The current top issues facing our district include our financial crisis, supporting teachers and staff, rebuilding transparency and setting a goal to improve district office output. It is our belief that once these improvements are made, everyone will benefit and we can better focus on education for all students.
Below you can find each of our perspectives on other imprortant topics.
Why are you running as a slate?
We are running as a slate because respect each others judgment, strengths and perspectives.
Our different backgrounds complement each other, and we believe we will work through our differences respectfully with the shared values of putting students, teachers and staff first.
We are also able to campaign efficiently and with an 'economy of scale' to keep stretch our donations further, and reach the community. We are glad you are here, and hope you learn a bit about us below.
Are you running to approve a charter?
No. None of us are running to apporve a charter. See our individual pages to read each of our individual platforms and goals.
I don't believe this is a simple yes-or-no question, because what matters most is whether a particular school provides a meaningful educational benefit to students and serves the interests of our community.
To be transparent, I supported Oceanlight School as it was presented to the San Mateo County Board of Education. I saw the potential for it to offer an educational alternative to families seeking something different. That application was denied in December 2025. Supporting that proposal does not mean I have made a blanket commitment to approve any future charter school in Pacifica.
As a school board member, I would evaluate any application brought before the district on its individual merits and in accordance with the law. I would look carefully at the educational program, the needs it would meet for students and families, its financial impact on the district, and whether it would strengthen or undermine existing programs and services. I would also want meaningful community input as part of that process.
I believe we have to be honest about the fact that some families are looking for educational options they don't feel they currently have. Rather than dismiss those concerns, we should understand them.
My responsibility would be to make a decision based on evidence, the law, and the best interests of our students and community—not on a predetermined political position. I won't promise to approve a charter regardless of its merits, and I won't promise to reject one before reviewing its application.
That's the approach I would bring to the board: transparency, careful financial analysis, and a commitment to putting students first.
Grace
Sobieski
I have no personal involvement or contribution to the Oceanlight charter. My feelings on charters in general is that they need to be evaluated individually: any charter needs to be in the best interests of the students in the area. A plan that takes away from public schools and focuses on the interests of a narrow group of students isn’t a good one, and should be rejected. It’s the job of the district or the county to evaluate the plan and make sure it creates positive opportunities and outcomes for our students.
The real question the board should be asking is this - why do parents feel the need to create a charter program or send their kids to private schools? The goal of the district should be to build a public school system that serves the community so well that there’s virtually no desire to go elsewhere. We should be striving to make PSD the place where they want to send their children.
Christopher
Swiedler
Before I dive into policy, I do want to address one piece of misinformation I’ve seen circulating in social media forums: I had no role or involvement in the planning or proposal of the Oceanlight Charter School. While I am not associated with this effort, I believe our community should respect differing parental perspectives rather than viewing those efforts negatively.
Answering if I am in favor or not of charter schools ignores a trustee's responsibilities. If a charter petition comes before the board, personal opinions are secondary to legal duties. My career in biotech has been built on strict regulatory compliance, and I will bring that exact objective lens to the board.
Under California Education Code Section 47605, trustees must evaluate petitions based on strict criteria .First, I will examine the fiscal impact. We are currently dealing with a serious fiscal crisis, and we simply can’t afford to duplicate any administrative overhead or divert funding from existing classrooms.
Second, I will scrutinize the petition’s operational and hiring plans to ensure they meet the same high standards required of our current schools.
Finally, the law requires us to examine the community’s best interests. If families explore charters because our schools fall short, it points to gaps in our current programs. My goal as a trustee will be to drive for innovation and strengthen our programs so that Pacifica schools remain the first and best choice for every family in our district.
Ultimately, I want to bridge divisions and ensure that our schools provide an exceptional, equitable education for every Pacifica child.
Tiffany
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I was previously involved with Oceanlight Charter School as a petitioner and contributed to curriculum development, an area aligned with my professional experience developing educational programs. My involvement ended after the petition stage, and I am no longer involved with Oceanlight as of December 2025.
