Susan Epstein Steps Down After 16 Years on Goleta School Board
Epstein’s Story Began When Group of Parents Asked Her to Run
More than a third of Susan Epstein’s life has been dedicated to improving the lives of K-12 students. As she steps down from 16 years of service on the Goleta Union School Board, Epstein’s legacy will continue on in her push to better public education.
“I’ve been on the Goleta School board for 40 years and never come across a boardmember like Susan,” said Boardmember Richard Mayer. “She studies up on whatever we’re working on, and she shows up to help the rest of us understand the issues. She is always very evidence-based, and we’ve all come to rely on asking her about the material.”
But Epstein didn’t always see herself as playing this role. Her journey began nearly two decades earlier, when a group of parents approached her and asked if she’d run. At the time, her two kids were in pre-kindergarten, so she had little involvement with the district. She had just moved to Santa Barbara from San Francisco, where she had been a teacher and started her own nonprofit, Our Schools, Our Media. She did not envision herself as an elected official.
