Morgan M. Hurley | Contributing Editor

New school board member brings unusual perspective

When Bill Baber got elected to La Mesa City Council last November, he left behind a seat on the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District (LMSVSD) board.

The district soon announced a call for applications to fill the position for the remainder of Baber’s term and set forth guidelines and preclusions for the provisional appointment. Those interested were required to be registered voters and residents of the LMSVSD. The appointee would hold office until the next statewide general election, on Nov. 1, 2016.

A total of six people — Jerry Anderson, Stephen Babbitt, John Greenwell, John Hilton, Rebecca Pollack-Rude, and Jay Steiger — applied for the position.

Applicants answered questions regarding their qualifications, including educational, work and public service backgrounds; their philosophy of public education; the major issues they see confronting the district; how they’d determine priorities and what they hoped to accomplish in the role.

After a review and vetting process, the existing four-member board — Rick Winet, Bob Duff, Emma Turner and David Chong — selected Spring Valley resident Stephen Babbitt to complete Baber’s term.

Babbitt is no stranger to the district and has been volunteering at elementary and middle schools within LMSVSD for more than 14 years. He and his wife Tammie, a longtime schoolteacher within the district, have three children, one with special needs, who also attend schools within the district.

In addition to the educational volunteering he’s done, Babbitt’s list of other public service positions is just as long. This visibility no doubt helped cement his selection.

“[Steve Babbitt] has volunteered in the district before, was currently serving as president of the Citizen’s Bond Oversight committee, and also attended some of our board meetings occasionally,” said Turner, a board member since 2006, a past president and currently serving as board clerk. “His interest in the district prior to applying for the seat helped make him stand out, along with his dedication to children.”

Babbitt, who received a bachelor’s degree in literature, journalism and modern language from Point Loma Nazarene University and a master’s in theology at Bethel Theological Seminary in San Diego, is lead pastor of Spring Valley Community Church. To make ends meet, Babbitt runs his own web development business during the week and attends to ministerial duties in the evenings and on weekends.

One has to wonder where he finds the time to do all that he’s gathered on his plate.

“One, people who are busy tend to get things done,” Babbitt said, referring to his constant schedule. “Plus, I have a great desire to make a difference with my life and make my life count for something.”

Babbitt’s 12-year-old son has an advanced case of cystic fibrosis, a genetic and life-shortening disorder that has created both challenges and lifetime lessons for the family.

“In a very strange way, I wouldn’t want to call it a good thing, but one of the good things that’s come out of his disease is our family has learned to look at life totally differently,” he said. “We have the perspective of the idea that the clock is ticking and to make every moment count. So we volunteer a lot.”

Babbitt pointed out that after his son left the hospital on a recent visit, his whole family went to Ronald McDonald House to help feed the families and the ill-stricken children there.

“We try to instill in our kids a sense that your life has a purpose and you should be doing something with it,” he said. “And let’s figure out what are you good at. From a pastoral point of view, God made you for a reason. What’s the reason God wants you here? We try to encourage that with everyone we know.”

The New Mexico native was raised Catholic in a small mining town. After Confirmation, he had almost given up on his belief in the existence of God when he began hanging out with a friend’s youth group associated with the local Nazarene church. When planning for college, he said he saw the brochure for PLNU and never looked back. It was there he met his wife.

“The country bumpkin in me would love to live in the middle of nowhere — but I’ve grown to love San Diego, especially East County,” he said, after admitting he and his wife lived at the beach for several years before making the move east. “What I’ve noticed is the sun is always shining out in East County — there’s no June gloom.”

Babbitt said he is well aware that his background may raise the eyebrows of some parents and he wants to set their minds at ease.

“I’m sure one of the concerns people may have about me, because I’m a minister, is that it might be this kind of idea of ‘God and Country,’” he said. “But I know my history and I know my theology and I am a firm believer in separation of church and state. I don’t think the state should be telling us what to believe, and it’s not the schools’ job to push religion — any religion.

“It’s okay to believe, you should believe something, but the bottom line is, we have to respect each other for our beliefs,” he said.

Over the years, Babbitt’s experiences have given him a soft spot for the disadvantaged, families in the lower economic income brackets and kids at risk. A statement he made on his application addressed this.

“… the reality is that some students arrive each day ready to learn, while others arrive with deep emotional, physical, social and developmental challenges … steps should continue to mitigate these challenges so that all students have the opportunity to learn to the best of their potential.”

Expanding upon this idea in an interview, he pointed to a value system he’s become aware of through working with kids and families within the region.

“There are pockets of not just temporary poverty but generational poverty in Spring Valley, La Mesa and even Mount Helix,” he said. “It’s not like dad lost his job and they are in between jobs for a couple years, but where it’s a value system of poverty. Temporary poverty is definitely a challenge but people find ways to get out of that; generational poverty has real challenges.”

While the school can provide a safe and neutral environment, he feels issues remain that can hamper education. He noted that while today’s children seem to be more aware and accepting of people for who they are and overt aspects of discrimination are no longer tolerated by most children, he still sees kids coming to school with nutritional problems and lacking rules.

“Flaming Hot Cheetos are treated as a food group,” he said. “These kids come to school eating poorly and for a lot of them, bed time is not even a concept. I know it sounds sort of ‘polyanna-ish,’ but if a kid is up until 2 a.m. every night, there is no way they are going to be ready for school at 8 a.m.”

Another one of his concerns is the size of school classrooms since the budget crisis, but there are other cuts that need to be addressed.

“As funding comes back, I think the big challenge is to wisely say let’s not restore it to the way it was, let’s really be thoughtful,” he said. “I think everybody agrees restoring smaller class sizes is a no brainer; but should we restore every program the way it was? Maybe some things need to be reconsidered. Sometimes pruning, even though it is a painful process, can be helpful.”

Though politics is not even close to one of things he aspires to, Babbitt feels he was called to make a difference.

“I felt qualified for the opening and was encouraged by some people who I really trust and they felt that I could be helpful there,” he said. “I’m a sucker if someone says I can be helpful.

“I have the rare perspective of being a parent, a member of a teaching family, a longtime volunteer — I’ve seen a lot of angles to the district, and while there may be a few things that need tightening up and some things that need some loosening up, overall I think we are really very fortunate to have a district that is as transparent as it is and really thoughtful as it is,” he said.

“My goal really is to be listening and be a good servant, be attentive and watch,” he continued. “To be available and speak when necessary, but most of the time, just champion our school district. We have a great district.”

The final sentence of his application may sum it up best: “As a father of three LMSVSD students, the stakes for me could not be higher. I am all in.”

—Reach Morgan M. Hurley at [email protected].