From that experience, I learned how charters are evaluated and the various factors a county or district must consider.
I am not running for the Pacifica School Board to start or approve a charter school. I am running to help address the district’s fiscal challenges, strengthen accountability, and ensure decisions put students first.
I can’t say I’m “for” or “against” a charter because my role as a trustee would be neutral, and I would follow the CA Ed Code 47605 if a petition is presented to the district–which currently there isn’t. But facts matter here:
If a petition is presented, a trustee has a legal duty to evaluate it fairly under the CA Education Code and district policy. When a trustee announces in advance an ideology that they’ll never approve, or approve, a charter, that’s called predetermination, which puts the district at real legal risk for an appeal or being challenged in court, and those costs would come out of our classrooms.
So I’ll ask: Is the program educationally sound, financially credible, and legally compliant? Will it serve our whole community and strengthen our district? I promise a fair, transparent process and to follow the Ed Code.
Kelly
Mendoza
PhD
Charter Schools
PACIFICA SCHOOL BOARD • CANDIDATE PERSPECTIVES
We need to listen to the families and educators and ensure that children are provided with services that they are legally entitled to. We need to respect certified staff and pay them fairly—this will help with retention, reduce the need to resort to outside contractors, and provide consistency to children. We need to ensure that special education needs are considered in the budget and not treated as an afterthought. By respecting families and taking children’s needs seriously we can curb litigation costs that have plagued our district.
Grace
Sobieski
We need to stop treating special education like an afterthought that’s handled by contractors and where the only time we make changes are after lawsuits. We need permanent staff and a clear long-term plan that meets the needs of every student in our district.
Christopher
Swiedler
As the parent of a child who received Special Education Services within the district, I am very familiar with the specific challenges our district faces. There are multiple cases where the district has failed to provide the legally required support, and this has resulted in legal action. This costs the district money we do not have, but it also disenfranchises our children and places undue burden on parents who are already experiencing challenges.
Compliance is more than a legal requirement in these cases; it is tangible proof that our Special Education student population matters to us. We must ensure we are able to hire qualified, permanent staff rather than relying on contractors. This aligns with my core focus that budgetary constraints should not target core classroom services first.
Tiffany
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Our district needs to ensure that every student receives the services and support they are entitled to, while also making sure families can understand and navigate the process. We should prioritize qualified permanent staff, clear communication with families, and consistent practices across schools. Special education must be part of responsible long-term planning.
Kelly
Mendoza
PhD
Special Education
PACIFICA SCHOOL BOARD • CANDIDATE PERSPECTIVES
Encourage families to utilize independent study. Check on students and families and ensure that they have the resources and support to get their children to school. Address underlying mental health needs. Get to the root of family trust and connection. Educate families about the impact absenteeism has on our budget.
Grace
Sobieski
Supporting our teachers and allowing our schools to develop more unique, vibrant communities will help make students and families more engaged.
Christopher
Swiedler
Teachers and principals have worked hard to bring down chronic absenteeism in the years since Covid. While this downward trend is positive, we must continue to focus on improvements.
To further improve, I recommend two key actions: first, surveying students directly to uncover their specific barriers to attendance; second, ensuring adequate counseling and mental health staff to proactively address issues like bullying or anxiety that drive school avoidance.
Tiffany
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Because attendance drives both learning and funding, I'd start by approaching chronic absenteeism as a family connection issue, first working on building relationships with students and caregivers before enacting penalties.
Kelly
Mendoza
PhD
Absenteeism
PACIFICA SCHOOL BOARD • CANDIDATE PERSPECTIVES
Start recruitment of these positions early so they’re not sitting vacant. The grant money is there to support the programs and our students should be able to enjoy them.
Grace
Sobieski
Arts and Music should be funded publically, not by PTOs. STEM is important, but education in the arts is essential for building well-rounded students.
Christopher
Swiedler
Arts is one of the most important components of a well rounded education for our students.
We have a specific challenge in hiring for these roles even though we have earmarked funding. We need to recruit early and advertise broadly. Pacifica has a strong arts community, and we should leverage those within to help us advertise and source these positions.
