Inda Karlsen Leads Santa Barbara School Board Race
Early returns show Jacqueline Inda Karlsen ahead in Trustee Area 1 while Trustee Area 4 remains tied.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Primary Education
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Jacqueline Inda Karlsen led Trustee Area 1 with 64.7% of the vote in early Santa Barbara Unified School District board results released Tuesday night. In Trustee Area 4, Rose Muñoz and Valerie Amparan were tied at 41.9% each, ahead of Kevin Guay at 15.3%.
Why it matters
The winners will sit on the board that selects a new superintendent, as Superintendent Hilda Maldonado is set to retire at the end of this school year. Early results may shift as remaining ballots are counted.
Early vote counts show Inda Karlsen with 64.7% in Trustee Area 1 against Mark Philibosian's 34.7%, while Trustee Area 4 shows Muñoz and Amparan tied at 809 votes (41.9%) each over Kevin Guay's 15.3%. Later ballot counts could change these shares before certification.
The players
Jacqueline Inda Karlsen
Inda Karlsen is president of the Hispanic Chamber Foundation and previously ran unsuccessfully for the Santa Barbara school board in 2008.
Rose Muñoz
Muñoz has served on the Santa Barbara school board since 2018 and is in a tied race in Trustee Area 4.
Hilda Maldonado
Maldonado is superintendent of the Santa Barbara Unified School District and is set to retire at the end of this school year.
The details
Early results were released around 8:45 p.m. Tuesday night for the Santa Barbara Unified School District Board of Education races. Inda Karlsen, president of the Hispanic Chamber Foundation, previously ran for the school board in 2008 and lost, while Philibosian spent three years at BlackRock and worked as a management consultant at Ernst & Young.
Timeline
Tuesday, November 3, 2026: Early school board election results released around 8:45 p.m.
End of the 2026-27 school year: Superintendent Hilda Maldonado retires
Season Trajectory
The board shaped by these races will select a new superintendent to replace Hilda Maldonado, who is set to retire at the end of this school year. The outcome sets the leadership direction for the district during that transition.
Parents and students in Trustee Area 1 and Trustee Area 4 will see new school board members who will help choose the district's next superintendent. Families in these areas should watch for certified results to confirm who represents them.
The takeaway
Voters in Santa Barbara's school board races are shaping who leads the district during a superintendent transition. Following certified results will show which candidates take office.
What happens next
The board will select a new superintendent after the November election results are certified and the winners take office.
Further reading
Explore more on Primary Education to see how local school board decisions shape early learning across Santa Barbara.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Noozhawk.
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