Dave Wescott is running for Kern High School District Trustee Area 1.

A Bakersfield native, Marine veteran, newly licensed attorney and parent with children approaching high school, Wescott says his path into politics began by showing up at public meetings and speaking during public comment. Now, he’s asking voters to put him on the other side of the dais.

In this episode, we talk about what a school board trustee can actually control, KHSD spending and staffing priorities, academic outcomes, career and apprenticeship pathways, religion and politics in public schools, and how Wescott believes trustees should respond to the people who show up at public comment.

Wescott also talks about his own unconventional path after high school — from barely graduating, to serving in the Marine Corps, working in several indust ...