MBUSD elects three candidates to its Board of Trustees

By McLean Grimes 

Executive News Editor 

And Kelsey McAvin 

Staff Writer 

The Manhattan Beach Unified School District (MBUSD) Board of Trustees held an election on Nov. 8 with six running candidates, including the winners Jennifer Fenton, Christina Shivpuri, and Kristen Weinstein. 

According to Fenton, in addition to serving a previous term on the board, she has held various MBUSD leadership positions in the past, including Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) president of Robinson Elementary; vice president of MBEF; and president of the board of trustees. Fenton hopes to improve staffing and funding issues, as well as hate crimes by building a human resources team, considering another locally controlled funding measure, and reinstituting the Museum of Tolerance field trip. 

“Currently, we’re seeing staffing shortages which directly impact our students,” said Fenton. “We need to continue proactively recruiting and retaining high-caliber educators that [are] essential to academic success. ” 

Shivpuri was elected to the school board with the second most votes, according to the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder/county clerk. According to Shivpuri, she is a 12-year MBUSD parent and resident of Manhattan Beach. This is her first time running for a public office, but she has held multiple leadership positions at all levels of school and has spent the last two years participating and listening in board meetings. One issue that Shivpuri hopes to improve is the drop in student enrollment at Manhattan Beach Middle School. 

“I have asked the questions, I have heard the answers, I have worked the jobs, I have studied the budgets, I have executed the programming,” said Shivpuri. “Whether you are a student, parent, or grandparent, whether you are a teacher, admin, staff or community member, we all share a collective goal of expanding on academic excellence in our district.” 

The last candidate elected was Weinstein. According to her website, wysh4schoolboard.com, Weinstein has been a parent for nine years and over time has seen significant challenges in the MBUSD community. She has worked and volunteered in education for 20 years and has experience in leadership positions. According to Weinstein, one thing she would like to focus on is making sure both parents and students are heard. She plans to do this by providing more consistent access to counselors at school. 

“I want to make sure our parents and community board feel heard. I think our board workshops are one place to start by making them more engaging and allowing more opportunities to have

conversations.” said Weinstein. “I think MBMS is on an incredibly proactive track this year to make the campus feel more accessible and for students to feel part of a community.” 

The other three candidates, Christy Barnes, John Uriostigui, and Mike Welsh, were a part of a slate that ran together who called themselves “The Trifecta.” The purpose of this grouping was to win all three or a majority of the positions to have a majority vote on the board. 

“I love MBUSD and want the best for our students and staff,” said Fenton. “For almost a decade, I have served this community and hope to continue representing the residents in our city for another four years.”