Tiffany
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Arts education should be an essential part of the curriculum. Proposition 28 provides ongoing guaranteed funding for arts and music education in every California public and school. We should allocate the funding fairly across schools, sharing resources where it makes sense.
Kelly
Mendoza
PhD
Proposition 28/Arts Funding
PACIFICA SCHOOL BOARD • CANDIDATE PERSPECTIVES
Implementation was rolled out without a true plan. We are now in our first year of full TK implementation. Ensure district wide consistency in standards and assessment (DRDP). Create a toileting policy. Create a workforce pathway for early childhood educators to teach. Change the lottery system back to Kindergarten to preserve parent choice in decision to remain at private preschool or not.
Grace
Sobieski
TK is the first experience many families have with our district. A strong, accessible program with care options for working parents is a great way to bring families in and keep them. That takes planning for staffing, space, and cost, so we're making decisions today with tomorrow in mind.
Kelly
Mendoza
PhD
Universal TK
PACIFICA SCHOOL BOARD • CANDIDATE PERSPECTIVES
Provide staff training, strong anti bullying policy, books and culture of inclusion, counseling support and intervention.
Grace
Sobieski
Inclusion begins with all of us. There are low cost but effective programs we can implement at all our K-8 students to foster healthy learning environments for everyone. One example is the California Map Project.
Tiffany
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Students who identify as LGBTQ+ face higher rates of bullying, isolation, and mental health struggles than their peers, which also negatively impacts academic performance. But when schools have a strong culture celebrating inclusivity, with trusted adults, and clear protections against harassment, it not only supports LGBTQ+ students, but all students do better. I'll make sure our policies, training, and school culture reflect that.
Kelly
Mendoza
PhD
LGBTQ+
PACIFICA SCHOOL BOARD • CANDIDATE PERSPECTIVES
Both puberty and sex education are important curricula for middle schoolers, and we shouldn’t shy away from them..
Christopher
Swiedler
I not only support but will advocate for a robust sexual health education program within our schools. The California Healthy Youth Act, requires school districts to ensure that all students in grades 7–12 receive sex education and HIV/AIDS prevention education at least once in middle school and once in high school. While our state remains one of the few leading the country with this mandate, there is a lot of work left to be done.
Tiffany
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Schools have an important role to play in sex education, because for many students, school is the only place they will learn about it. I support following the California Healthy Youth Act with age-appropriate, medically accurate, inclusive instruction.
Kelly
Mendoza
PhD
Sex Ed
PACIFICA SCHOOL BOARD • CANDIDATE PERSPECTIVES
Our teachers and classified staff are the people who make our schools work, and they deserve a district that shows up for them. I'd make sure the district's team comes to the table early, keeps its commitments, and has the authority to bargain in good faith.
Kelly
Mendoza
PhD
Union Negotiations
PACIFICA SCHOOL BOARD • CANDIDATE PERSPECTIVES
My strong support for school counselors is reflected by my support for Measure T.
Tiffany
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Mental health struggles among young people rose sharply over the past decade, and they affect attendance, behavior, and learning. Counselors and wellness staff should be core services, not nice-to-haves. I'd work to protect those positions.
Kelly
Mendoza
PhD
Student Mental Health
PACIFICA SCHOOL BOARD • CANDIDATE PERSPECTIVES
Suspension doesn’t get to the root of the problem. However we need to ensure that behavioral challenges are met with the appropriate level of severity. Work with family counselors, behavior improvement plans, include law enforcement when legally mandated to do so.
Grace
Sobieski
Social-emotional learning can be a cost-effective way of helping kids in younger grades learn how to interact positively with other students so that problems are addressed early.
Christopher
Swiedler
Pacifica schools have received county awards for implementing PBIS, an approach that teaches behavior expectations clearly, recognizes students for meeting them, and steps in early with support when they don't. I'd encourage our schools to continue that work and make sure teachers and staff have the training and support to keep it strong.
