Nicholas Dibs
Nicholas Dibs ran for election to the Garden Grove Unified Board of Education to represent Trustee Area 1 in California. Dibs lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Dibs was defeated in the by-district general election on November 8, 2016.
Dibs participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 school board candidate survey. Click here to read his responses.
Elections
2024
See also: Garden Grove Unified School District, California, elections (2024)
General election
General election for Garden Grove Unified School District Board of Education Trustee Area 1
Incumbent Teri Rocco defeated Nicholas Dibs in the general election for Garden Grove Unified School District Board of Education Trustee Area 1 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Teri Rocco (Nonpartisan) | 53.1 | 11,518 |
 | Nicholas Dibs (Nonpartisan) | 46.9 | 10,168 | |
| Total votes: 21,686 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Dibs in this election.
2020
See also: Garden Grove Unified School District, California, elections (2020)
General election
General election for Garden Grove Unified School District Board of Education Trustee Area 1
Incumbent Teri Rocco defeated Nicholas Dibs in the general election for Garden Grove Unified School District Board of Education Trustee Area 1 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Teri Rocco (Nonpartisan) | 55.6 | 13,392 |
| Nicholas Dibs (Nonpartisan) | 44.4 | 10,683 | |
| Total votes: 24,075 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Three of the five seats on the Garden Grove Unified School District Board of Education were up for by-district general election on November 8, 2016. In her bid for re-election, Trustee Area 1 incumbent Teri Rocco defeated challengers Jonathan Bengco and Nicholas Dibs. Trustee Area 3 incumbent George West did not file for re-election, guaranteeing at least one newcomer joined the board. Walter Muneton ran unopposed and won the open seat by default. The Trustee Area 5 seat featured incumbent Linda Paulsen-Reed and challengers Omar Ablouj and Dina Nguyen. Nguyen won election to the seat.[1][2]
Results
| Garden Grove Unified School District, Trustee Area 1 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Teri Rocco Incumbent |
48.95% | 8,920 |
| Nicholas Dibs | 42.54% | 7,752 |
| Jonathan Bengco | 8.52% | 1,552 |
| Total Votes | 18,224 | |
| Source: Orange County Registrar of Voters, "2016 Presidential General Election Official Results for Election," accessed December 7, 2016 | ||
Funding
Dibs reported no contributions or expenditures to the Orange County Registrar of Voters in the election.[3]
Endorsements
Dibs was endorsed by the following organizations and elected or appointed officials:[4][5]
- Evolve
- Americans for Democratic Action SoCal
- Orange County Water District Vice President and Director Philip Anthony
- Cypress City Councilman Rob Johnson
- Garden Grove City Councilman Phat Bui
- Stanton City Councilman Al Ethans
- Stanton City Councilman David Shawver
- Former Garden Grove Unified Superintendent Dr. Ronald Walter
Dibs was also endorsed by retired Pacifica High School teacher Robert Wucetich, retired Pacifica High School counselor William Spencer, and former Pacifica High School ASB President Kalpa Semasinghe.[5]
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Nicholas Dibs did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Nicholas Dibs did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
NICHOLAS DIBS participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on October 24, 2016:
| “ | Dear Voter, Education excellence is key to achieving student success, better schools and communities, and a better future. With your vote to improve our GGUSD schools, as your Board of Education representative I will focus on achieving positive-change goals which include but are not limited to: 1) Establish the “Garden Grove College Promise” Academic & Career Success Initiative to provide one semester/year of paid / free community college tuition for graduating high school seniors, as already in place in Long Beach for several years: http://www.lbusd.k12.ca.us/Departments/Success_Initiative/college_promise.cfm 2) More vocational/technical education classes, better-preparing students for skilled careers 3) Smaller class sizes in all classes/grades where possible. 4) Establish the non-profit Garden Grove Education (GGEd) Foundation to increase funding for music, art, environmental science, teacher supplies, and more. 5) Install solar at all schools to reduce energy costs. 6) Improve or eliminate education standards that do not improve student learning/achievement. 7) Re-establish Youth in Government Day. I am a credentialed Science Teacher, and have taught in K-12 public schools since 1992. As a certificated on-call teacher for the GGUSD since 2001 to present, teaching in virtually all subjects and grade levels throughout our school district, I am well-qualified to serve as your representative on the GGUSD Board of Education for Trustee Area #1. Endorsements: GGUSD retired Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Ronald Walter, “Nick will bring experience in government work and community support.” Former Pacifica HS teacher, Robert Wucetich, “There is no doubt that with Mr. Dibs’ educational experience, combined with his values and commitment to public service, he would be a valued member of the GGUSD Board of Education.” Also endorsed by Pacifica High School former ASB President, Kalpa Semasinghe, Mrs. Ray Littrell, City Councilmembers Al Ethans and David J. Shawver (Stanton), Phat Bui (GG), Rob Johnson (Cypress), Orange County Water District 2nd Vice President & Director (Division 4) Philip L. Anthony, and many others. As an Independent servant-leader, I respectfully request your Vote for positive change and better schools for GGUSD students. Nicholas Dibs[6][7] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in California. