A Commitment to Public Education

I grew up in Santa Monica, where I attended our K-12 public schools.

I learned to write a sentence in Mrs. Klein’s kindergarten class, played in Little League at Memorial Park, and came to understand the value of teamwork and persistence on the Samohi Water Polo team.

I attended Columbia University where I double majored in history and political science. After graduation, I joined Teach for America and moved to Oakland, California.

I was hired as a social studies teacher at an incredible Title 1 high school in East Oakland.

More than 90% of our students qualified for free and reduced lunch, and over the next five years, I found my understanding of policy and politics transformed.

My students faced enormous challenges, yet there was also an incredible amount to be optimistic about.

In my second year of teaching, I created our school's first AP American Government course.

My students went on to pass the exam at a significantly higher rate than the California and national averages — defying the expectations of what students at a Title I school can achieve.

(It was a thrill to fundraise to take my AP Government students to see Hamilton in San Francisco.)

In my fifth year as a teacher, I decided to leave the classroom and work on state policy – with the hope that, eventually, I could help contribute to solving some of the systemic obstacles facing my students.

I began working for California State Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, who represents a district that stretches from Santa Monica to Griffith Park.

My job allows me to work on a wide range of topics across the 51st Assembly District, an opportunity that has broadened my understanding of policy and law-making processes at all levels of government.

When Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein decided not to run for reelection to the Santa Monica-Malibu School Board, a range of folks in our education community encouraged me to run. I started considering the ways that my background and experience could be an asset to the district I love, and I decided to join the race.

I plan to bring the lessons I’ve learned as a high school classroom teacher, a staff member for our State Assemblymember, and a former SMMUSD student to our Board of Education.

I’m excited, committed, and ready to get to work!

My Priorities

Engagement and Collaboration with Our Community

I plan to be accessible and collaborative with our community. I want to leverage the engagement of parents and residents to deliver better outcomes for our students, and I want stakeholders in the district to know that their views and suggestions are sincerely taken into consideration when decisions are made.

Closing the Outcome Gap

Every child deserves an excellent education. My commitment to reducing the achievement gap is the reason I became a teacher, and it is a central reason I am running for this board. We must both work to close the outcome gap and regularly measure and report on disparities so that the board, SMMUSD employees, and the community understand whether and how we are progressing.

Academic Excellence

Our classrooms should be academically rigorous environments. Ensuring that our highest performing students are actively challenged does not mean that we cannot address the needs of our most academically vulnerable students. This is a false binary; we can and should do both.

A Cautious Approach to Technology and AI

We need clear, thoughtful limits on technology in the classroom.

SMMUSD should utilize community processes — involving teachers, parents, students, and outside experts — to develop evidence-based guidelines for technology use in the classroom.

I support a bell-to-bell approach to banning cell phone use, where administratively feasible.

Our youngest students should be spending time with their peers, not glued to a laptop.

And when it comes to artificial intelligence, we must ensure that AI is only used to personalize instruction and empower teachers to achieve better outcomes; it cannot be a substitute for teaching our students to think critically and independently.

Working to Expand Access to Early Childhood Education

Early childhood education is critical. The years before kindergarten are where gaps begin to open — gaps we spend the next thirteen years trying to close.

And for working families, quality early childhood education is one of the most meaningful supports the district can offer.

While there are certainly budget limitations, I am committed to looking for every opportunity to expand and improve SMMUSD’s early childhood offerings.

Sound, Data-Driven Fiscal and Educational Policy

In making policy decisions, we must fully assess our options and be prepared to make difficult, sometimes uncomfortable choices. We must do the same thing we ask of our students—to look at all sides of a question, understand multiple perspectives, assess existing data and research, and do the math.

Trust and Empower Our Teachers

District policymaking should not be top down. SMMUSD is blessed with an incredible teaching staff, and we should be actively soliciting teacher feedback. Whether its proposed or existing policies or questions around facilities and parent engagement, we should empower our teachers to guide the district.

Endorsements

School Board Members Support Robbie

Alicia Mignano

President, SMMUSD Board of Education
Laurie Lieberman

Vice-President, SMMUSD Board of Education
Maria Leon-Vazquez

Board Member, SMMUSD Board of Education
Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein

Board Member, SMMUSD Board of Education
Jon Kean

Board Member, SMMUSD Board of Education
Jennifer Smith

Board Member, SMMUSD Board of Education

State Leaders Support Robbie

Rick Chavez Zbur

CA State Assemblymember, 51st District (representing Santa Monica)
Jacqui Irwin

CA State Assemblymember, 42nd District (representing Malibu)

City Council Members Support Robbie

Caroline Torosis

Mayor of Santa Monica
Jesse Zwick

Mayor Pro Tem of Santa Monica
Lana Negrete

Santa Monica City Councilmember
Dan Hall

Santa Monica City Councilmember
Ellis Raskin

Santa Monica City Councilmember
Barry Snell

Santa Monica City Councilmember
Natalya Zernitskaya

Santa Monica City Councilmember

Local Leaders Support Robbie

Nicole Faries

Past President, Santa Monica-Malibu Council of PTAs
Dr. Sion Roy

Chair, Santa Monica College Board of Trustees
Nancy Greenstein

Santa Monica College Board of Trustees
Anastasia Foster

Santa Monica College Board of Trustees
Sophia Manavi

Santa Monica College Student Trustee
Danny Ivanov

Vice Chair, Santa Monica Rent Control Board
Kay Ambriz

Board Member, Santa Monica Rent Control Board
Judy Abdo

Former Santa Monica Mayor & Councilmember
Phil Brock

Former Santa Monica Mayor & Councilmember
Gleam Davis

Former Santa Monica Mayor & Councilmember
Shari Davis

SMC Adjunct Professor, Co-Director, Public Policy Institute; Chair Emeritus, CEPS
Ted Winterer

Former Santa Monica Mayor & Councilmember; Co-Chair, CEPS
Denny Zane

Former Santa Monica Mayor & Councilmember; Co-Chair, SMRR