The field of candidates running for three open seats on the Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education continues to grow after construction professional Sigalie Sabag and attorney Kevin Lipton filed nomination papers with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk this week.
Born in Israel, Sabag immigrated to Los Angeles when she was 3 years old and moved to Beverly Hills about 15 years ago, attracted primarily by the reputation of BHUSD. However, Sabag, who owns two construction businesses and has two children in Beverly Vista Middle School and Beverly Hills High School, said she has had a rocky experience with the district, describing longstanding issues that worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic.
She noted that none of the district’s schools have been recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools in recent years, and is pushing a platform of improved academics, accountability and courage to help BHUSD regain this national standing.
“We are not … even close to being a Blue Ribbon School, which is something that I will work really, really hard to make sure happens,” Sabag said.
A central part of her platform is making sure teachers are more accountable for their students’ learning, and Sabag said that students’ grades should be a reflection of their teachers’ success.
“A child can only perform what they’ve been taught, and if they’re not up to par in their performance, there should be accountability of what’s going on in that classroom,” Sabag said.
However, she noted that all children learn differently, and she advocated for taking “a really deep dive and looking at what is happening in the classroom.”
Sabag listed chronic absenteeism and behavioral issues, including physical fighting, as two of the biggest problems across the district. Though she believes much of these issues stem from students being insufficiently challenged in the classroom, she said administrators, teachers and parents need to take a close look at the underlying causes.
“If the kids are interested in what’s happening in school, and their number one priority is their education, they won’t get in trouble,” Sabag said. “I don’t even need to see the report card of kids that are physically fighting to know that they are not doing well in the classroom.”
She also believes the district should offer better mental health resources and said that fostering healthy and safe environments at school and at home are equally important in combating mental health issues.
“I believe it’s everything together,” Sabag said. “It’s the environment, the friends, the morals, the values that we instill in our children. I believe we have to teach them, etiquette [and] ethics.”
She added she would work to make families more involved in the district’s administrative affairs, and said it was important to improve communication between parents, teachers and students.
“The business of the district is education and safety, and the only way we can get there is by making sure that we listen to our families, our students and our teachers,” Sabag said.
Sabag believes that her experience as a parent of four children and as a construction professional have prepared her well to serve on the board.
“I know what it takes to run a business accurately,” Sabag said. “If something doesn’t work you don’t keep doing it, you have to make a change.”
Part of that process is learning what competitors do well, and Sabag said the administration should speak with officials from Los Angeles area Blue Ribbon Schools to see what can be improved.
“What has worked for you? What changes did you make to become a Blue Ribbon School?”