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | Dear Voter, Education excellence is key to achieving student success, better schools and communities, and a better future. With your vote to improve our GGUSD schools, as your Board of Education representative I will focus on achieving positive-change goals which include but are not limited to: 1) Establish the “Garden Grove College Promise” Academic & Career Success Initiative to provide one semester/year of paid / free community college tuition for graduating high school seniors, as already in place in Long Beach for several years: http://www.lbusd.k12.ca.us/Departments/Success_Initiative/college_promise.cfm 2) More vocational/technical education classes, better-preparing students for skilled careers 3) Smaller class sizes in all classes/grades where possible. 4) Establish the non-profit Garden Grove Education (GGEd) Foundation to increase funding for music, art, environmental science, teacher supplies, and more. 5) Install solar at all schools to reduce energy costs. 6) Improve or eliminate education standards that do not improve student learning/achievement. 7) Re-establish Youth in Government Day. I am a credentialed Science Teacher, and have taught in K-12 public schools since 1992. As a certificated on-call teacher for the GGUSD since 2001 to present, teaching in virtually all subjects and grade levels throughout our school district, I am well-qualified to serve as your representative on the GGUSD Board of Education for Trustee Area #1. Endorsements: GGUSD retired Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Ronald Walter, “Nick will bring experience in government work and community support.” Former Pacifica HS teacher, Robert Wucetich, “There is no doubt that with Mr. Dibs’ educational experience, combined with his values and commitment to public service, he would be a valued member of the GGUSD Board of Education.” Also endorsed by Pacifica High School former ASB President, Kalpa Semasinghe, Mrs. Ray Littrell, City Councilmembers Al Ethans and David J. Shawver (Stanton), Phat Bui (GG), Rob Johnson (Cypress), Orange County Water District 2nd Vice President & Director (Division 4) Philip L. Anthony, and many others. As an Independent servant-leader, I respectfully request your Vote for positive change and better schools for GGUSD students. Nicholas Dibs[7] | ” |
| —NICHOLAS DIBS (October 24, 2016) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer nine questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| Yes. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should defer to school board decisions in most cases. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| Please see item #6 below: Dear Voter, Education excellence is key to achieving student success, better schools and communities, and a better future. With your vote to improve our GGUSD schools, as your Board of Education representative I will focus on achieving positive-change goals which include but are not limited to: 1) Establish the “Garden Grove College Promise” Academic & Career Success Initiative to provide one semester/year of paid / free community college tuition for graduating high school seniors, as already in place in Long Beach for several years: http://www.lbusd.k12.ca.us/Departments/Success_Initiative/college_promise.cfm 2) More vocational/technical education classes, better-preparing students for skilled careers 3) Smaller class sizes in all classes/grades where possible. 4) Establish the non-profit Garden Grove Education (GGEd) Foundation to increase funding for music, art, environmental science, teacher supplies, and more. 5) Install solar at all schools to reduce energy costs. 6) Improve or eliminate education standards that do not improve student learning/achievement. 7) Re-establish Youth in Government Day. I am a credentialed Science Teacher, and have taught in K-12 public schools since 1992. As a certificated on-call teacher for the GGUSD since 2001 to present, teaching in virtually all subjects and grade levels throughout our school district, I am well-qualified to serve as your representative on the GGUSD Board of Education for Trustee Area #1. Endorsements: GGUSD retired Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Ronald Walter, “Nick will bring experience in government work and community support.” Former Pacifica HS teacher, Robert Wucetich, “There is no doubt that with Mr. Dibs’ educational experience, combined with his values and commitment to public service, he would be a valued member of the GGUSD Board of Education.” Also endorsed by Pacifica High School former ASB President, Kalpa Semasinghe, Mrs. Ray Littrell, City Councilmembers Al Ethans and David J. Shawver (Stanton), Phat Bui (GG), Rob Johnson (Cypress), Orange County Water District 2nd Vice President & Director (Division 4) Philip L. Anthony, and many others. As an Independent servant-leader, I respectfully request your Vote for positive change and better schools for GGUSD students. Nicholas Dibs |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students. Offer additional training options. Put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. In addition to the three (#2, 3, 4) boxes checked and providing underperforming teachers with mentoring and additional resources they may need, including but limited to smaller # of students and an instructional aide if necessary, -- if a teacher does not timely improve, termination of contract should then be done (box #1). |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Sparingly and only as a last resort. