Election 2026 · School and college districts
Governing Board Member, Las Virgenes Unified School District, Las Virgenes Unified School District Board of Education (three at-large seats)
Angela Cutbill (incumbent), Sandra Pope, Dallas Lawrence (incumbent) and Coral Edwardsen are the candidates for Governing Board Member, Las Virgenes Unified School District, Las Virgenes Unified School District Board of Education (three at-large seats) on the November 3, 2026 ballot.
The Las Virgenes Unified School District runs 15 public schools, preschool through high school, for about 10,000 students from Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Westlake Village and a small part of Woodland Hills. A five-member board, elected at large, adopts the budget, sets policy, approves labor contracts and hires the superintendent. Three seats are on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot.
Summary by CityHallPass, not the official text or legal advice. The official text controls: LA County's official election information.
| Who votes | Voters in the Las Virgenes Unified School District, including the part of Woodland Hills in the City of Los Angeles |
|---|---|
| Term and pay | Full four-year terms; the three seats were last filled in November 2022. We did not find the board members' pay in district records. |
| How it works | No primary. All four candidates are on the Nov. 3 ballot. Each voter may choose up to three, and the three with the most votes win. Incumbent Lesli Stein is not running, so at least one seat goes to a newcomer. The district reaches into Ventura County, and the election is shared with that county. |
| Party labels | Nonpartisan |
What it means for the City of LA
About 0.63 square miles of the City of Los Angeles, in Woodland Hills in Council District 3, is inside the Las Virgenes Unified School District. Voters there, such as on the 6100 block of Paseo La Vista, get this race and Measure LV on their City ballot. The board runs the schools that serve that area and sets the district's budget, and it placed the Measure LV parcel tax renewal on the ballot. Property owners there pay the district's $98-a-year parcel tax. City voters outside the district do not vote in this race.
At a glance
| Angela Cutbill | Sandra Pope | Dallas Lawrence | Coral Edwardsen | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On the board | Yes, since 2013 (The Acorn); vice president in 2026 | No; retired LVUSD teacher | Yes, since 2013 (The Acorn); president in 2025 | No; LVUSD teacher 2016 to 2024 |
| 2022 LVUSD race (LA County votes) | 1st of 4, 29.72% | Did not run | 3rd of 4, 26.97% | Did not run |
| Phone ban vote, Jan. 28, 2025 | Yes (passed 3-2) | Not on the board | Yes (passed 3-2) | Not on the board |
| Measure LV | Voted to place it on the ballot; gave $250 to the campaign | No stated position | Voted to place it on the ballot; gave $250 to the campaign | No stated position |
| Latest public poll | None found | None found | None found | None found |
| Campaign money | Form 470 filed (under $2,000) | Form 460 filed; totals not yet read | Form 470 filed (under $2,000) | Form 470 filed (under $2,000) |
The candidates
Angela Cutbill Incumbent
Cutbill grew up in Kansas, worked for the Kansas Secretary of State, the U.S. Senate and the Senate Finance Committee, and earned a master's degree at Durham University in England, her campaign site says (campaign site). She was a parent-faculty club president at elementary, middle and high schools in the district (campaign site). The Acorn reports she has been on the board since 2013 (The Acorn, Aug. 27, 2026). She placed first in the 2022 board race and is the board's vice president for 2026 (2022 results; board minutes, Dec. 16, 2025).
Sandra Pope
Pope taught in Las Virgenes schools for 40 years, created and supervised the district's outdoor education program, and taught adult education classes for California Lutheran University and the University of Phoenix, her ballot statement says (candidate statement). The Acorn reports she is 77, lives in Agoura Hills, retired in 2013, and was president of the teachers union for about half of her career (The Acorn, Aug. 27, 2026). No campaign website was found.
Dallas Lawrence Incumbent
Lawrence lists himself as a former Navy officer, a former presidential appointee at the U.S. Department of Education and a former USC instructor, with a BA from UC Berkeley and an MA from Johns Hopkins (candidate statement). He has three children in district schools (candidate statement). The Acorn reports he has been on the board since 2013 (The Acorn, Aug. 27, 2026). He placed third in the 2022 race and was board president in 2025 (2022 results; board minutes, Dec. 10, 2024).
