It started on Tuesday and ended on Wednesday. In a meeting for the ages, there were tears, laughter, anger, joy, music, applause, poetry, and even some late-night pizza. And a political star may have been born. After nearly eight hours, amid yawns, fumbled speeches, and an air of fatigue in the room, the Santa Barbara Unified School District Board of Education voted to send preliminary layoff notices to 85 teachers, including arts and music positions, just before 2:30 a.m.
