Meet Jackie Kruger, Candidate For BHUSD Board

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Jackie R. Kruger, 47, is vying to be elected to the Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education.

Judith 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, Kruger, Kimberly Lifschitz and David Cienfuegos.

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Incumbent Rachelle Marcus is not seeking reelection.

Learn more about Cienfuegos' goals for BHUSD:

What is your educational background?

Hawthorne 7-8th grade. Beverly Hills High School 1997. UC Berkeley 2000. University of Michigan Law School 2003.

What is your professional background?

I am an attorney licensed to practice in California and Ohio for since 2004. I have practiced law for 22 years and am the founder and principal attorney of Kruger Law Firm in Beverly Hills. I represent individuals and families in employment, personal injury, and mass tort cases, often against large institutions. My work means reading budgets and contracts, asking hard questions, and holding institutions accountable.

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

No, I have never held elected or appointed office. Since my oldest started kindergarten, I have served our schools as a room parent, PTA member, graduation committee member, and principal advisory committee member, and I have organized and chaperoned student trips to Washington, D.C., Space Camp, Europe, and Academic Decathlon competitions. For the past two years, I have been a consistent voice at board meetings for transparency and for a board that follows its own rules.

What are the top three issues facing BHUSD right now?

1. Bringing our schools back to the top. Our schools were once the reason families moved to Beverly Hills. Today, Beverly Hills High has fallen from 75th to 174th in the U.S. News Los Angeles metro rankings since 2021. Our students deserve better, and every homeowner's property value depends on the strength of our schools. I will set public goals, fund research-based programs chosen by our educators, make sure every child reads on grade level by third grade, make high-impact tutoring permanent and district-wide, and strengthen math from Beverly Vista through Beverly High until BHUSD is once again a top-ranked district.

2. Transparency and fiscal responsibility. BHUSD is spending more than it takes in, and that deficit must be fixed. Too many dollars go to positions and programs that never reach a classroom, while the board grades its own progress with data it does not fully disclose. I will insist that every major expense comes with a clear goal, that results are measured against official state data and published for the public, and that programs that do not deliver are cut. Every dollar should answer one question: does it help students learn? I will follow the Brown Act and our bylaws so the public sees decisions before they are made, not after.

3. Civility and respect for our students and community. Every student deserves to feel safe, respected, and welcome at school, whatever their background. Bullying must be addressed consistently at every school, with clear reporting, prompt follow-up, and real accountability. The district's string of discrimination and harassment lawsuits is a symptom of problems that should have been solved in our schools, not in court. Respect must extend to parents too: the board has cut speaking time, ended Zoom participation, and moved public comment to the end of meetings. I will restore full public comment and remote participation, and work to make our schools known for their students, not their lawsuits.

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?

Invest more: our classrooms. I would make high-impact tutoring, which the district credits with moving students at Horace Mann and El Rodeo up to grade level, permanent and district-wide instead of grant-funded, staffed by credentialed district educators, and pair it with a Read by Third Grade guarantee. I would invest in our teachers through continuing education and work to keep great ones, because experienced educators move achievement. I would study what top-performing districts are doing right and bring it here. I would create incentives for students to take and pass AP classes, add more concurrent enrollment courses that earn college credit, and build programs that prepare students for a future shaped by AI and new technology. I would tackle chronic absenteeism and behavior issues, and restore the student mental health program that has been cut back over the past two years.

Spend less: legal fees and spending that never reaches a classroom. First, we need to know exactly where the money has gone, because today's budget is murky. A district constantly in litigation is a district failing its students. Lawsuits are never free: even with insurance, they cost deductibles, settlements, higher premiums, and staff time, and they put future coverage at risk. Transparent governance that follows the Brown Act and our bylaws is the cheapest legal strategy there is. The same discipline belongs across the budget: no more $400,000 Nike uniform deals, out-of-state travel for board members, or a $205,000 football coach, a Title IX risk when other coaches get stipends of about $6,000. Every dollar should answer one question: does it help students learn? Classrooms over courtrooms.

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?

I credit our teachers and students for every gain, and I want that progress to continue. But the board should measure progress honestly before declaring victory. The gains announced in June were the district's own figures, released ahead of the state's official results, and a district grading its own homework is not independent verification. Progress should be measured the same way every year, checked against official state data, and posted on a public dashboard parents can trust.

Our biggest remaining weakness is the gap between our reputation and our results, especially in math and at the high school. Beverly Hills High has dropped from 75th to 174th in the U.S. News Los Angeles metro rankings since 2021. Families choose Beverly Hills for its schools, and our students deserve a district that competes with the best in the state, not one that is sliding. We must raise graduation rates and give students real incentives to attend class and pass AP exams.

The board should act on five fronts. First, make high-impact tutoring permanent and district-wide instead of grant-dependent. Second, guarantee that every child reads on grade level by third grade, with early screening and intervention. Third, strengthen the math pathway from Beverly Vista through Beverly High so students arrive ready for advanced coursework. Fourth, set clear public goals and report results every year using state data. Fifth, let educators choose research-based programs, with the board setting goals and holding the district accountable rather than micromanaging.

Why are you a better choice than your opponents?

Two seats are on the ballot, and you can vote for two candidates. If Kim Lifschitz and I both win, the board gets a new majority on day one. Otherwise, families will wait two more years for the next chance to change course.

Judy Manouchehri is the board president and leads its three-member majority. She refused to follow the board's bylaws, installed her own pick as vice president, and then rewrote the bylaws so she can stay president indefinitely. A parent sued. Even after a judge let the case move forward, the majority turned down a settlement and now has four separate legal teams on the case. The district is spending millions more than it takes in, yet the majority spent $400,000 on Nike uniforms that booster clubs used to donate and hired a football coach at more than $205,000 a year. Judy also voted against a resolution recognizing Black History Month and other heritage months. Meanwhile, Beverly Hills High has fallen from 75th to 174th in the U.S. News Los Angeles rankings since 2021.

David Cienfuegos misleads voters and misrepresents who he is. He has proposed an equestrian and polo academy at Beverly Hills High when our students need stronger reading and math. Instead of talking about substance, he spends his time rehashing debunked claims on social media. He also runs on the same slate mailers as Judy. A vote for David is a vote to keep the current majority.

I strongly support Kim, a former preschool teacher and paralegal and the mother of a third grader. I bring more than 20 years as an attorney and decades in BHUSD as a student, parent, and volunteer.

Together, we will restore trust, fix the deficit, and bring our schools back to the top. Please use both of your votes: Jackie Kruger and Kim Lifschitz.

Candidates' responses were lightly edited for style and clarity.