SANTA CRUZ — Faris Sabbah, who worked for Pajaro Valley Unified School District and Monterey County Office of Education before coming to the Santa Cruz County Office of Education to serve as Deputy Superintendent, announced his candidacy for the office’s top position.
If elected in the June 2018 election, Sabbah would replace SCCOE Superintendent Michael Watkins, who announced his retirement last week after 37 years.
Sabbah was born in Iraq and came to the U.S. to get away from the Iraq/Iran war. Two years later he moved to Quito, Ecuador, where he spent his middle and high school years.
He earned a psychology degree from UC Santa Cruz in 1994, and a master’s degree in educational leadership from San Jose State University in 2000. He holds a doctorate in educational equity and leadership from UC Berkeley.
He served as regional director of PVUSD’s Migrant Education department before moving to the Monterey County Office of Education in May 2014. He has served as Deputy Superintendent of SCCOE since August 2016.
Sabbah said he sees the position as a “crucial” one for the county, which oversees dozens of programs such as Migrant/Seasonal Head Start and Special Education.
“I believe that education is about social justice,” he said.
Sabbah also hopes to continue promoting the integration of technology, a countywide effort he said was spearheaded by Watkins.
“I want to continue to bring innovation to the county,” he said.
In addition, Sabbah would begin an informational outreach campaign about the county office, which has oversight of the county’s 10 school districts and around 40,000 students. He would also encourage the community to give input and feedback about educational and other policies.
Sabbah said he would expand SCCOE’s services that help adults receive their high school diplomas, and help students succeed even after graduating from high school.
Sabbah said he wants to continue on SCCOE’s focus on social justice, which includes helping low-income students succeed in their education, and helping undocumented families find the services they need without fear of deportation.
“I believe in bringing equity to education, and that we need to be advocates for all students,” he said.
