Shoreline Unified School District stakeholders are hoping for a big turnout at tonight’s regular board meeting, where parents plan to address one pressing issue not included on the agenda: board member benefits. These benefits—including dental, vision, life and a Kaiser health insurance plan—cost the district this year a total of nearly $45,000.

Four of the seven board members currently take the benefits package, and only the board’s president, Jill Manning-Sartori, has volunteered to relinquish her benefits, a decision she made in December. Donna Faure, treasurer of the West Marin Parent Teacher Student Association, proposed in a letter circulated to the group that the board eliminate member benefits in order to pay for a reading intervention specialist to work at Tomales Elementary and West Marin/Inverness Schools. 

The two reading intervention specialists at those schools elected to retire at the end of this school year, and the board has yet to replace those positions due to budget constraints.

Ms. Faure also expressed concern in advance of tonight’s meeting that a disproportionate number of board meetings have been held in Tomales, an isolated location that prevents many from participating due to lengthy commutes. The drive to Tomales for those living on ranches on the Point Reyes Peninsula, for example, can take an hour and 10
minutes. “Finding a fair way to promote participation at board meetings will support a board goal of building a cross-district community,” Ms. Faure said. “While there are a number of scenarios that could reach this goal, central to each is establishing an agreed upon, equitable, and predictable meeting schedule.”

Ms. Faure said the board could set a meeting schedule for special and regular meetings that reflects school-population proportionality. Given that 40 percent of the district’s families live closer to West Marin or Inverness Schools and 60 percent closer to Tomales or Bodega Bay, she conjectured, the current meeting schedule—50 percent of meetings were held this year in Tomales, and 25 percent each at West Marin School and Bodega Bay—does not seem fair. Ms. Faure also suggested the board make better use of technology during meetings, or consider holding all meetings at a central location, such as the Marconi Conference Center in Marshall.

On June 10, Ms. Sartori agreed to place a discussion of meeting locations on the agenda, but removed the item two days later, according to emails provided by Ms. Faure. Ms. Sartori cited the large number of items already present on the meeting’s agenda as her reason. According to Ms. Faure, her group also asked that a discussion of board benefits be added to the agenda, but that request was also denied.

Trustees also plan to approve next year’s budget, which shows savings from retirement incentive packages that will usher the district into the black next year, and outgoing Superintendent Tom Stubbs will report on the acceptance of 2014-15 retirement offers by six classified employees.

 

The meeting’s open session starts at 6 p.m. today, June 18, at West Marin School.