Lagunitas School District Trustee Brian Dodd on Tuesday abruptly announced he will resign from the school board, adding to a growing dispute over selection of an architect to design two school buildings.

The board this week named an architectural firm to design two buildings for the district, but the matter was left in abeyance following Dodd's announcement.

The board in 1992 chose Abell & Associates to design the classroom buildings in order to relieve overcrowding, but the district was unable to come up with enough money to do the work.

After district voters in June approved a $2.6 million bond issue for the work, a divided school board selected Abell & Associates to proceed with the work. To save time, a majority opted not to hold another bidding process.

That decision rankled Trustee Dodd, who last month voted against awarding Abell & Associates the contract, noting that the project has expanded since the architects won the earlier bid three years ago. Trustees Laurie Klein and Steve Charrier voted in favor of the firm.

Although James Abell owns property in Woodacre and has two children in the district, he lives in Arizona. Fellow architect Steve Kinsey, who drafted much of the campus-improvement plan, defended Abell as a local resident.

"I believe that we are missing out on a tremendous opportunity here to get different ideas and opinions," Andersen said.

His wife, Mary Jane Andersen, who is running for school board, concurred: "The fact that the board does not have the energy to go forward and explore all the possibilities is disturbing to me."

Another candidate, former Trustee Richard Sloan, criticized the board for selecting an architect before forming an advisory committee made up of community members. He described the decision as "a cart-horse situation."

"I am feeling very torn on this issue," said Supt. Larry Enos. "On one hand, I want to support the community, but on the other hand, I just came from a meeting with sixth grade parents and I know how crucial those two buildings are...

"If we delay on this issue, we will have a whole new set of problems to deal with."

Trustee Klein, who was chairing the meeting and, therefore, could not make or second a motion, asked Dodd temporarily take the gavel, which Dodd did.

Charrier then immediately moved to approve the contract with Abell, and Klein seconded the motion.

With Dodd unable to vote, approval was unanimous, but Sloan protested, "I would like the record to show that the board is moving forward with this project with only two votes." "What the board has done is wrong"

But it was a short-lived victory. Moments later, Dodd announced he will submit a letter of resignation before the next trustees' meeting.

"I believe what the board has done is wrong, wrong, and finally, wrong."

His announcement was initially met with stunned silence. Then Charrier urged Dodd to rescind his statement, saying, "As a person who has served this community for so long and so well, Brian, I urge you to consider the ramifications of this decision."

Mary Jane Andersen said, "I do not see your resignation as an ultimatum but as an act of conviction." Andersen then urged Klein to delay on the approval of the contract with Abell.

"Somewhere tonight is lost the spirit of this district...It makes me question my own involvement in the district."

Remarking she didn't "have the heart to continue this discussion," Trustee Klein said, "I really feel that we should table this issue."

As a result, even though the architectural contract has now been approved, Supt. Enos agreed not to implement it until the school board discusses it further at a special meeting Sept. 26.

The district is currently short one trustee, Michael Miller having moved out of the district. Trustee Bob Schiro did not attend the last two meetings.

Trustee Charrier, whose quarrel with Dodd two weeks ago led to this week's bad feelings, refused comment after Tuesday's meeting, claiming his previous verbal jabs were quoted out of context.