Coral Edwardsen
Edwardsen, 40, has a journalism degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a master's in education from Loyola Marymount University (campaign site; candidate statement). She taught at a private school in Monterey Park and a charter school in Los Angeles, then taught English at A.C. Stelle Middle School in Calabasas from 2016 to 2024 (campaign site). The Acorn reports she grew up in Thousand Oaks and lives in Westlake Village (The Acorn, Aug. 27, 2026). Two of her children attend district schools, one in special education (campaign site). We found no earlier run for office.
The job
Powers. The board has five members elected at large (LVUSD board page). It adopts the budget, approves labor contracts with the teachers union (Las Virgenes Educators Association, LVEA) and the classified staff union, sets policy for students and staff, orders layoffs, issues bonds and places tax measures on the ballot. Each of those actions appears as a board vote in the minutes below (board minutes). The superintendent is Dr. Daniel Stepenosky (board minutes, July 28, 2026). The board usually meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month (LVUSD board page).
The district. About 10,000 students in 15 schools, preschool through high school, from Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills and Westlake Village (LVUSD). The district also takes in a small part of Woodland Hills in the City of Los Angeles (see below) and reaches into Ventura County (County list of offices).
Budget. The board adopted the 2026-27 budget on June 23, 2026, 4-0, with Lawrence absent (board minutes, June 23, 2026).
- General Fund revenue is $165.6 million, of which $121.0 million comes from the state’s Local Control Funding Formula. Spending is $173.8 million (2026-27 Adopted Budget).
- Spending exceeds revenue by about $8.1 million. A $7.0 million transfer in brings the yearly drop in fund balance to about $1.1 million. The fund balance at year end is $18.7 million (2026-27 Adopted Budget).
- On July 28, 2026, staff told the board the state budget had improved the district’s resources by about $11 million, mostly one-time money, and that the transfer from reserves (Fund 17) was no longer expected. Enrollment was projected at about 10,150 (board minutes, July 28, 2026).
- Associate Superintendent of Business Services Dr. Ryan Gleason told the board in July 2026 that LVUSD receives comparatively less state money because Proposition 98 funding is distributed through an equity-based formula (board minutes, July 28, 2026).
Local taxes. Voters approved the $340 million Measure S construction bond in November 2022, with 64.28% of Los Angeles County votes (2022 results). The district sold $85 million in August 2023, and on March 11, 2025 the board voted 5-0 to sell up to $85 million more (board minutes, Mar. 11, 2025). The $98-a-year Measure E parcel tax raised $2,318,138 in 2022-23 and ends June 30, 2028 (parcel tax report; Measure LV impartial analysis). The board voted 5-0 on July 28, 2026 to ask voters to renew it as Measure LV, on the same ballot.
Pay and contracts. On Aug. 12, 2025 the board approved, 5-0, a teachers’ contract with a 2.0% raise from July 1, 2025, up to 0.5% more if enrollment reached set targets, and a move of health plans from CalPERS to ASCIP (board minutes, Aug. 12, 2025). It approved the next LVEA agreement 5-0 on Aug. 25, 2026; the minutes do not list its terms (board minutes, Aug. 25, 2026).
Current issues. The board adopted a full-school-day phone ban for all grades in January 2025 and limits on e-bikes in June 2026 (see Records). In May 2026 district staff reported on a technology subcommittee reviewing classroom screen time and AI (board minutes, May 12, 2026).
How the seats are filled. The three seats are elected at large. All voters in the district may vote for up to three candidates, and the top three win (County contest data). Cutbill, Lawrence and Lesli Stein hold the seats now (County list of offices). Stein, the 2026 board president, is not on the ballot, and the County extended the filing period for this race through Aug. 12, 2026 (County candidate list; County extension list). The other two seats, held by Alan Lazar and Linda Menges, were filled in November 2024 (2024 results).
