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West Sonoma County Union High School District board meeting, Aug 19, 2026

3 h 30 min · 26 public speakers

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 3 h 30 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
What happened

What happened at this meeting

West Sonoma County board pulls consortium item from agenda; speakers raise stipend cuts 1:04:55

  • At the start of open session, a speaker recommended pulling item A3 from the agenda, citing a significant amount of communication from community members and parents, and Jeanne Fernandes said A3 was no longer on the agenda. 1:03:37
  • Speakers at public comment asked the board to honor the consortium agreement through 2028 and asked the district to bring back stipends for band, choir, dance and intramurals. 1:16:40
  • The superintendent said the Ed Code section raised by speakers is silent on consortia and that district counsel would respond to a letter from the teachers association. 2:32:47
  • The board also heard presentations on district communications, the El Molino campus programs and summer facilities work, and considered resolutions and personnel agreements. 2:33:40
Item by item (12)
  1. Opening and agenda changes 3:06
    • Jeanne Fernandes called the meeting to order, adjourned to closed session and later reconvened with the Pledge of Allegiance. 3:06
    • A speaker recommended pulling item A3 so the district could give the community further clarification and rationale and allow trustees more time before discussion and a possible vote. 1:03:37
    • Jeanne Fernandes said members of the public who submitted speaker cards on A3 could still speak under items not on the agenda. 1:04:55
    • Jeanne Fernandes said A3 was now not on the agenda. 1:04:55
  2. Public comment on items not on agenda 1:05:51
    • Speaking time was set at 2 minutes per speaker, and several speakers at public comment asked the board to honor the consortium agreement through 2028 and raised Ed Code requirements for transferring special education programs. 1:05:51
    • Other speakers raised concerns about the Commons phone app, asked how Prop 28 arts funding was spent, and asked the schools to share what they were doing about racism in the community. 1:05:51
    • Several speakers at public comment asked the board to restore stipends for band, theater, dance, debate and intramurals, and one said a single stipend was $4,994. 1:16:40
  3. Consent calendar 2:11:17
    • A motion and second were made on the consent calendar, and the chair called for a vote. 2:11:17
  4. Student and association reports 2:19:11
    • During association reports, a speaker said the district was saving $4,900 each by cutting programs such as the fall play while considering giving up more than $460,000 in consortium revenue. 2:21:24
    • The speaker read a cease and desist letter from the CTA Legal Department asking the board not to approve the proposed resolution on withdrawing from the consortium. 2:24:29
  5. Board member and superintendent reports 2:26:40
    • During board member reports, Lewis Buchner spoke of appreciating democracy and how messy and difficult it is. 2:26:52
    • It was announced that a board member had resigned effective immediately and that the board would appoint a replacement. 2:27:47
    • The superintendent said the Ed Code section is silent on consortia, so the timelines fall back to the local agreement, and that counsel would prepare a response to the letter. 2:32:47
  6. Communications update and plan 2:33:40
    • A staff member reported spending $408.64 on social media ads and $12,310.16 of the marketing budget so far. 2:34:27
    • The staff member said plans for the year include classroom visits, anti-hate speech education and digital citizenship communication tied to the phone-free school day. 2:34:27
  7. El Molino campus programs presentation 2:53:30
    • The presenter described a move toward advisory, student learning plans and internships, and a shared instructional team for both schools. 2:54:31
  8. Hispanic Heritage Month resolution 3:10:30
    • A staff member said a campus club would lead activities including a radio station visit on club day, September 11th. 3:11:44
    • A roll call vote was taken on the resolution. 3:12:55
  9. Attendance Awareness Month resolution 3:13:35
    • A speaker said the district planned communication to families and incentives for attendance during September. 3:13:50
    • A roll call vote was taken on the resolution. 3:15:06
  10. Teachers outside credential area 3:15:15
    • A staff member asked the board to approve 7 teachers teaching outside their credential area, saying each meets at least 3 of 7 Ed Code criteria. 3:15:39
  11. Teacher and classified staff agreements 3:16:35
    • A staff member asked the board to retroactively approve an agreement waiving the 5-day priority window to fill a vacancy after an unexpected retirement. 3:17:06
    • The staff member also presented agreements for two teachers to work 1.20 assignments and for the consortium administrative assistant to increase from 0.875 FTE to 1.0. 3:18:57
  12. Regional parks joint use lease 3:27:42
    • A staff member said the updated lease with Sonoma County Regional Parks reflects one classroom, a restroom, dedicated parking and storage areas. 3:27:42

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

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Video: posted by the district as “Board Meeting August 19, 2026”