Tackling overcrowded local high school classrooms is one major issue for those running to fill seats on the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District board.
In 2024, the district’s bond measure aimed at building a new high school to address the issue didn’t receive enough votes to pass. Diana Perez, who’s running for the Trustee Area 4 seat, said that if she’s elected, she’d try to make a convincing case to community members.
“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.”
She’s one of four candidates running for two open positions on the school district board. Although not on the board currently, she sat on the district board for 10 years starting in 2014 and took a hiatus to mount an unsuccessful run for Santa Maria mayor.
Her opponent, Alex Jauregui, experienced overcrowding while teaching at Righetti High School, at times with 40 students in his class, he said. He was also a student who graduated from the district. Since then, Jauregui’s 16-year education career led him to his role today as the principal of El Camino Junior High School.
“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 is a father of four, and his oldest will be entering high school next year. He said he wants to make sure every student is prepared to choose their own path after graduation.
“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.”
The board is ready for “turnover” and “fresh perspectives,” he added, referring to his opponent’s previous run on the board and that of incumbent David Baskett, who’s running for Area 5.
Baskett has served on the school board for four years. Earlier this year, he pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter for his role in a 2024 accident that killed a local resident. He said he’s “sure” that some people won’t vote for him because of the case.
“We’ll see how it comes out,” Baskett said. “Right now, we’ll see if the overall picture is stronger than the negative.”
The incumbent said he’s proud of the board’s accomplishments in recent years and wanted to run for reelection to continue the work.
In addition to passing a bond measure to build a new high school campus, the former military helicopter pilot said he’d advocate for an aviation program at the Mark Richardson Career Technical Education Center.
“I also think it’s time to use some of the skills and equipment out at the technical center to build an airplane, and then the students can learn to fly that airplane,” Baskett said.
Competing for the Trustee Area 5 seat against Baskett is Joe Dana, who spent 37 years in the Orcutt Union School District as a teacher, principal, and assistant superintendent.
Dana agreed that the “No. 1 priority” is to build a new campus, he said. The candidate would start by requesting reports and a study session to examine funding and potential sites.
“I chaired the Orcutt Union School District’s successful bond measure campaign in 2016. That was Measure G,” Dana told the Sun. “I chaired that, so 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.”
Another important issue to Dana is supporting programs like visual and performing arts and special education. He has a son 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 said. “I think it’s going to make me a little more empathetic, a little more understanding from a seat on the school board.”
This article appears in October 15, 2026 – October 22, 2026.
