Philip Stemler

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Philip Stemler

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Yale University

Law

University of San Diego School of Law

Personal

Profession

Prosecutor

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Philip Stemler ran for election to the Newport-Mesa Unified Board of Education to represent Trustee Area 3 in California. Stemler lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Stemler completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Philip Stemler earned a bachelor's degree from Yale University and a law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. Stemler's career experience includes working as a prosecutor.

Elections

2024

See also: Newport-Mesa Unified School District, California, elections (2024)

General election

General election for Newport-Mesa Unified Board of Education Trustee Area 3

Incumbent Carol Crane defeated Philip Stemler in the general election for Newport-Mesa Unified Board of Education Trustee Area 3 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Carol Crane (Nonpartisan)	51.9	7,047
		Philip Stemler (Nonpartisan)	48.1	6,537

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 13,584
= 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.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Stemler in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Philip Stemler completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Stemler's responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a Newport Beach native, husband, father, and prosecutor. I am product of Newport-Mesa’s elementary schools and proud graduate of Corona del Mar High School. I earned my Bachelor of Arts from Yale University and my law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. My wife Whitney and I happily call Newport Beach home. We have been married for 12 years and have two children. Both are students at Newport-Mesa schools. I am committed to providing the same excellent education that I enjoyed to all Newport-Mesa students. I would be honored to have your vote and serve as your representative on the Newport-Mesa Unified School District Board of Trustees.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Empowering Families—Parental and family involvement is vital for student success. Research and common experience show that student outcomes across virtually all domains—from mental health to academic achievement—drastically improve when family is involved and supportive. We should be empowering parents and families to tap into this. As a school district, the best way to support children struggling with any issue is to ensure their family is fully involved. As a father, I know that family is the solution, not the problem.
• Safety—A safe, productive learning environment is necessary for our students to succeed. We must prevent external threats from entering our campuses and provide the disciplinary tools to stop internal violence and bullying. Additionally, we must control the digital distractions harming our students’ mental health and learning abilities. Finally, our district should implement a fentanyl awareness and prevention program to protect our kids from this deadly toxin.
• Education, Not Indoctrination—Students should be taught how to think, not what to think. Simply put, politics have no place in our schools. Instead, our schools’ curriculum must reflect our commitment to academic excellence, not any political agenda.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education is one of our society’s most important responsibilities. A strong education ensures a strong foundation for success—not only for an individual, but also for our community and nation.

I ask for your vote to empower families in our children’s education and rededicate our School Board to academic excellence. When it comes to the issues facing today’s students, family is the solution, not the problem.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My parents and extended family have lived in Newport Beach my whole life, and they all emphasized education from a young age. My late grandfather came to this country as a child during World War II. As he used to say, “No matter your circumstances in life, you always take your education with you.” My grandmother was a school teacher in Michigan and regularly hand-knit Christmas ornaments for us growing up to commemorate graduations from high school through grad school! My parents, especially my mom, put in countless hours getting my brothers and me everywhere we needed to be and supporting us in school. This kind of support is only possible in a school district that is transparent with families.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

After high school, I earned my Bachelor of Arts from Yale University and law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. Since law school, I have dedicated my career to public safety as a prosecutor. I am trained to find facts amid contradictory information, calmly work in an adversarial environment, communicate in a clear manner to a wide variety of individuals, and treat everyone fairly—regardless of race, religion, age, sex, income, education, or political belief. I am also familiar with the laws governing school boards and know how to get things done in local government.

What legacy would you like to leave?

To create a school district that is one of the best in the nation! With the resources available to us here, there is nothing to stop us from achieving any goal we set for ourselves. Likewise, all children should graduate our schools with the ability to succeed and thrive in the rapidly changing 21st century economy and world.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

The school board is responsible for creating policy, setting the budget, and overseeing the district superintendent. The school board holds the district accountable.

What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?

The school district’s chief responsibility is to cultivate a safe, productive learning environment for our students. As a prosecutor, I have devoted my career to public safety, and guarding against external threats is top of mind. Additionally, our schools must have the disciplinary tools to stop internal violence and bullying. We should also implement a fentanyl awareness and prevention program in our district to protect our kids against this deadly toxin. Finally, we must control the digital distractions harming our students' mental health and learning abilities.

What existing district policies would you like to change, or what new policies would you like to implement?

I am committed to eliminating district policies driving a wedge between parents and students. Student outcomes across virtually all domains—from mental health to academic achievement—drastically improve when family is involved. Excluding true instances of abuse or neglect, government entities like school districts should not be interfering in any family. It makes no sense that schools require parents to give permission for a child to go on a field trip, but then will not tell parents if a child is getting counseling to receive irreversible gender-altering treatment.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Newport Beach Mayor Will O'Neill

Newport Beach Mayor Pro Tem Joe Stapleton
Newport Beach City Councilmember & Former Mayor Brad Avery
Newport Beach City Councilmember & Former Mayor Noah Blom
Newport Beach City Councilmember Lauren Kleiman
Newport-Mesa Unified School District Trustee Michelle Barto
Orange County Board of Education Trustee Mari Barke
Orange County Board of Education Trustee Lisa Sparks
Newport Beach Board of Library Trustees Member Meghan Murray
Newport Beach Parks, Beaches, & Recreation Commissioner Anne Yelsey
Newport Beach Police Association
Newport Beach Firefighter's Association

(partial list)

Describe your ideal learning environment for students.

A safe, productive learning environment is necessary for our students to succeed. Our schools must have the disciplinary tools necessary to stop internal violence and bullying.

Additionally, the research shows our children learn more, feel better, and build real friendships when they are unplugged. To allow all our students to unplug and be present, our district must control the digital distractions harming our students' mental health and learning abilities.

How do you feel like your school district handled the coronavirus pandemic? What, if anything, would you do differently in the future?

We let politics and fear take control of the situation rather than pursuing evidence-based best practices. Children were not at great risk from COVID-19, and private schools in the area were able to resume classroom learning much sooner. We should have been focusing on what was best for our children, not politics and emotion.

In our district (and across the nation), the data is clear that many students fell behind and have not caught up. My son was in kindergarten when school closed, and Zoom-school did almost nothing for him. It took three years of private tutoring to get him back to grade level. In a future crisis, we must make decisions based on the facts, not on emotion or to advance any political agenda.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Without transparency, there can be no accountability. Our schools must be transparent in all areas, especially related to spending, academic achievement, and student health.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2024 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Newport-Mesa Unified Board of Education Trustee Area 3

Website

Instagram

Personal

Facebook