The City of LA in detail
- Part of the district is in the City. The County’s map layers show about 0.63 square miles of overlap between the district and the City of Los Angeles (County GIS; our measurement). Addresses there, such as the 6100 block of Paseo La Vista in Woodland Hills, get a ballot that lists the Mayor, City Council District 3, the City measures, this race and Measure LV (County street data; ballot type 2CH22).
- Schools and taxes. Property owners in that area pay the district’s $98 parcel tax, because it applies to every parcel wholly or partly in the district (Measure LV full text). The money goes to the Las Virgenes district, not to the City or LAUSD.
- How many City voters. We did not find a count of registered voters in the City part of the district.
Records
The incumbents’ records come from the 38 sets of board minutes the district has posted for Aug. 13, 2024 through Aug. 25, 2026 (LVUSD minutes). In that period only one motion drew a no vote.
Angela Cutbill
Time on the board. The Acorn reports she has served since 2013 (The Acorn). In November 2022 she placed first of four with 14,235 Los Angeles County votes (29.72%) (2022 results). The board elected her vice president for 2026, 5-0 (board minutes, Dec. 16, 2025).
Votes and actions (from board minutes):
- Phone ban. On Jan. 28, 2025 she seconded and voted for a revised policy that extends the elementary and middle school rule, phones off and away all day, to high schools starting in 2025-26, including lunch and breaks. It passed 3-2, with Cutbill, Lawrence and Alan Lazar voting yes and Linda Menges and Lesli Stein voting no. The student board member’s advisory vote was no. Cutbill said she researched phone policies and that “the most effective policies were bell to bell policies” (board minutes, Jan. 28, 2025).
- E-bikes. The superintendent credited Cutbill and Menges, through the Safety and Wellness Committee, with drafting a revised bicycle policy. It requires high school e-bike riders to have a driver’s license, insurance and a registration sticker, and sets confiscation rules. She voted yes when it passed 4-0 on June 23, 2026 (board minutes, June 23, 2026).
- Budgets. She moved adoption of the 2025-26 budget on June 24, 2025, and voted for the 2026-27 budget on June 23, 2026 (minutes, June 24, 2025; minutes, June 23, 2026). She moved approval of the 2025-26 second interim budget on Feb. 24, 2026 (minutes).
- Measure LV. She voted yes on July 28, 2026 to put the parcel tax renewal on the ballot. The minutes say she noted it continues the tax without raising what residents pay (minutes, July 28, 2026).
- Teacher contracts. She seconded approval of the 2025 LVEA agreement and of the 2026 agreement; both passed 5-0 (minutes, Aug. 12, 2025; minutes, Aug. 25, 2026).
- Layoffs. She voted for Resolution 31-25, reducing certain teaching services for 2026-27, and Resolution 32-25, eliminating the Director of Child Nutrition Services job; both passed 5-0 on Mar. 10, 2026 (minutes).
- Classroom technology. On May 12, 2026 she said she supported developing a formal board policy on technology use rather than a broad resolution, and raised concerns about young students spending long periods alone on screens (minutes). On July 28, 2026 she said she agreed with Lawrence’s proposals on AI and screen time (minutes).
- Attendance. She was absent from 2 of the 38 meetings: Apr. 1, 2025 and Nov. 18, 2025 (minutes, Apr. 1, 2025; minutes, Nov. 18, 2025).
Ethics and court records. No official finding naming her was found in LVUSD board minutes or County election records (searched Oct. 10, 2026). No FPPC enforcement case naming her or her committee appears on the Commission’s hearing agendas from 2018 through October 2026 (FPPC Commission hearings; searched Oct. 10, 2026).
Sandra Pope
Career. Pope’s ballot statement says she served 40 years as a Las Virgenes educator, created and supervised the district’s outdoor education program, taught sixth-grade math remediation in summer school, and taught adult education classes for California Lutheran University and the University of Phoenix (candidate statement). The Acorn reports she retired in 2013 and was president of the teachers union for about half of her career (The Acorn).
Past races. None found. She was not a candidate in the 2022 or 2024 board races (2022 results; 2024 results).
