Four candidates contend for two seats on the high school district board

Voters in Santa Maria will choose among four candidates for two seats on the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District board this November, in a race shaped by one overriding issue: overcrowded classrooms at the district's high school campuses.

The contest, reported by the Santa Maria Sun, pits two newcomers with deep roots in local education against an incumbent trustee and a former board member making a return bid. Trustee Area 4 features Diana Perez, who previously served a decade on the board, against Alex Jauregui, a junior high school principal. Trustee Area 5 pits incumbent David Baskett against longtime Orcutt educator Joe Dana.

A failed bond looms over the race

The central challenge confronting whoever wins is the fate of a district bond measure that failed at the ballot box in 2024. The measure was aimed at building a new high school to relieve chronic overcrowding in a district that serves one of the Central Coast's fastest-growing communities.

Perez said that if elected, she would work to rebuild community trust and make a more persuasive public case for the proposal.

"We need to … let the community know what the challenges are and possibly even invite them to come and visit our schools," Perez told the Sun. "Sometimes our parents, they don't always get a view of what our schools look like on a typical day. I think if the community got a view, they would understand the need."

Perez first joined the board in 2014 and served for 10 years before stepping away to mount an unsuccessful campaign for Santa Maria mayor. Her return bid comes as the district grapples with the aftermath of the bond's defeat and continued enrollment pressure on existing campuses.

Dana, her fellow challenger in a different area, said building a new campus would be his "No. 1 priority" if elected. He said he would begin by requesting reports and a study session to examine funding options and potential sites for a new school.

Dana brings direct experience with school finance campaigns. He chaired the Orcutt Union School District's successful Measure G bond campaign in 2016, giving him what he described as firsthand knowledge of what it takes to build a plan and persuade voters.

"I kind of know what it takes to develop a plan, to put it before voters, and to persuade voters that it's the right thing for kids," Dana told the Sun.

Competing visions for Area 4

In Trustee Area 4, Perez faces Jauregui, who has spent 16 years in education and currently serves as principal of El Camino Junior High School. Jauregui is also a graduate of the district and taught at Righetti High School, where he said he experienced overcrowding firsthand—sometimes with as many as 40 students in a single class.

"I see the high school students of tomorrow, today," Jauregui told the Sun. "I would hope that my experience in my current position would bring a bridge to supporting those students as they take the next leap in high school."

Jauregui, a father of four whose oldest child enters high school next year, said he wants every student prepared to choose their own path after graduation. He pointed to persistent achievement gaps affecting English learners and students with disabilities as areas needing stronger attention.

"There is still a huge gap of students that are considered English learners as well as students with disabilities," Jauregui said. "I think there needs to be a bigger effort in supporting those students."

He also argued the board is ready for "turnover" and "fresh perspectives"—a not-so-subtle reference to his opponent's decade of prior board service and Baskett's incumbency in Area 5.

Incumbent runs despite criminal conviction

The Area 5 race carries its own complications. Baskett, who has served on the board for four years, pleaded guilty earlier this year to vehicular manslaughter for his role in a 2024 accident that killed a local resident, according to the Sun. Despite the conviction, he is seeking reelection, acknowledging that the case will cost him votes.

"We'll see how it comes out," Baskett told the Sun. "Right now, we'll see if the overall picture is stronger than the negative."

Baskett, a former military helicopter pilot, said he is proud of the board's recent accomplishments and wants to continue the work. Beyond reviving the new high school effort, he said he would advocate for an aviation program at the Mark Richardson Career Technical Education Center—proposing that students use the center's skills and equipment to build an airplane, then learn to fly it.

Special education and the arts in focus

Dana, who spent 37 years in the Orcutt Union School District as a teacher, principal, and assistant superintendent, said supporting visual and performing arts programs and special education would be among his priorities. He brings a personal connection to the latter: his son is on the autism spectrum.

"I think that the experience of raising a student with special needs gives me a little more insight into what we're doing to help these students and their families," Dana told the Sun. "I think it's going to make me a little more empathetic, a little more understanding from a seat on the school board."

For Santa Maria families, the stakes are tangible. The district's existing high schools have been strained by growth for years, and the 2024 bond's failure left no clear path to a new campus. Whichever two candidates prevail will help decide whether the district returns to voters with another bond—and whether it can win this time.