Wendy Sims-Moten Reflects on Her Eight Years on Santa Barbara Unified School Board

Outgoing School Boardmember Sat on Dais Through Some of the Most Challenging Times in Recent Memory

By Callie Fausey Thu Dec 19, 2024 | 02:18pm

Wendy Sims-Moten, arguably the Santa Barbara Unified school board’s most outspoken and certainly longest-serving boardmember, officially clocked out of her eight-year “shift” as of last week.

“I call it a shift because it was a lot of work,” she said with a laugh. And she did it for a mere $400 stipend each month.

Sims-Moten sat down with the Independent to casually, and humorously, reflect on her often-tumultuous time on the board.

Sims-Moten was first elected in 2016. She joined after raising her son in district schools, she said, and felt a drive to promote equitable access to “what education can offer” — a drive she still feels today.

She sat on the dais through some of the most challenging times in recent memory, nationally and locally: fires and debris flows; the COVID-19 pandemic; national Black Lives Matter protests and racial incidents at district schools; a major pivot in literacy instruction; and district labor negotiations, protests, and a near teacher strike.

Superintendent Hilda Maldonado presents Wendy Sims-Moten with an award of recognition for eight years of service on the school board. | Credit: Santa Barbara Unified

“It was always important for me to keep a sense of humor and understand that — even though there were things that were personally thrown at me — not everything’s about me,” she said, referring to late nights at board meetings and public comments that could sometimes border on harassment.

Despite those nights when watching board meetings felt like witnessing a slow-motion car crash — or, she joked, “Tuesday Night Live at Santa Barbara Unified” — Sims-Moten said that is not why she’s leaving.

It’s just time for her to take some space for herself, she said, to “reflect and refresh and see what else is out there” in terms of ensuring quality care and education for Santa Barbara’s youth. “Where else can I influence that?”

Taking a step away is bittersweet, she added, but “more sweet than it is ever bitter.” She highlighted the board’s progress and evolution, particularly in handling tough decisions, identifying their values, and responding to the community.

In her time, she championed some major wins for the district, such as passing ethnic studies as a graduation requirement, far earlier than many other districts. She also helped steer the district toward staff housing, supported campus sustainability efforts, and convened the Anti-Blackness Work Group.

“I think people often look for huge, sweeping changes, and in that expectation, the little changes often get overlooked,” she noted. “And it’s little changes that are sustainable, that are lasting. So I’m proud of that, of creating a space where students are feeling seen, valued, and heard.”

During it all, she maintained a strong, engaged presence on the board. Her emphasis on respect was never lost on the community — she brought it up whenever she could. Now, she can take a breath.

“I always want to be present, even in the most contentious moment,” she said. “I don’t really know what’s next, but I want to be able to bring what I have learned and how I have evolved as a leader. If nothing else I said is consistent over these years, you can say she was always about respect.”

Superintendent Hilda Maldonado (right) hugs board member Wendy Sims-Moten (left) before Sims-Moten’s last board meeting. | Credit: Santa Barbara Unified

What she does know is that she will continue advocating for early child care and education through First 5, focusing on school readiness for kids up to age 5.

“Young students, these babies, they’re understanding how to work through conflict,” she said.

“Some of us need to go back to that and figure out what that is, and we won’t have these issues that didn’t get addressed in early care showing up in public comment,” she said playfully.

Sims-Moten’s last board meeting was on Tuesday, December 10. Before the meeting, she was honored with certificates of recognition and kindhearted words from both colleagues and public officials.

“She leads with humanity,” said boardmember Gabe Escobedo, who is taking over as board president after Sims-Moten’s two-year tenure in the role. “She always made time and room for joy and laughter.”

Even Tuesday’s public comment was laced with words of gratitude for her hard work in what is generally a “totally thankless job,” in the words of teacher Joel Block, a member of the teachers union who thanked her that night.

Although she’s leaving, she won’t stop caring, she said. She hopes to see the board continue “being courageous, looking forward, and always, always centering the needs of our students.”