Santa Barbara Superintendent of Schools Hilda Maldonado gave her “State of the Schools” address Thursday October 10th at the Carrillo Recreation Center to a room full of Politicians, Non-profit organizations, School Board members, administrators, staff, parents, and maybe even some consultants.
The “State of the Schools” address she gave and the phrases she used made us question what the heck she’s been doing since she was hired in 2020. I, for one, can’t tell but she did give everyone lots of insight into what she hasn’t done.
For example (the following are taken from my notes as I listened to her presentation):
“It would be wrong to test an EL learner on an English test if they can’t speak English because they would fail.” The statement makes me wonder if she currently does that to English Language Learners before they are ready? Is she testing for evidence of progress? Why would she test any student In English or any language if they were not ready?
“We are not only worried about students going to college, we are also worried about how students will pay for it.” Shouldn’t “paying for college” be something parents should worry about? Why is the Superintendent of schools taking on that responsibility and what does that mean?
“The days of putting the special education students in the back of the classroom are over…” Is she suggesting special education teachers in Santa Barbara Unified School District have done that or are currently doing that?
“There hasn't been a coherent reading system since 2007.” What has Hilda and the rest of her administration been doing for the past 4 years? Why has Santa Barbara Unified School District been doing a poor job teaching reading since 2007? What about all the Board Members? If true, this suggests we need new leadership, perhaps at every level.
“Students spend time Googling ‘What is the price of rice’?” Do students really spend their time Googling “What is the price of rice?”
“She talked about the importance of solar panels on our campuses and then followed up by stating “and when we start collecting solar electricity.” What have the solar panels been doing for the last few years if not producing electricity? Are solar panels harmful to children that sit beneath them?
Hilda said something like “As teachers, What assumption do I make when I see a child that looks (disheveled)? Do I blame the child?” Is she suggesting that teachers in Santa Barbara Unified don’t pay attention now to children that come to school “disheveled”? Is she only now going to do something about it? Why hasn’t she done something about it already?
She stated that “We need to design a system ‘with students at the center’” Huh? What is the alternative system in use currently? Is it designed for teachers? Administrators? Is it designed for nothing at all? The School district motto is “Every Child, Every Chance, Every Day.” So the district has not been doing that?
Hilda apparently believes that we need to invest in two specific dilapidated buildings: the Health and Wellness building at San Marcos, and the Armory. She gave no specifics as to what those buildings would be used for and where the money would come from.
Last week, Bill Banning emphatically denied that Critical Race Theory (CRT) was being taught in schools. Well, he’s wrong. It is being taught in Santa Barbara schools. They just don’t call it that; they call it “Socratic Seminars.” In Hilda’s words, “Kindergartners are doing Socratic seminars. I will leave it at that, look it up.” Here is a perfect explanation by the Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education about how they are training Kindergarteners to be activists. Socratic seminars are conditioning these Kindergarteners’ minds.
“We are focusing on those most in need.” What she meant to say was they are focusing on obtaining money for the students that are most in need. “We are focusing on this group and then we can help the rest as well.” So currently she is not helping the rest, just the failing students?
“We Asked counselors to track the clubs that students are in.”
Why? Why are they tracking kids at all?
Questions at the end were allowed, but were vetted first. All four questions that were asked had to do with Hilda’s equity decisions and she did not really answer any of them. She called the equity questions “assumptions” and said she would answer by speaking to other people about it or put the question on somebody else to answer, specifically Bill Woodard.
It seemed as though the entire Santa Barbara Democrat Establishment was present, including politicians Gregg Hart, Laura Capps, Eric Friedman, Byron, a rep for Salud Carbajal, and Zarate representing Monique Limon. Non-profits represented were Michael Baker for United Boys and Girls Club, Rachel for The Fund of Santa Barbara, and the host, Santa Barbara Education Foundation. School Board Members present included Wendy Sims-Moten, Bill Banning, and Sunita Beall. Administrators present were Dare Holdren of San Marcos High School, Fred Razo of Santa Barbara High School, and presenter, Bill Woodard of Dos Pueblos High School, along with Elementary Superintendent Denice Alvarado, and John Shetler director of Special Education for the district.
