The District Board of Trustees convened for its monthly meeting on Wednesday. The Board discussed the results of the third survey on its cellphone policy, received an update on Measure W bond projects, declined to vote on a resolution supporting Proposition 3, and approved a 5% raise for teachers. Superintendent Crystal Leach was absent due to illness.
Teacher Raise
The Board voted unanimously to approve a tentative agreement with the Sequoia District Teachers Association (SDTA) that gives teachers a 5% raise for the 2026-27 school year and an increase of more than $1,000 in advanced degree stipends. “We are very excited with the agreement,” SDTA President Edith Salvatore said. The SDTA plans to bargain for the calendar after approval.
Public Comment
Woodside High School parent Johanna Mahal, the volunteer lead for the effort to recall trustees Maria Cruz, Mary Beth Thompson, and Rich Ginn, criticized the District’s last-minute decision to call off a District-wide teacher training on antisemitism in late September. The training was required under the District’s settlement of an antisemitism lawsuit in May.
“Nobody told us why. Nobody explained that to any of the parents or any of the taxpayers. Our community deserves answers,” Mahal said. “You are costing us money and time that is being taken away from our children. Shame on you.”
Salvatore responded later in the meeting, commending Leach’s decision to delay the training. Salvatore explained that a group of teachers reviewed the training and that their feedback had not been taken into account in the final presentation.
“The training was not canceled. It was postponed. It is important to get it right,” Salvatore said.
Another parent criticized Leach’s handling of the June closure of TIDE Academy (TIDE), saying TIDE students arrived at Woodside without sufficient Chromebooks or the Career Technical Education (CTE) program the Board had promised.
M-A alum Jalen Williams ’23, chimed in over Zoom to defend his former coach, Mike Molieri, after reading an article about him. Williams won a Central Coast Section championship with M. Molieri.
“If it wasn’t for him, I feel like I wouldn’t even have passed high school,” Williams said.
M. Molieri’s brother, Dan Molieri, followed, telling trustees they would soon be personally named and served in M. Molieri’s lawsuit.
“The Board, you guys finally get to be named, and I’m going to take a lot of pleasure out of that, serving you,” D. Molieri said.
Phone Policy
The Board heard the results of the third District survey on its cellphone policy, which requires students to put phones away during class but allows them during passing periods, brunch, and lunch.
In total, 1,267 students, 273 staff members, and 1,077 parents responded.
94% of responding students said they would not support a full-day ban, while 76% of staff and 62% of parents supported one. When asked about the current policy, 68% of students supported it, compared with 43% of parents and just 26% of staff, who cited enforcement issues as their biggest complaint.
Earlier in the meeting, student trustees Mina Burr, a senior at Woodside, and Joaquin Borja, a junior at Sequoia, presented the Student Advisory Council’s (SAC) opposition to a full ban, arguing it would increase disciplinary issues and put more pressure on staff to police it.
“Should the Board move in favor of a full ban by way of Yondr pouches or similar items, we on the SAC believe students would rather attempt to break them open and damage school property,” the council said in their prepared statement.
Associate Superintendent Bonnie Hansen said principals at four school sites want to keep the current policy, while two want a full-day ban. Woodside Principal Karen Van Putten said Woodside, which began using classroom phone pockets in 2023-24, has since seen a significant enough drop in referrals and conflicts between staff and students.
“Our belief is that going to a full bell-to-bell is not going to make it more perfect,” Van Putten said.
Ginn and Board President Amy Koo visited Woodside at lunch and said most students were conversing with one another rather than on their phones. Thompson said she has not decided how she will vote and asked staff for more data on phone-related referrals and enforcement.
“I don’t know how I’m voting right now, but when I do vote, I need to make sure that if I’m voting to keep the policy status quo, that there is something being done, because this is a problem,” Thompson said.
Staff will present any recommended changes on Nov. 18, which, if passed, would take effect in the 2027-28 school year.
Measure W Bond Update
Chief Facilities Officer Narayan Naidu updated the Board on the District’s $591 million Measure W bond program, which includes 12 construction projects across four campuses, all scheduled to be finished by 2030.
M-A has the most upcoming projects of any campus, including a new D and E-Wing, a new athletics facility, and a modernized B-wing. The replacement of the bleachers at Coach Parks Field, which will increase seating from 954 to 1,475, is scheduled for completion in January 2027. Naidu said the program is on time and on budget.
Proposition 3
The Board did not vote on a proposed resolution supporting Proposition 3, a statewide ballot measure that would extend current income tax rates on the wealthiest 2% of Californians, after no trustee made a motion.
Ginn argued that the Board should not take a position on a statewide measure. He stated that the District would receive about $200 per student, or less than $2 million a year, while its residents would likely pay about 100 times that amount.
“That debate belongs to the voters of California,” Ginn said.
Trustee Sathvik Nori agreed. “If we take a position on this proposition, we would invite [the] question of why not all of them,” Nori said. Koo said she supported the resolution because the proposition only extends an existing tax rather than creating something new, but agreed that the Board should discuss its norms around resolutions at its next retreat.
The Board will reconvene for its next regular meeting on Nov. 18.
