MarinIJ: Tam Union School District Enters Election Fray

The Tamalpais Union High School District board election this year is a scrum involving two incumbents, a former trustee, a slate of reformers — and the 260-member teachers union.

The Tamalpais Federation of Teachers rarely gets involved in board politics. But after almost two years of tumult under the current board, the union leadership said it had no choice but to go public.

Three seats are at stake in the Nov. 3 election. Two-term incumbents Kevin Saavedra and Cynthia Roenisch are seeking reelection, and incumbent Emily Uhlhorn did not seek a new term. Leslie Harlander, a former board member, entered the race.

The other four candidates say they offer a new approach. They are constitutional lawyer Brian Sutherland, community activist Joy Scully Koo, retired district teacher Valerie Wynn; and Spanish educator Maria Sandoval.

Sutherland, Koo and Wynn were endorsed by two recently formed community organizations, the Tam Union Governance Alliance and the Friends of Tam District. They have secured the endorsement of the teachers union.

“Our members are asking for a board that listens, learns and treats educators as partners in the work of serving students,” union co-president Melissa Boles said in the announcement on Monday. “Brian, Valerie and Joy convinced us that they understand that responsibility and are ready to rebuild trust in this district.”

The endorsements mark the first time “in recent memory” that the union has asserted itself in a board election, said Preston Picus, union vice president.

Saavedra said, “When I met with them I told them I do not want their endorsement. I don’t think voters in our district want their trustees to be catering to the union. And I don’t think the union should be dabbling in board politics.”

The election arrives after about two years of turmoil and personal attacks involving the board, including a profane retort from Saavedra to a resident who expressed concern about board conduct at a public meeting. Recent board controversies included a decision not to renew two consultant contracts to run the Black Student Success Team and the Hub at Tamalpais High School; a plan to locate the Tamiscal and San Andreas alternative high schools on one campus; and a plan to scale down the long-running Team outdoor education program at Archie Williams High School.

Saavedra and Roenisch said they deserve a third term, defending their decisions as fiscally responsible and in the best interest of students.

“I am running to support academic rigor and excellence for all students and to support fiscal responsibility and accountability for the district,” said Roenisch, 61, a Corte Madera resident.

Roenisch, the board president, is the mother of two Redwood High School graduates. She is an advanced placement English teacher and a University of Chicago law school graduate and former litigator. Prior to her eight years on the Tam Union board, she was a Kentfield School District trustee for 13 years.

Roenisch said she led the recruitment effort that landed Courtney Goode as district superintendent last year. She said she supports “his refocusing the district on academic priorities and rigorous education of all students.”

“In an uncertain economy, our graduates must be civically engaged and knowledgeable critical thinkers so they can proactively decide what to do after high school, whether that be attending college, joining the workforce or entering public service,” she said.

Saavedra, 55, of San Anselmo is a real estate investment executive and the father of two Archie Williams High School graduates. He said he is “running to maintain and build upon the positive momentum we have built during my time as a trustee.”

“I know the district has benefited from my leadership and decision-making, particularly in matters of financial management, and my willingness to stand behind hard decisions that some may feel are controversial,” Saavedra said. “The Tam district is in a better place because of my involvement.”

Harlander, whose two terms from 2016 to 2024 partially overlapped with those of Roenisch and Saavedra, said she wants to return to the board “because high schools are facing growing social, educational and fiscal challenges.”

“Balancing fiscal constraints with what our high schools offer requires partnering with our community,” said Harlander, 71, a Mill Valley resident who is a retired civil engineer and the parent of Tamalpais High School graduates. “As a result, I believe the district will need stronger collaboration with teachers and a more focused plan for community involvement.”

The remaining candidates say they intend to disrupt what they say is an oppressive, dismissive and patronizing attitude from the board incumbents toward constituents who speak out at meetings or object to board decisions.

“In my view, this board has too often made decisions about our children’s education and our tax dollars without weighing the full record of evidence in public or giving the community a real chance to be heard first,” said Brendan Mullins of Tam Union Governance Alliance.

Mullins said the group aims “to hold this board’s decision-making to that standard: transparent, evidence-based decisions made in public, with civility toward the community members who come to these meetings to be heard.”

Sutherland, 51, of Mill Valley has had a 20-year legal career, including more than 2,000 hours of volunteer democracy litigation and five years of government service.

“From California to the U.S. Supreme Court, I have served as a lawyer for governments, universities and Fortune 100 companies,” said Sutherland, who has two children in Tam Union district schools.

“The choices ahead are harder than they’ve been in years, and our board needs to do the hard work better,” he said. “As a school board member, I’ll work alongside teachers, administrators and the community to champion our students and teachers.”

Koo, 60, a Mill Valley resident, is a mechanical engineer, life sciences researcher and educator. She is a parent of two Tamalpais High School graduates and one current Tam High student.

“Over the past two years, I have watched a board lose sight of the people it is meant to serve,” Koo said. “I have seen students dismissed at public comment; I have heard from teachers who feel demoralized and undervalued; and I have watched consequential decisions get made without transparency or genuine community input.”

The board “needs to rebuild trust across our community and close the achievement gap for all our students,” Koo said.

Wynn, 64, a 30-year Marin resident, is the parent of two Tam Union district graduates. She recently retired after almost 10 years as a social studies teacher at Archie Williams High School. She volunteers with a voter protection organization and a pet rescue and adoption foundation.

Prior to her teaching tenure, Wynn was an attorney who represented boards, agencies and commissions for San Francisco. “I am well aware of what good governance looks like and the potential pitfalls,” Wynn said.

Wynn said she is running “to bring back strong and respectful governance and to ensure that the allocation of available resources leads to growth and positive outcomes for all students.”

“This requires dedicated listening to our community, staff and experts, along with earnest and open-minded deliberation,” she said.

Sandoval, 46, lives in Mill Valley and teaches in San Francisco. A parent of a Tamalpais High School graduate, she has nearly 20 years of experience in education in public, charter, independent, alternative and adult education settings. She also is a member of the Marin County Library Commission.

Sandoval said she is running because “education has the power to transform lives.” As a trustee, Sandoval said, she would “support academic excellence, while fostering a culture of trust, respectful dialogue, and collaboration among students, families, educators, staff and the broader community.”

“I believe strong schools are built when people listen to one another, work together and keep students at the center of every decision,” she said.

The district has about 87,263 registered voters.