Ethics and court records. No official finding naming her was found in County election records (searched Oct. 10, 2026). No FPPC enforcement case naming her or her committee appears on the Commission’s hearing agendas from 2018 through October 2026 (FPPC Commission hearings; searched Oct. 10, 2026).
Dallas Lawrence
Time on the board. The Acorn reports he has served since 2013 (The Acorn). In November 2022 he placed third of four with 12,916 Los Angeles County votes (26.97%), on the ballot as Dallas B. Lawrence (2022 results). The board elected him president for 2025, 5-0 (board minutes, Dec. 10, 2024).
Votes and actions (from board minutes):
- Phone ban. On Jan. 28, 2025 he presented slides urging a K-12 full-day ban, citing figures on youth depression and phone addiction, and voted for the policy, which passed 3-2 (board minutes, Jan. 28, 2025). Lazar credited Cutbill and Lawrence with bringing the issue to the board the previous fall (same minutes).
- E-bikes. He raised e-bike injuries at the Sept. 9, 2025 meeting and said a student had been airlifted after a crash at Lindero Canyon Middle School (minutes, Sept. 9, 2025). He was absent on June 23, 2026, when the board adopted the e-bike policy 4-0 (minutes, June 23, 2026). His ballot statement says he “helped lead efforts” on the e-bike rules (candidate statement).
- Budgets. He was absent for the 2026-27 budget vote on June 23, 2026 (minutes). The minutes of the 2025-26 budget vote on June 24, 2025 record it as 4-0-1 and list him both among the yes votes and as absent; the same minutes say he took part remotely (minutes, June 24, 2025). He moved approval of the 2025-26 first interim budget on Dec. 16, 2025 (minutes).
- Measure LV. He voted yes on July 28, 2026. The minutes say that although he does not favor taxes, he called renewal necessary because the district gets less state money per student than other districts, and it keeps about 25 teaching positions (minutes, July 28, 2026).
- Teacher contracts. He voted for the 2025 LVEA agreement and moved approval of the 2026 agreement; both passed 5-0. In 2026 he said he wished the district could provide more (minutes, Aug. 12, 2025; minutes, Aug. 25, 2026).
- Layoffs. He moved Resolutions 31-25 and 32-25 (teaching service reductions and the child nutrition director job), which passed 5-0 on Mar. 10, 2026 (minutes).
- Classroom technology. On May 12, 2026 he said the “pendulum has swung too far” on screen use and asked staff for data on how much time students spend on devices (minutes). On July 28, 2026 he proposed a starting assumption of no AI in classrooms until committees show proven benefits, and requiring a justification for any instructional screen time (minutes). No board vote on either proposal was found.
- Attendance. He was absent from 2 of the 38 meetings, Oct. 8, 2024 and June 23, 2026, and left the May 13, 2025 meeting before most votes (minutes, Oct. 8, 2024; minutes, June 23, 2026; minutes, May 13, 2025).
Ethics and court records. No official finding naming him was found in LVUSD board minutes or County election records (searched Oct. 10, 2026). No FPPC enforcement case naming him or his committee appears on the Commission’s hearing agendas from 2018 through October 2026 (FPPC Commission hearings; searched Oct. 10, 2026).
Coral Edwardsen
Career. She taught middle school English at A.C. Stelle in Calabasas from 2016 to 2024, after teaching at a private school in Monterey Park and a charter school in Los Angeles. She says she helped update the district’s middle school English curriculum and took part in a secondary English curriculum adoption (campaign site). The Acorn reports she left teaching two years ago to help with her husband’s business and care for her children (The Acorn).
Past races. None found. She was not a candidate in the 2022 or 2024 board races (2022 results; 2024 results).
Ethics and court records. No official finding naming her was found in County election records (searched Oct. 10, 2026). No FPPC enforcement case naming her or her committee appears on the Commission’s hearing agendas from 2018 through October 2026 (FPPC Commission hearings; searched Oct. 10, 2026).