Kelly
Mendoza
PhD
Addressing Behavior in School
PACIFICA SCHOOL BOARD • CANDIDATE PERSPECTIVES
I take a cautious approach to AI and new technology, guided by three questions:
1) What learning purpose does it serve?
2) Who does it serve, and what training and support will they need?
3) How do we protect students' safety, privacy, and well-being? I would make sure families receive clear communication about how tech is being utilized in the classroom, and education support to help guide their children’s device use and screen time.
Kelly
Mendoza
PhD
Technology in Schools
PACIFICA SCHOOL BOARD • CANDIDATE PERSPECTIVES
The district currently implements the Stanford Tobacco Prevention Toolkit during the 2022/2023 school year. However, vaping continues to be a real challenge in our schools. Vaping incidents are one of the main drivers of student disciplinary interventions. We need to drive more focus towards prevention rather than punishment. The state of California heavily taxes tobacco products, and as such, money is directly available through grants for additional programs. One effective program is a peer led education program partnering with local high schools.
Tiffany
Button
I support age-appropriate, evidence-based education in middle school. When a student is caught vaping, the response should include an education intervention, not just punishment. And families should be partners in that.
Kelly
Mendoza
PhD
Vaping
PACIFICA SCHOOL BOARD • CANDIDATE PERSPECTIVES
At this point workforce housing is in implementation. My belief is that it has been mismanaged from the start and that the timelines and budget have far been exceeded. We need to provide clear, actionable timelines.
Grace
Sobieski
My preference is to find ways to generate revenue that can be distributed to teachers via increased pay rather than benefiting a smaller number of people via below-market-rate housing, and I share the frustration about the lengthy process around developing the current location. I also do not feel we should necessarily follow a similar path with other district properties.
However, I support the workforce housing project at Oddstad as a way to attract and retain great teachers.
Christopher
Swiedler
Jefferson Union School District is an example of where workforce housing can really benefit a district.
We are ten years into Pacifica School District’s similar efforts, and we are still in the implementation phase and costs continue to rise.
The concept is not the failure point. The implementation is.
Tiffany
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I wholeheartedly support workforce housing as a way to attract and keep great teachers and staff, provided the district manages it carefully and efficiently. That hasn't been the case so far. This project has been over a decade in the making, its estimated cost has doubled, with the first phase delivering far fewer units than originally promised.
As a trustee, I'd insist on realistic budgets, transparent bidding, and regular public reporting.
Kelly
Mendoza
PhD
Workforce Housing
PACIFICA SCHOOL BOARD • CANDIDATE PERSPECTIVES
Our district faces real challenges, and the next board will have to address problems that have been allowed to grow. They are solvable with discipline and transparent, accountable leadership. Here is how we will deliver for Pacifica families, teachers, staff and taxpayers:
Our district faces real challenges, and the next board will have to address problems that have been allowed to grow. They are solvable with discipline and transparent, accountable leadership. Here is how we will deliver for Pacifica families, teachers, staff and taxpayers:
Different PERSPECTIVES. Different priorities. Different platforms.
WHY WE RUN AS A SLATE
We respect each others judgment, strengths
and perspectives.
Our different backgrounds complement each other.
We work through differences respectfully.
HOW WE WILL SERVE
We expect to disagree. We are not a voting bloc.
We will form opinions independently.
We will decide openly as a board AND be transparent after.
We are different, but we share important values
Listen first
Board decisions affect everyone. We will reach out, show up, hear different viewpoints, and establish honest dialogue early, so our entire community has a voice before, during and after big decisions.
Ask hard questions
Ask hard questions
We don’t agree on everything, and that’s a strength. We will ask tough questions of ourselves and of the district, challenge assumptions, and work toward the best solutions for students.
We are different but we share important values
Lead with transparency
We believe in sharing information openly, and being clear about how and why decisions are made.
Be accountable
We will take responsibility for our decisions, follow through on commitments, and always keep students at the center of our work.
We will take responsibility for our decisions, follow through on commitments, and always keep students at the center of our work.
LET'S GET TO WORK
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