Santa Barbara Current

Santa Barbara Current

As I Was Saying...

Six Paddles, One Stroke

By Mark Philibosian

Sep 19, 2026
∙ Paid

About half of SBUSD students are not meeting grade-level standards in reading. In math, the ratio is closer to six in ten. That is not a talking point. That’s thousands of kids already playing catch-up through no fault of their own.

How does a generous and educated city let that become normal?

Ask district leaders and you hear two familiar answers. Some s…

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