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John Seiler: OC Board of Education is secure with Lisa Sparks as a trustee

May 13, 2026

For school board candidates, voters should look at three criteria: advancing charter schools, resisting control by the public-employee unions and budget soundness.

Eight-year incumbent Orange County Board of Education Trustee Lisa Sparks is running for re-election in Area 5. It stretches from Newport Beach, down to San Clemente, then to Rancho Santa Margarita and up to Lake Forest.

Opposing her is Jason Sams, listed on the ballot as, “College Board Adviser.” Repeated messages to the email on his website were not returned. The website indicates he is endorsed by the California Federation of Teachers and the Orange County Labor Federation AFL-CIO. He’s the candidate of the public-employee unions.

Sams is a lawyer with a bachelor’s degree in administrative studies from Roosevelt University and a master of jurisprudence in governance law and compliance from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law, among other degrees.

His website reads, “Jason believes every student deserves access to a strong, equitable public education — regardless of zip code, background, or circumstance.” He promises to make sure “funding reaches classrooms, that oversight is real and effective, and that decisions are made openly, with the community at the table.”

His interest in community outreach doesn’t seem to extend to taking interviews, though, as he never got back to me after multiple attempts.

So I’ll concentrate on the incumbent Sparks. She has been excellent in advancing charters, which are public schools that operate outside much of the red tape of state and local school bureaucracies.

“Charters are a big love of mine, infusing more creativity and innovation,” she said. They bring “specialization and flexibility,” which can “fit their family a little better than their neighborhood school.” The charters also encourage the traditional neighborhood schools to “innovate and improve their curriculum.”

This is encouraging. I remember writing editorials in 1992 backing the bipartisan Charter Schools Act, which made our state the second after Minnesota to advance the innovation. Although signed into law by Republican Gov. Pete Wilson, the act was sponsored by liberal Democratic state Sen. Gary Hart and passed by a Democratic Legislature.

Sparks said OC charters have increased from 28 in 2018, when she was elected, to 49 in 2026. If a local school board turns down a charter, the organizers can appeal to the OC Board, which covers the whole county. Of the previous totals, the number approved by Sparks’ board more than doubled, from 14 to 30.

Ever since 1992, the unions have not been pleased with charters, which, again, are public schools. The unions try to exert complete control over school boards, partly so they can head off any attempts at reform, including the authorization of charters.

“We’ve gotten some political hits from the teachers unions,” she said of the five-member board, all Republicans. “But most teachers know that we’re really trying to do the right thing. We’re student-centered.”

The issue remains hot. The Register reported on April 9 the Joint Legislative Audit Committee approved a request by state Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana, for the California State Auditor to review the OCBE’s finances. Umberg now is running for the State Board of Equalization.

Umberg’s website lists endorsements from the California Teachers Association, the CFL and many other unions. He’s also backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who clashed with the OCBE over mandatory student masks during COVID-19, and other Democratic Party honchos.

The audit is just harassment. For government finances the key is to check Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports, with Unrestricted Net Position the top figure. For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018, right before Sparks was elected, the OCBE’s UNP was positive $13.8 million, pretty good. During her tenure in office, it rose to $259 million in 2025. Stellar.

How about the financial stewardship of Newsom and Umberg? California’s ACFR for 2025 suffered a staggering negative $163 billion UNP. That’s fiscal malfeasance and disqualifies both politicians from the higher offices they’re seeking – especially as the economy is slowing.

Sparks, as you would expect of a responsible adult, is preparing for an economic slump. “We’re watching the economy very carefully,” she said. “We’re looking at different levers we can pull or not pull.” For example, some employees might be retiring, and their positions wouldn’t be filled. For continuing employees, “People’s jobs are secure.”

And the OC Board of Education is secure with Lisa Sparks as a trustee.

John Seiler is on the SCNG’s Editorial Board

Orange County Register

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John Seiler: OC Board of Education is secure with Lisa Sparks as a trustee

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