Christy, I don't know what your problem with this Hilda Maldonado is. To me she seems like an excellent choice for Santa Barbara Superintendent of Schools because she is fluent in Word Salad, and as we all know by this point in the 2024 election, that is the key to lifelong success in the world the Democratic Party has made.
Socratic Thinking is the Future and as we all know, thanks to Kamala, the Future is what's in front of us. This is going to be a Future in which Equity empowers us just as our Solar Panels supply our energy to be empowered.
In order for students to enter the Future of Equity, they need to know who Socrates was, even though he lived in the Past. You can't Google the price of rice to find out about Socrates. Thankfully, we have Bill Banning to inform us that Socrates was not the originator of CRT. Socrates was a Socratic Thinker. He was also bullied for his sexual identity. He didn't just do Socratic Thinking, he was an early advocate of Drag Queen Story Hour, which has been mistakenly represented in White History Books as pedophilia. Socrates died because he drank Hemlock. And this is why Hemlock is not available in the school cafeteria.
I'm pleased to be a supporter of the drive to change the name of San Marcos High School to Kamala Harris Solar Socratic Institute.
Enjoy your Word Salad World, everyone! It's Vegan!
Los Angeles transplant Hilda Maldonado is contributing to Santa Barbara Unified’s decline or demise, or is she meeting community expectations for the monied class? Author Christy Lozano has deep, proven knowledge. Hilda brought in her crony friends from L.A. who are a group to see and hear to confirm they are all DEI hires with no commitment or ability to advancing student academic success. Same goes for SBUSD elected progressive far left Trustees who extended Hilda’s contract. Most use their school board position as a stepping stone for political career advancement, and to promote housing or their own agenda. Trustee campaigns are $$$$$ backed by area elites and professionals.
At McKinley Elementary 13.3 are proficient in math, 20.8 in English. In my neighborhood, Cleveland Elementary, 30.4% met standards in English, 28.3% in math. Should Trustees toss out Hilda and her Socratic whatever because it isn’t working? Others say, ‘No, she’s who we need.’ Why? Here’s the answer.
The discrepancies between local elementary schools reflects property ownership and parent involvement plus educational attainment. Taxable properties pay an additional tax annual to help ensure fiscal equity between CA schools(see your property tax bill). Of our five South County school districts two are high performing single school districts in wealthy Montecito.
I live .7miles walking distance between SBUSD low performing Cleveland and Montecito‘s Cold Spring (CSS) Elementary Schools. Both with homes $2M- 36M. While Cleveland students struggle academically, CSS was just ranked #1 small school in the entire State of CA! Having lived here four decades, the reason is known for the proficiency differences and the status quo is desired by some but not by Author and Educator Christy Lozano or by me.
Santa Barbara and Montecito elites, professional and middle classes need “lifestyle workers“ — dishwashers, cooks, housekeepers, dog walkers, nannies, drivers, caregivers, handymen, and gardeners.
The original intent of public schools was to prepare students for the work force. If all students are over educated academically, who will do these modern-day ESSENTIAL lifestyle jobs?
Some people think Santa Barbara is a caring community of involved residents concerned with student success: wrong! Rather, we’re one full of SF and L.A. plastic, self absorbed elites and wannabes hanging together in their own bubble; plus middle class locals concerned about their own kids, golf, or recreating. Few demand improved management of our K-14 public schools. (Will voters defeat SBCC’s Measure P? Reminder: Vote No!) The working class is too busy earning to survive so the needs of their children are left to public schools and community.
Life is good here for the monied! There’s natural beauty from the mountains to the sea plus lots of “capable, clean, polite English speaking, trusted laborers.” Those folks hiring lifestyle workers support Supt. Hilda Maldanado and the status quo.
Subject: 2023-24 SBUSD Student Data & Test Scores
https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/sbunified/Board.nsf/files/D9NW2J83506C/$file/24-25%20Student%20Outcomes%20Report%20%231%20(Updated%2010_01_2024).pdf