Governing Member of the Encinitas Union School District is that her #1 Priority is children.  She is an independent thinker and does not let political or personal agendas influence her analysis in determining what decisions are in the best interest of all children. She believes in a high quality education for every child ensuring that each student is well prepared academically and emotionally to be productive and  responsible citizens, is compassionate in serving others and possesses the skills and charcteristics necessary to be successful in this complex world we live in. She is very financially conscientious and believes in fiscal prudence and responsible spending and investing.  

Christian Adams has a first grade daughter at Park Dale Lane Elementary and a son entering Kindergarten this fall. He has been in the renewable energy industry specifically solar for over 13 years. He has run several companies and navigated successfully through some volatile times in the industry.  He was elected to and sits on the Site Council at Parkdale Lane and serves as a commissioner on the Encinitas Environmental Commission. 

A few months after my daughter started kindergarten at our public school in Encinitas I asked my wife when they started teaching Spanish. To my surprise, she said they didn’t. I then started getting more involved with the school. I was elected to the Site Council which is a group of teachers, parents, and employees that evaluate improvement programs and school budgets. I also started to attend school board meetings and talk to other parents and teachers.

There was a common story I often heard with parents or teachers that had an issue arise. They felt the school board didn’t really listen to them. They were told their issue was a one-off situation. However, many knew their situation was not unique. There also seemed to be a communication problem on many initiatives and programs.

I also noticed that there were some fantastic programs going on in the district at certain schools. Two schools have a dual language program, a couple more received prestigious civics awards, and there was some very successful project learning to happen. However, if you didn’t go to that specific school, no Spanish or civics. If you didn’t get that specific teacher chances are you wouldn’t have a project learning. In short, the exceptional work wasn’t being translated to the masses.

As I observed over many months the board seemed to sign off on anything the district set out to do without asking questions or doing the due diligence many of us assumed was happening. Many have been in service on the board for a long time. And if one didn’t know any better the board meetings seem to only focus on how great everything is.

I’ve been in the solar industry for 12 years and managed businesses through turbulent times. Although our schools are good I think they can be exceptional. I would work to have a Spanish program at all schools. Have a bullying/emotional teaching component that is required on a regular basis. I’d initiate an accountability program around screen time so parents can see exactly how much and what kind of screen time their children are receiving.

This will also help teachers monitor how much they are using screens so it’s not overused. There are expenditures like the Farm Lab that cost a lot of money. We need to scrutinize and know exactly how much we are paying and what the product is currently and will yield in the future. This then needs to be communicated effectively. We need to promote and support more project learning in all schools at all levels.

My wife and I have a daughter in first grade and a son entering kindergarten this fall.

These issues are not just for my kids but my community. I’d like to see term limits on the board. This ensures different community members and parents are more involved and utilizes different talents and new ideas. Term limits would rebuff any chance of complacency. Unfortunately, the established members of the current board shot down any efforts to pass term limits this past spring.

The underlying theme with all these issues seems to be transparency and communication. We deserve a board that serves the parents and community. That questions what we are doing and if we can do it better. A board that listens and takes action on parents concerns. We shouldn't feel that the district is a place where we get stonewalled. The people are there to serve. We need term limits, accountability, transparency, and more questioning. This will put us on the right path to becoming more than just one of the leading school districts in the country on paper, but also in reality.

This is why a change is needed and why I’m running for the EUSD school board.

Amy Glancy is a Southern California native and has lived in Encinitas for the past 16 years.  She and her husband, Ryan, have three children who all attended our local public schools.  She has been actively involved at their schools volunteering in classrooms, participating in the PTA, and serving on the School Site Council.

She attended San Diego State University, earning both her B.A. in Liberal Arts and K-8 teaching credential.  Recently she earned a Master’s degree in Educational Administration from California State University San Marcos.  Amy began her career in education in 1995 working in San Diego Unified School District as both a classroom teacher and a literacy staff developer, helping to improve the instruction of literacy in Kindergarten through 6^th grade classrooms.

In order to spend more time with her growing family, she stepped away from teaching full time. As her kids gained independence and entered the Encinitas school district, Amy began working as a volunteer.  Spending time in the schools reignited her passion for education and she began working as a literacy consultant, a reading intervention teacher and as a substitute teacher within Encinitas schools. 

As a consultant, Amy took opportunities to work throughout the state from San Diego to Sacramento helping teachers and administrators develop a stronger understanding of literacy instruction and collaborating to create effective classroom practices.

Although her own children are no longer in the district, moving on to our local middle and high schools, Amy has recognized that elementary education is still where her passion lies and where she wants to focus her attention. And what better place to do it, than right here in her own community.

School Board positions for Encinitas Union School District are non-partisan.  I firmly believe that should remain that way.  I did not seek endorsements from any political parties because of that specific reason. The focus of school boards should always be on providing quality public education to the kids in your neighborhoods in a nonpartisan manner that best meets the needs of students and district residents. Partisanship does not inspire innovation, trust or efficiency.

We need to keep focused on our goals: What helps children learn? Not, how would “my party” have me vote? An updated curriculum, teacher preparation, healthy and safe school environments and equity of opportunity for all children are not partisan issues.