San Diego Unified school board member Shelia Jackson isn’t going to run for county supervisor.
We reported that Jackson was out of the race in early January; Jackson told the Union-Tribune a few days later that it was premature to count her out, and later said that she was “probably not running” for supervisor. I caught up with Jackson today and she said that she has decided to keep her focus on the school district.
“I’m not going to run,” Jackson said. “People really feel that they have a voice on the school board — and that voice would be lost at a critical time.”
Jackson said personal issues had also played a part in her decision not to run. So why all the is-she-or-isn’t-she about whether she was ducking out of the race?
“When I wasn’t quite sure, I went back to the community and people were saying, go go go — but then other people were worried because they thought I was transitioning my focus off of the school board,” Jackson said. “I decided that I need to keep a watchful eye on the school district.”
So what is she keeping her eye on? Making sure that schools keep to the annual plans they write up about how they’ll improve, preparing schools in disadvantaged communities to take on more autonomy as the school district decentralizes, and, of course, the budget cuts.
— EMILY ALPERT