Where they stand
Issues come from the board’s agenda over the past two years (phones, classroom technology and AI, e-bikes, the budget and Measure LV) and from the questions The Acorn asked the two challengers (board minutes; The Acorn). No candidate questionnaire or forum transcript covering all four was found.
| Issue | Angela Cutbill | Sandra Pope | Dallas Lawrence | Coral Edwardsen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phones in school | No new proposal. Record: voted for the K-12 full-day ban, Jan. 28, 2025 (minutes). | No specific proposal. | No new proposal. Record: presented the case for and voted for the K-12 full-day ban (minutes). | No specific proposal. |
| Screen time and AI in class | A formal board policy on technology, not a resolution; no rule stated (minutes, May 12, 2026). Agreed with Lawrence’s July 2026 proposals (minutes, July 28, 2026). | Bring local districts, law enforcement and technology experts together to write a K-12 online-safety curriculum. Said she is “not at all” a skeptic of digital learning (The Acorn). | No AI in classrooms until research shows a proven benefit; require a justification for any instructional screen time (minutes, July 28, 2026). | No specific proposal. Says students should build reading, writing and critical-thinking skills before relying on devices (The Acorn; campaign site). |
| Communication with parents | No specific proposal. | An online information page where parents can ask questions and get answers (The Acorn). | No specific proposal. | No specific proposal; named it a focus (The Acorn). |
| Safety and discipline | No new proposal. Record: helped draft the June 2026 e-bike policy and voted for it (minutes). | Clearer district rules for teachers on dress codes, bullying and discipline; no draft named (The Acorn). | No new proposal. Record: absent for the e-bike policy vote (minutes). | No specific proposal. |
| Budget | No specific proposal. Record: voted for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 budgets (minutes, June 24, 2025; June 23, 2026). | No specific proposal. | No specific proposal. Record: absent for the 2026-27 budget vote (minutes). | No specific proposal. |
On the other ballot measures
Voters in this district also decide 14 state propositions and County Measures A and E. Voters in the City part of the district also see City Measures TE, LA, PL, EE, PRK, PRT and FD (ballot type 2CH22). The board placed Measure LV on this ballot.
| Measures | Angela Cutbill | Sandra Pope | Dallas Lawrence | Coral Edwardsen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measure LV (parcel tax renewal) | Voted to place it on the ballot (minutes); gave $250 to Strong Las Virgenes Schools on Sept. 4, 2026 (Form 497) | No stated position | Voted to place it on the ballot (minutes); gave $250 to Strong Las Virgenes Schools on Sept. 28, 2026 (Form 497) | No stated position |
| State Props 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44 and 45 | No stated position | No stated position | No stated position | No stated position |
| County Measures A and E | No stated position | No stated position | No stated position | No stated position |
| City Measures TE, LA, PL, EE, PRK, PRT and FD (City voters only) | No stated position | No stated position | No stated position | No stated position |
Endorsements
No newspaper editorial board endorsement in this race was found as of Oct. 10, 2026. All five sitting board members endorse Edwardsen; Stein, Lawrence and Lazar endorse Cutbill; and Cutbill and Lazar endorse Lawrence (campaign lists below).
Angela Cutbill
From her campaign endorsements page, which calls it a partial list:
- Board members: Lesli Stein, Dallas Lawrence and Alan Lazar; former board member Jill Gaines.
- Agoura Hills: Mayor Jeremy Wolf, Mayor Pro Tem Deborah Klein Lopez, Councilmembers Kate Anderson, Chris Anstead and Penny Sylvester.
- Calabasas: Mayor James Bozajian, Mayor Pro Tem Edward Albrecht, Councilmembers Peter Kraut and Alicia Weintraub; former Mayor Fred Gaines.
- Hidden Hills: Councilmembers Eniko Gold, Laura McCorkindale and Stuart Siegel.
- Westlake Village: Mayor Sue McSweeney, Mayor Pro Tem Brad Halpern, Councilmember Ray Pearl.
Sandra Pope
No endorsements found.
