On his website, Adrian Arancibia states he is running to restore “hope and excellence in the Sweetwater Union High School District.”

With his experience as an educator and a poet, and as a graduate of the school district, Arancibia definitively has the background needed to be elected to Area 2 of the Sweetwater Union High School District governing board.

“I love teaching,” Arancibia said. “I have taught in the district as a long-term substitute teacher. I have also worked as a teacher in third grade in National City and later as a lecturer and professor. I can honestly say I’ve taught in every level of education. I know educational policy and can offer a perspective as both a parent of two children that will attend schools in the district and as an educator with 22 years of experience.”

Arancibia said that his integrity and educational experience will help school district residents heal and look past the corruption case involving several former board members and a superintendent in recent years.

“When I was younger, I used to shirk the word values,” Arancibia said. “So often, I see the term taken and misused for political gain. Nowadays, I see values at the core of what makes a family, a community and a city. I think it is of utmost importance to see values through our children.”

Arancibia emigrated with his parents from his native Chile as a child. His experience is similar to many of the Latino students in the school district. He had to learn English, and it was through education and hard work that he was able to carve a successful career, not only as a college professor with a doctorate in literature, but also as a poet (he is co-founder of the iconic Taco Shop Poets group) and as an arts advocate (he is also co-founder of Voz Alta, an arts center that was an important part of the San Diego arts scene in recent years).

“This experience is at the root of my perspective,” he said. “I’ve built a career as an educator and as a writer from these experiences. Yet I’ve always been a man of honesty and integrity. My name in the community is respected because I’m a doer.”

Area 2 includes Bonita, the community where he grew up and where he graduated from the local high school, Bonita Vista. It is the same community where he now lives with his wife and two daughters. There are four other candidates besides Arancibia running for Area 2. Although he said he wouldn’t comment on any of the other candidates, Arancibia said that he hoped “that voters can see why I am the best choice for Area 2 board trustee seat. I am an experienced educator, a doctor and an ethical person with a commitment to help the community.”

Arancibia added that it is time for change from within the community.

“I recognize that I am part of a new generation of leaders that will say, ‘¡Basta ya!’ and that we are better than the past ten years. In the South Bay, we are a family,” he said.

In his campaign’s website, in the “On the Issues” section, Arancibia mentions several issues that involve money, including financial transparency, technology, charter schools, and reduced class size.

“I believe that we need to complete an audit to see precisely where the district is spending monies incorrectly or repetitively,” he said. “I want to explain, by transparent I don’t mean invisible. I want the budget visible to everyone. I want everything on the table. These audits can be done without much cost by local public entities that work with districts to assure that monies are well spent.”

Arancibia is a product of the Sweetwater Union High School District. He grew up here, he graduated from these schools. Although he could just focus on his professional career as a college professor and as a published poet, he chooses to stick around and run for the governing board for a very specific reason: To give current and future Sweetwater students the same opportunities he had growing up.

“This is about my home,” Arancibia said. “One comes back to complete the circle. One comes back to make home a bit better for the next generation. I’m a neighborhood kid. I’m a poet. I’m just a guy who works to better his community. I do it every day at my job. I do it every day with my daughters that I raise with the ideals of social and economic justice,” he said.

“When I grew up in the district, there were chances for us to succeed and to become contributing members of the community,” Arancibia continues. “There were opportunities for us to get the best education possible. We, as leaders, need to make sure those chances and opportunities are still available for all students. We need to be ethical stewards of this district. We need to show how much we know about education and the challenges that face the students and the district in the future.”

Arancibia is endorsed by elected officials, including Congressman Juan Vargas and Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, by education groups like the Sweetwater Education Association, and he’s also been endorsed by political groups, such as San Diego County Democrats.

To learn more about Adrian Arancibia and his candidacy for the Sweetwater Union High School District Area 2 seat, please visit www.adrianforsweetwater.com.