San Diego Unified School District is in the process of selecting its next superintendent.
On Saturday, the district held a "Community Engagement Forum" at Woodrow Wilson Middle School and invited parents to listen to the two finalists being considered for the position: Dr. Lamont Jackson and Dr. Susan Enfield.
Dr. Jackson has been the interim superintendent for the district. “This is home. I was born and raised in San Diego. I grew up in the San Diego Unified School District,” he said.
Dr. Susan Enfield is the current superintendent for Highline Public Schools in Washington. "We are going to make sure that no child in San Diego Unified is invisible,” she said.
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Parents were able to submit questions ahead of time. Both candidates provided their perspective on topics such as curriculum, staffing and diversity initiatives.
“We will be about diversity. We will be about equity and we will be unapologetic about being inclusive,” said Dr. Jackson.
Mental health, training protocols and disciplinary policies were also discussed.
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“We have to turn these bad choices…these mistakes our young people make into teachable moments. Because a mistake should not lead to a lost diploma,” said Dr. Enfield.
Some parents were disappointed that the pandemic was not at the forefront of Saturday’s forum.
“I just don’t think it was a lot of what the parents have questions about…mainly about the vaccines and the masks,” said Laura Clark, an SDUSD mother.
Other parents shared with NBC 7 they left the forum feeling informed and confident in the district’s future either way.
“I think we’d be lucky to have either one of them,” said Lily Higman.
Parents were asked to provide their input after the forum. The Board of Education will make their final decision in March.