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers Dear Voter, Education excellence is key to achieving student success, better schools and communities, and a better future. With your vote to improve our GGUSD schools, as your Board of Education representative I will focus on achieving positive-change goals which include but are not limited to: 1) Establish the “Garden Grove College Promise” Academic & Career Success Initiative to provide one semester/year of paid / free community college tuition for graduating high school seniors, as already in place in Long Beach for several years: http://www.lbusd.k12.ca.us/Departments/Success_Initiative/college_promise.cfm 2) More vocational/technical education classes, better-preparing students for skilled careers 3) Smaller class sizes in all classes/grades where possible. 4) Establish the non-profit Garden Grove Education (GGEd) Foundation to increase funding for music, art, environmental science, teacher supplies, and more. 5) Install solar at all schools to reduce energy costs. 6) Improve or eliminate education standards that do not improve student learning/achievement. 7) Re-establish Youth in Government Day. I am a credentialed Science Teacher, and have taught in K-12 public schools since 1992. As a certificated on-call teacher for the GGUSD since 2001 to present, teaching in virtually all subjects and grade levels throughout our school district, I am well-qualified to serve as your representative on the GGUSD Board of Education for Trustee Area #1. Endorsements: GGUSD retired Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Ronald Walter, “Nick will bring experience in government work and community support.” Former Pacifica HS teacher, Robert Wucetich, “There is no doubt that with Mr. Dibs’ educational experience, combined with his values and commitment to public service, he would be a valued member of the GGUSD Board of Education.” Also endorsed by Pacifica High School former ASB President, Kalpa Semasinghe, Mrs. Ray Littrell, City Councilmembers Al Ethans and David J. Shawver (Stanton), Phat Bui (GG), Rob Johnson (Cypress), Orange County Water District 2nd Vice President & Director (Division 4) Philip L. Anthony, and many others. As an Independent servant-leader, I respectfully request your Vote for positive change and better schools for GGUSD students. Nicholas Dibs |
Letter to voters
| “ | Dear Voter,
Education excellence is key to achieving student success, better schools and communities, and a better future. With your vote to improve our GGUSD schools, as your Board of Education representative I will focus on achieving positive-change goals which include but are not limited to: 1) Establish the “Garden Grove College Promise” Academic & Career Success Initiative to provide one semester/year of paid / free community college tuition for graduating high school seniors, as already in place in Long Beach for several years: 2) More vocational/technical education classes, better-preparing students for skilled careers I am a credentialed Science Teacher, and have taught in K-12 public schools since 1992. As a certificated on-call teacher for the GGUSD since 2001 to present, teaching in virtually all subjects and grade levels throughout our school district, I am well-qualified to serve as your representative on the GGUSD Board of Education for Trustee Area #1. Endorsements: GGUSD retired Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Ronald Walter, “Nick will bring experience in government work and community support.” Former Pacifica HS teacher, Robert Wucetich, “There is no doubt that with Mr. Dibs’ educational experience, combined with his values and commitment to public service, he would be a valued member of the GGUSD Board of Education.” Also endorsed by Pacifica High School former ASB President, Kalpa Semasinghe, Mrs. Ray Littrell, City Councilmembers Al Ethans and David J. Shawver (Stanton), Phat Bui (GG), Rob Johnson (Cypress), Orange County Water District 2nd Vice President & Director (Division 4) Philip L. Anthony, and many others. As an Independent servant-leader, I respectfully request your Vote for positive change and better schools for GGUSD students.[7] |
” |
| —Nicholas Dibs (2016)[8] | ||
See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Garden Grove Unified School District Board of Education Trustee Area 1 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Orange County Registrar of Voters, "Candidate Filing Log," accessed August 15, 2016
- ↑ Orange County, "Orange County Unofficial Results for Election," accessed November 9, 2016
- ↑ Orange County Registrar of Voters, "Orange County Public Portal for Campaign Finance Disclosure," accessed February 23, 2017
- ↑ Evolve, "Endorsements: November 8, 2016 General Election," accessed October 13, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Nicholas Dibs," October 24, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "NICHOLAS DIBS's responses," October 24, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Nick Dibs," October 24, 2016
| 2016 Garden Grove Unified School District Elections | |
| Orange County, California | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | Trustee Area 1: • Incumbent, Teri Rocco • Jonathan Bengco • Nicholas Dibs Trustee Area 3: • Walter Muneton Trustee Area 5: • Incumbent, Linda Paulsen-Reed • Omar Ablouj • Dina Nguyen |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
