Robbie Staenberg, a teacher and legislative advisor, is running for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education. The nonpartisan race on Nov. 3 has four open seats and five certified candidates: Staenberg, Alicia Mignano, Harry Leshner, Laurie Lieberman and Stacy Rouse.
Staenberg said he is running to close achievement gaps and expand the board's role in AI and early education policy.
Candidate information
- Ballot designation: Teacher/Legislative Advisor
- Education: Bachelor's degree in history and political science, Columbia University (according to Staenberg)
- Hometown: Santa Monica. Staenberg said he grew up in the city and attended district schools, graduating from Santa Monica High School in 2014.
- Age: Approximately 30 (according to outgoing board member Dr. Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein, as reported by the Santa Monica Daily Press)
- Endorsements: Dr. Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein (outgoing school board member), Community for Excellent Public Schools (CEPS), Santa Monica Democratic Club
Experience and public service
Staenberg said he taught social studies at a Title I high school in East Oakland through Teach for America from 2018 to 2023. He said he earned a full California teaching credential during that time.
Since 2023, Staenberg has served as a legislative advisor in the office of Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, according to his candidate statement on the city's election page.
Fundraising
Staenberg reported $36,530.04 in total contributions through June 30, more than four months before Election Day, with about 56 donors and $34,744.88 cash on hand. He led fundraising among the five school board candidates at that filing, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press.
On the issues
Academic excellence and equity: Staenberg said he is committed to ensuring academic excellence for all students while decreasing the gap in outcomes between the district's lowest- and highest-performing students. He said he also wants to expand access to early childhood education and after-school programs.
Transparency and community engagement: Staenberg said ensuring engagement, collaboration and transparency with the Santa Monica community is a top priority. He wants data-driven decision-making on fiscal and educational policy.
Artificial intelligence: Staenberg wants AI policy on the board's agenda. He said bringing discussion of artificial intelligence in the classroom to the board is among his top priorities.
Endorsements
Robbie Staenberg’s campaign lists endorsements from six Santa Monica-Malibu school board members: Alicia Mignano, Laurie Lieberman, Maria Leon-Vazquez, Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein, Jon Kean and Jennifer Smith. State Assemblymembers Rick Chavez Zbur and Jacqui Irwin also appear on the list, along with Santa Monica council members Caroline Torosis, Jesse Zwick, Lana Negrete, Dan Hall, Ellis Raskin, Barry Snell and Natalya Zernitskaya.
Organizational supporters listed by the campaign include Community for Excellent Public Schools, the Santa Monica Democratic Club, Santa Monicans for Renters Rights, Westside Young Democrats, IBEW Local 11 and Stonewall Young Democrats. The list also includes Santa Monica College trustees, rent control board members, former mayors and education advocates. The campaign specifies that titles are provided for identification purposes only; individual endorsements do not imply endorsement by the public bodies those supporters serve.
Candidate responses referenced in this profile were drawn from questionnaires published by Santa Monica Next and the City of Santa Monica's election page.
