Good News Club Sparks Evangelical Debate at Santa Barbara Unified School Board Meeting

Club Members Say They’re Being Treated Unfairly; District Maintains They Need to Follow Process

Public comment at last week’s S.B. Unified school board meeting got heated between school board president Wendy Sims-Moten (left) and Good News Club supporters like Caroline Abate. | Credit: Ingrid Bostrom and Daniel Dreifuss File Photos

Evangelical furor characterized last week’s meeting of the Santa Barbara Unified School Board, ending with a heated argument between Board President Wendy Sims-Moten and speakers.

These speakers were concerned that the Good News Club, a free evangelical fellowship club for elementary school students, was being canceled by the district. Supporters of the club came out to oppose what they thought was the club’s discontinuation.

Supporter Caroline Abate, a former Goleta school board candidate, said that it’s important to continue the Good News Club, and “help students study the Bible,” because “as adults we know how challenging life can be.”

“With times of sorrow and stress or when we feel discouraged or are faced with a difficult decision — the gospel message of Christ is helpful during these moments in our lives,” she said.

She then began to recite scripture from the book of Psalms, but Sims-Moten cut her off. The board president said that scripture was off-topic and asked her to keep her comments focused on the Good News Club.

After some tense back-and-forth between Sims-Moten and Abate, Abate finished her comment without reciting scripture — but charged that her freedom of speech rights had been violated.

Public comments then continued for nearly an hour, with parents asking for the continuation of the Good News Club and backing Abate, citing the club’s positive effects on their children.

Superintendent Hilda Maldonado attempted to clarify that the district was not getting rid of the Good News Club, nor did they ever plan to, and that organizers need only to apply to use school facilities. But commenters kept going.

Sharon Jegottka, ministry coordinator for the Good News Club, told the board that the club has been stonewalled in its attempts to get re-approved, charging that they have been ignored and denied access to schools.

Ed Zuchelli, the district’s spokesperson, told the Independent that, like any organization, the Good News Club may use any district campuses by submitting a Civic Use Permit, which may be accepted or denied pending space availability.

However, when the Good News Club requested to be a part of a new, district-managed, after-school enrichment program, they were denied. Per board policy, “School-sponsored programs shall not be, nor have the effect of being, religiously oriented,” he said. But they can use the facilities of their own accord.

Maldonado told club members they can use a platform called “Facilitron” to apply for school site approval, and principals are responsible for accepting or denying permits based on board policy.

The club, which meets weekly for 90 minutes, is currently at seven schools around South County, including in the Goleta Union and Carpinteria Unified school districts. It was previously at Washington Elementary and this year was re-approved at Roosevelt in Santa Barbara Unified.

“The Good News Club has submitted requests throughout the district,” Zuchelli said. “Some, including Roosevelt, have been accepted. Others have been rejected based on space availability.”

However, Jegottka reported hostility toward the club from parents and administrators and unfair treatment, claiming that principals were pulling their Civic Use Permits, and they’ve been repeatedly denied access to start the club at district schools after trying to use Facilitron.

This erupted into Jegottka and Sims-Moten entering into an intense argument, yelling back and forth and leading to Sims-Moten calling for a 10-minute break to talk with Jegottka outside with Maldonado.

Zuchelli said that the district’s Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, Dr. Lynne Sheffield, will be meeting with Jegottka to resolve the issue.