When Mark Philibosian started dating the elementary school teacher who’d become his wife, he quickly realized he was number two in the relationship.
The students and parents loved her. That strong dynamic between Tiffany Philibosian and her classroom fueled his gratitude for educators.
“It was kind of a little shot to the ego, which is great,” Philibosian said. “I realized the power that they have.”
A former consultant and product strategist at BlackRock, Philibosian has turned his appreciation for educators into a November election bid for the Santa Barbara Unified School Board.
After rolling into the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Sunken Gardens on a Penny skateboard—briefcase in hand—he sat outside and shared why he’s the better choice than his opponent, activist Jacqueline Inda Karlsen.
The candidates are campaigning head-to-head across downtown Santa Barbara and the Eastside to replace Gabe Escobedo, the Area 4 trustee who’s leaving to run for Santa Barbara City Council.
Philibosian says his experience managing big budgets can bring needed change to Santa Barbara Unified—and that he’s the right person to focus on the district’s $250 million spending plan.
If elected, Philibosian said he plans to push for a new 5- to 10-year plan that would address a $9.7 million deficit plaguing the district. Fixing it, he said, would stabilize enrollment and help shore up opportunities to boost test scores and deliver results seen in other high-performing areas across the state.
“You take a look at, for instance, Palo Alto,” Philibosian said, referring to the Bay Area city where students in 2024-25 achieved 82% proficiency in English and 80% in math. “I absolutely see no reason why we can’t be there as well.”
The same year those Palo Alto students hit those numbers, Santa Barbara Unified saw 52% of its students meet English proficiency and 41% math.
The close budget scrutiny Philibosian envisions would, he said, help district officials identify helpful cuts without sacrificing the most needed investments.
Providing targeted and early interventions at schools with the lowest test scores is one investment that Philibosian champions.
In addition, he supports cautiously increasing teacher wages.
“Do we think that in the upcoming negotiations, they will get to the number that they are considered happy?” Philibosian said. “Probably not… Having lived with a teacher and seen it, it probably does need to be increased.”
While the Santa Barbara Teachers’ Association has endorsed Karlsen, until recently known as Jacqueline Inda, Philibosian said he’s confident that if he entered the race earlier, he would’ve won the organization’s support.
Among its challenges, Santa Barbara Unified faces declining enrollment. Over the past 11 years, the district’s enrollment has plummeted by sixteen percent.
“There are times when families are looking at the options,” Philibosian said, adding he believes a higher quality education would help reverse the trend “Because unfortunately some of the math and reading scores have slipped, they may choose other options.”
Prohibiting intra-district transfers is not a policy Philibosian would support, he said.
“Parents are such an important component of a successful educational system,” Philibosian said. “I’d rather give them the incentive to keep their students there…rather than trying to create a policy that you’re forced to go to this other area. Because then it’s just going to create turmoil.”
Philibosian said he also supports parents having a louder voice on more “hot button” issues, including restricting AI and certain websites, when and how to provide sex education and LGBTQ+ concepts.
The candidate said he supports students using technology in curious ways, rather than “answer-driven” ways. In addition, he said the district should provide safer alternatives to platforms like YouTube that have been banned by the district on iPads, but still provide value to students.
Regarding sex ed and LGBTQ+ education, Philibosian said the district should provide age-appropriate content and not force children into learning that parents deem inappropriate.
“It’s their kids, not the board’s kids,” Philibosian said.
When I think of best in class, Santa Barbara’s best in class, so how do we not have the best in class education for our students?”
