Meet Judith Manouchehri, Candidate For BHUSD Board

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Judith "Judy" Manouchehri, 46, is vying to be reelected to the Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education.

Manouchehri is the only incumbent running in a five-way race for two seats in the Nov. 3 general election. She's facing a challenge from Jared Gonzales, Jackie R. Kruger, Kimberly Lifschitz And David Cienfuegos.

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Incumbent Rachelle Marcus is not seeking reelection.

Learn more about Manouchehri's goals for BHUSD:

What is your educational background?

I am a proud BHUSD alumna. I attended Horace Mann Elementary School, where I served as Student Council president and Beverly Hills High School, where I served as ASB president.

I earned my undergraduate degree from UCLA and my law degree from the USC Gould School of Law.

I have I have also taken the California School Board Association (CSBA) Masters In Governance course.

What is your professional background?

I am a licensed California attorney (I have never had any suspensions, probations or other disciplinary action). I practice as a transactional business and real estate attorney and have worked on more than $1 billion in deals. My legal career has given me extensive experience with contracts, negotiations, budgets, and oversight, as well as working collaboratively. I bring those skills to my work on the BHUSD Board of Education, where decisions must serve students and respect taxpayers.

Have you ever held public office, whether appointive or elective?

Yes. I was elected to the Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education in 2022. I served as board vice president from 2024 to 2025 and have served as board president since December 2025.

What are the top three issues facing BHUSD right now?

The first issue is sustaining academic improvement and ensuring it reaches every student. BHUSD has reported gains in English by 4%, math by 5%, and science by 9%, along with a 37% increase in applications to four-year colleges — all during the last year alone. Those results should be the beginning of a sustained upward trend. We need strong instruction in reading, writing, and math; timely intervention when students fall behind; meaningful enrichment when they are ready to go further; and college and career pathways that prepare graduates for a changing world. Through my staunch reliance on the Strategic Plan, the board has begun to review results by grade and student group.

The second issue is creating safe, supportive, accountable schools. My closed-campus and visitor-screening policy (unanimously approved by the board in a 5-0 vote) is important, especially with the Metro station now open, but physical security is only one part of safety. We must respond consistently to bullying and misconduct, strengthen emergency preparation with our city partners, and make mental health and counseling support easy for families to access. Students learn best when they feel safe, respected, and ready to learn.

The third issue is completing modernization while protecting the public's investment. The community expects us to finish the remaining Beverly Hills High School projects, including the athletic facilities and south-side parking, with disciplined oversight. I want to continue establishing clear milestones, transparent reporting on schedules and costs, and prompt attention to problems before they become expensive delays. Fiscal responsibility also applies to the operating budget: dollars should follow student needs and programs should be evaluated for results.

These are connected responsibilities. Excellent facilities alone cannot deliver excellent education, and academic progress cannot last without safe campuses, strong educators, and sound finances.

If you had to identify one area where BHUSD should invest more and one area where it could spend less, what would they be and why?

I would invest more in direct academic support, especially early literacy and mathematics intervention, high-impact tutoring, and writing instruction across grades. A student who misses a foundational skill should receive help promptly, before a small gap becomes a lasting barrier. The board should ask for clear entry criteria, regular progress checks, and reports showing whether students receiving extra help actually improve. I would also protect the counseling expansion we have made, including college and career guidance, because every student should understand the courses, applications, training, and work experiences available to them.

I would spend less on outside consulting, duplicative services, and contracts that cannot show a clear benefit to students. Before renewing a contract, the district should identify its purpose, cost, deliverables, and results; determine whether district staff can perform the work effectively; and seek competitive pricing when appropriate. If a service is effective, we should keep it. If it is not, we should redirect those dollars to instruction and student support. I would apply the same discipline to software subscriptions and pilot programs: use what demonstrably helps teachers and students, and discontinue tools that sit unused or add work without improving learning.

This approach requires careful review rather than an arbitrary cut. As a board member, I would ask the superintendent to present a transparent inventory of discretionary contracts and program outcomes during the budget process. Families and taxpayers deserve to see how proposed savings will be reinvested, and staff deserve the resources to deliver the work we ask of them. My test for spending is straightforward: does it improve the student experience or learning outcomes enough to justify its cost?

BHUSD has reported strong recent gains in student achievement. What do you believe is the district's biggest remaining academic weakness or unmet student need, and what should the board do about it?

Our biggest remaining academic need is making sure that improvement is consistent for every student, at every stage. BHUSD has reported gains of 4% in English achievement, 5% in math, and 9% in science. I am proud of that progress! But, I would like to focus on the classroom to ensure any student who is struggling with foundational reading, writing, or math is getting the right help, or whether a student ready for advanced work is being challenged. We must look beneath the averages.

I would ask the board to continue the oversight we have already established during my current term — set measurable growth goals and review results by student group, including students with disabilities and English learners. Teachers should have useful assessments and time to respond to what they show. Students who need help should have targeted instruction and high-impact tutoring during the school year, followed by progress checks that tell families whether the intervention is working — which is exactly what BHUSD has begun to do in the last year. Our K–12 writing has begin to establish clear expectations so students build the ability to read closely, reason, and communicate effectively in every subject. These strategies are clearly producing growth, and we should continue to implement them.

We also need to connect academic achievement to life after graduation. The expanded counseling department and district-supported testing are important steps. I want more students to have access to advanced courses, career exploration, internships, and individualized college or postsecondary planning. Success should be measured through growth in core subjects, course completion, participation in advanced and career programs, and the options students have when they graduate.

The board's role is to set goals, fund proven support, and review the evidence in public. That is how we turn one year of significant and promising gains into lasting excellence for all students.

Why are you a better choice than your opponents?

I offer voters a record they can examine and a personal commitment to this district. I am a BHUSD graduate who served as student council president at Horace Mann and ASB president at Beverly Hills High School. I am now the parent of three BHUSD students, a transactional attorney, and the current board president. These schools helped shape my life, and I understand their promise both as a former student and as a parent making decisions for my own children.

During my term, I have worked with colleagues and district staff to move priorities into action. Promises Made, Promises Kept: We expanded college, academic, and wellness counseling; supported tutoring and student programs; adopted my cell phone policy and my grade-by-grade policy for technology and AI; and strengthened campus access and visitor screening. The district has reported gains of 4% in English achievement, 5% in math, and 9% in science, while applications to 4-year colleges rose 37% in just one year. Those results don't belong to me alone — they belong to our students and educators, and the board has a responsibility to build on them.

I also focused on the public's investment in our facilities. Students and the community are now using the reopened El Rodeo Elementary School, the Beverly Hills High School Grand Front Lawn, tennis courts, softball field, and renovated performing arts spaces. The remaining work at Beverly Hills High School demands the same close attention to timelines, budgets, and quality. My legal background and specialization in real estate helps me ask hard questions about contracts, costs, and accountability.

I do not ask voters to support me based on promises alone. They can see what I have advocated, how I have voted, and what has been delivered. I am seeking another term to deepen academic gains, finish modernization responsibly, strengthen student safety and support, and expand paths to college and careers. I know the work is unfinished, and I am ready to keep doing it.

Candidates' responses were lightly edited for style and clarity.