Dallas Lawrence
From his campaign supporters page, which calls it a partial list:
- Former federal officials: Karen Johnson and Kerri Briggs, former assistant U.S. secretaries of education.
- Board members: Angela Cutbill and Alan Lazar.
- Agoura Hills: Mayor Jeremy Wolf; former Mayor Denis Weber.
- Calabasas: Mayor James Bozajian, Mayor Pro Tem Edward Albrecht, Councilmembers Peter Kraut and Alicia Weintraub; former Mayor Fred Gaines.
- Hidden Hills: Councilmember Laura McCorkindale.
- Westlake Village: Mayor Pro Tem Brad Halpern, Councilmember Ned Davis. The list also names Kelly Honig, Ray Pearl and David Shapiro without titles.
Coral Edwardsen
From her campaign endorsements page:
- Union: Las Virgenes Educators Association (LVEA), the teachers union.
- Board members: Lesli Stein, Angela Cutbill, Alan Lazar, Linda Menges and Dallas Lawrence; former board members Jill Gaines and Charlotte Meyer.
- Agoura Hills: Mayor Jeremy Wolf, Councilmembers Kate Anderson and Penny Sylvester; former Mayor Illece Buckley Weber; Planning Commissioner Bruce Stein.
- Calabasas: Mayor James Bozajian, Mayor Pro Tem Edward Albrecht, Councilmembers Alicia Weintraub and Peter Kraut.
- Hidden Hills: Councilmember Laura McCorkindale.
- Westlake Village: Mayor Susan McSweeney, Mayor Pro Tem Brad Halpern, Councilmembers Ray Pearl and Kelly Honig.
- The list also names the president and vice president of THE Foundation for Las Virgenes Schools, teachers, parents and local business owners, with titles “for identification purposes only.”
Buckley Weber also urged votes for Edwardsen and Cutbill in a letter to The Acorn (The Acorn, Sept. 24, 2026).
Polls
No public polls of this race were found.
Money
School board candidates file campaign reports with the LA County Registrar on NetFile (County NetFile portal). Edwardsen’s committee is Coral Edwardsen for LVUSD, FPPC ID LACO-113798 (campaign site). The County’s filing index on NetFile lists the reports below through Sept. 29, 2026. We have not been able to open the reports themselves, so raised and spent totals are not shown. A Form 470 is the short statement for a candidate who expects to raise and spend less than $2,000 in the year; a Form 497 reports a contribution of $1,000 or more received in the 90 days before the election.
| Angela Cutbill | Sandra Pope | Dallas Lawrence | Coral Edwardsen | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filings on record | Form 470 filed July 13, 2026 (form) | Form 460 filed Sept. 24, 2026, covering through Sept. 19, 2026 (report) | Form 470 filed July 8, 2026 (form) | Form 470 filed Sept. 17, 2026 (form) |
| Raised | Not retrieved | Not retrieved | Not retrieved | Not retrieved |
| Spent | Not retrieved | Not retrieved | Not retrieved | Not retrieved |
| Cash on hand | Not retrieved | Not retrieved | Not retrieved | Not retrieved |
Who is giving
No donor-level data was retrieved for any candidate. Cutbill and Lawrence each gave $250 to Strong Las Virgenes Schools, the committee backing Measure LV, as did Stein and the other two board members (Form 497, Sept. 4; Form 497, Sept. 28; Measure LV page).
Outside spending
We could not check the County portal for independent expenditures in this race as of Oct. 10, 2026.
Key moments
Debates and forums. No candidate debate or forum for this race was found as of Oct. 10, 2026.
An open seat (August 2026). Board president Lesli Stein, on the board since 2009 according to The Acorn, is not on the ballot (County candidate list; The Acorn). Both challengers mentioned to The Acorn that incumbents in the district have always won re-election. If Cutbill and Lawrence both win again, one seat goes to a newcomer (The Acorn).
Phone ban vote (Jan. 28, 2025). The 3-2 vote extending the full-day phone ban to high schools is the only split vote in two years of minutes. Cutbill and Lawrence were in the majority (minutes). Both cite the policy in their ballot statements (candidate statements).