I served as superintendent of the Newhall School District for many years and later as an interim superintendent at two other Southern California school districts. For 20 years I sat across the table from dozens of school board members. You learn to recognize the qualities that make a good one. That’s why I’m endorsing Julee Brooks for the William S. Hart Union High School District board of trustees, Area 2.
Good school board members share certain traits: sound judgment, the right temperament, and a track record of putting kids first, not politics. Julee has all three, along with real fiscal discipline. She has spent her career managing hundreds of millions of dollars in state and federal education funding, and she brings not just budget discipline but the ability to help district leadership see new funding opportunities they might otherwise miss.
What I value most in a board member is someone who works with an administration to solve problems before they become crises. Julee has that experience on two fronts I care deeply about. She built a nationally registered teacher apprenticeship program, creating a real pipeline into the profession at a time when districts statewide are struggling to keep qualified teachers. And she brings that same forward-thinking approach to inclusion, an area I worked on for years as superintendent. Julee has spent two decades working with special needs communities, including navigating systems like the Regional Center and the California Department of Developmental Services — a depth of experience, paired with her own advocacy for her son with special needs, that simply cannot be replicated without having lived it.
She also understands the whole ecosystem a district depends on – teachers, classified staff, administrators and parents – and that none of it works unless every part is heard, including real partnership with parents. Julee is a good listener, which matters more in this job than people realize. And that isn’t just listening to the loudest voice in the room; it’s about weighing input from people with very different vantage points and making decisions that serve the whole district, not just one constituency.
The oversight work of a school board includes unglamorous things like budgets, policies, personnel and facilities, but these decisions have a direct impact on our schools and students. And this kind of work requires people with heart, experience and good judgment. I believe Julee Brooks is exactly that person, and I’m proud to endorse her for the Hart district board, Area 2.
Marc Winger
Newhall
