Del Mar Union School District board president Alan Kholos is seeking re-election in the Nov. 3 race for three trustee seats.

Kholos, 62, a biotech executive, pointed to new board policies on artificial intelligence and immigration enforcement as key accomplishments during his current term, according to a candidate Q&A published by the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Four candidates are running.

Kholos is part of a slate with fellow incumbents Katherine Fitzpatrick and Doug Rafner. They face challenger Stephen Cochrane, an education law attorney who previously served on the board from 2016 to 2019 before resigning after he moved out of the district, according to an Aug. 10 Union-Tribune report on the race.

Kholos was first elected in 2012, later moved out of the district and was appointed back to the board in 2023, that report said.

Enrollment and absenteeism

Kholos identified declining enrollment as a top concern. He wrote in the Q&A that the community flagged enrollment as one of the top three issues during the district's superintendent search, and that he is working with the new superintendent to form an enrollment committee. Three special meetings are scheduled to review the decline.

On chronic absenteeism, Kholos pointed to progress. The district's rate dropped from 10.4% to 6.7% over the past two reported school years, he wrote, attributing the improvement to efforts by the instructional services department and school principals to identify families needing support.

AI and immigration policies

The board adopted a new AI policy this year that "recognizes the transformative potential of AI to support learning, as well as the potential for AI to negatively affect student achievement and well-being," Kholos wrote in the Q&A. The district also limits student access to mobile phones during the school day.

The board also adopted a policy aligned with Assembly Bill 495 to respond to immigration enforcement activity on district property. The policy expands protections to students and staff, limits disclosure of student and employee information, and prohibits district resources from being used to create registries based on immigration status.

The Nov. 3 election will fill three seats on the Del Mar Union School District (DMUSD) board.