Helen Doyle, a Del Mar education foundation director, is running for the San Dieguito Union High School District (SDUHSD) board on a platform built around a facilities bond and AI instruction.

Doyle, 42, is one of two candidates seeking the Area 3 trustee seat in the Nov. 3 election. The district covers portions of Del Mar, Solana Beach, Rancho Santa Fe and Cardiff. Ballots began going out to registered voters Oct. 5. Doyle outlined her priorities in a Q&A first published by the San Diego Union-Tribune.

She faces Summer Boger, a small business owner and special education instructional aide. All three SDUHSD incumbents, including board President Jane Lea Smith, Trustee Phan Anderson and Vice President Rimga Viskanta, chose not to seek reelection, the Union-Tribune reported in August.

The race is nonpartisan.

Doyle, a 16-year Del Mar resident and mother of three elementary-aged children in public school, serves as a director on the Del Mar Schools Education Foundation. She previously worked as a mechanical engineer and became a court-appointed special advocate for foster children in 2010. According to her campaign website, she and her husband adopted two of their children from the dependency system.

She told the Union-Tribune that infrastructure is the district's most pressing challenge, saying SDUHSD is developing a 30-year plan but "will require a bond to pay for" maintenance and rebuilding needs. She also called for closing the achievement gap and improving communication with families about support services.

On technology, Doyle said she supports the district's phone-banking policy and wants to explore shifting more assignments to paper. Rather than banning AI outright, she said, students need guidance on when and where the tool is appropriate.

Doyle noted the district expects enrollment to fall by 100 to 200 students per year over the next two years. She did not respond to the Union-Tribune's question about student absenteeism.

She previously ran for the Del Mar Union School District board in the Nov. 5, 2024, general election, finishing fourth in a four-candidate race with 15.9% of the vote, according to The Coast News.

Her campaign website lists endorsements from the San Dieguito Faculty Association, the California School Employees Association SDUHSD Chapter, U.S. Rep. Mike Levin and the Sierra Club.

San Diego County's deadline to certify the election is Dec. 3.