Goleta United Boys & Girls Club Declines to Host Lozano’s Pod School

A proposal by Christy Lozano and James Fenkner to place a private school charging $100 a day on the grounds of the United Boys & Girls Club in Goleta was determined to be “not a good fit” for the nonprofit, director Michael Baker said today in a press release. The club’s executive committee had met today to consider the proposal, as it “supports all schools and organizations that provide educational opportunities and enrichment for youth in our community,” he wrote.

Instead of sharing classroom space and the facility, Baker said the club would focus on after school and weekend activities and classes for underserved youth in the community.

The idea had initially come from Christy Lozano, who had spoken with Baker about the idea and then sent a press release indicating the incipient school would be holding a meeting at the club. It would be a K-12 school, based on pods of 12 children in size. Baker immediately stated it was up to the executive committee, not him, to decide on new programs at the club.

Lozano had run a campaign rife with controversy for county superintendent of schools, after she criticized the Santa Barbara Unified School District’s training for teachers to recognize racism and more broadly understand different sexualities on a Fox News program. Lozano conflated the teacher trainings with what children, including young children, were taught, according to the school district. During the campaign for superintendent, Lozano refused to sign on to League of Women Voter rules against criticizing opponents, and her debate with incumbent Susan Salcido, who won the post in June’s election, was never held. This week, Lozano announced she is running for a seat on the Goleta Union School District Board of Education.

Joining Lozano in the “Honest Education Learning Project LLC” was James Fenkner, another critic of the Santa Barbara school district and a supporter of the United Boys & Girls Club car rally fundraisers. Neither responded immediately to a request for comment or information on next steps for the school.

Correction: Though the Salcido-Lozano debate was never held by the League of Women Voters, the candidates appeared on Newsmakers with Jerry Roberts in a forum moderated by Roberts and Lanny Ebenstein.

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