My name is Stephanie Espinola and I am running for Scotts Valley Unified School Board.

I’ve been a resident of Scotts Valley for 50 years. I’m an alumni of Brook Knoll Elementary School, Scotts Valley Middle School, and Harbor High School (Scotts Valley did not have a high school in my day).

I’ve been married for 32 years to Joe Espinola,a District Attorney Prosecutor in Santa Clara County.

I’ve been blessed with two children. My son Joseph (27) and my daughter Marissa (25), both graduated from Cal Poly SLO, both went to Brook Knoll Elementary School, Scotts Valley Middle School and Scotts Valley High School. My son is currently in Law School and my daughter is a sales representative for Salesforce in San Francisco.

I worked as an Instructional Aide in the Scotts Valley School District at Scotts Valley Middle School.  My role focused on working with Special Education students.

Prior to having children, I was a Technical Recruiter in Silicon Valley and worked in Human Resources for Watkins-Johnson in Scotts Valley. Yes, I’ve had a few more jobs , this is the readers digest version.

I loved all my jobs because they all had to do with working with people and problem solving .

My FAVORITE job by far was being a stay at home Mom and working with students and teachers at Scotts Valley Middle School and EVEN Better … I Loved doing Yard Duty !!!

Everyone asks me why? My answer - I got the privilege to work with all of the students…I wish I could list the students as my references.

I also loved working with teachers and the staff. My 7 years at Scotts Valley Middle School(SVMS) was VERY eye opening. I learned so much about the inner workings at a school, and WOW was I impressed! I wish everyone could have this hands on experience working in a school!

I was a teacher's aide during COVID. While students were zooming I was at SVMS in a classroom with students that needed extra help. I was asked so often why I was doing this and if I was afraid of catching COVID? To me, working with kids was a gift and a blessing. I was willing to do it to help the students and teachers during a really hard time. We all worked together to stay safe and healthy and got through it stronger and more determined to keep the students on track.

My volunteering experience includes:

• Parent Teacher Association (PTA) President for Scotts Valley School District for 15 years

• Active member of Omega Nu Ducky Derby fundraising event that provides scholarships for local students.  I co-chaired this years 2024 Omega Nu Ducky Derby and we raised close to $100,000.

• Board member of I’m Kinder Than That - an anti-bully movement practiced in the SVMS

• I started Barbie Care and Share Northern California. I collect and refurbish Barbies then donate them to children and nonprofits in need.

• Volunteer for the Scotts Valley Education Foundation

• Volunteer for The Superintendent Budget Advisory Committee

• Chaired several school auctions  

• Volunteered as a classroom parent

• Endless hours of school volunteering in any capacity needed

I was voted one of the 25 Most Positive Influential Women of Scotts Valley in 2024. Please read my interview at 

"My Scotts Valley".