05/29/2024 -
Support Sonoma County’s public school students by serving as a school board trustee!
The Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) will host an informational session from 5:30-7 p.m. on Thursday, June 27, for people interested in running for a seat on their local school board or the County Board of Education.
A panel of current school board trustees will outline their duties and experiences as leaders in local education, and representatives from Sonoma County’s Registrar of Voters Office will outline requirements and deadlines for those who wish to run in November’s general election. Dozens of school board seats across Sonoma County are up for election, as are three seats on the county board.
“California gives communities broad authority to determine how their local schools are run,” said Dr. Amie Carter, Sonoma County Superintendent of Schools. “Working within a framework provided by the state Legislature, our school boards set policy on matters of curriculum, staffing, discipline, and many other critical areas of education.
“It’s the duty of the Sonoma County Office of Education to help ensure a diverse slate of qualified candidates appears on the ballot this November, so that our schools have engaged, thoughtful leadership.”
Current Sonoma County Board of Education President Andrew Leonard, whose seat is up for election in November, said his nine years on the board have been incredibly rewarding.
“Getting to serve on the county board has given me the unique opportunity to be a connector in the community,” Leonard said. “Being an ambassador for SCOE, helping showcase the impacts of nonprofit partners, and seeing students thrive in our classrooms while serving in this hybrid governance and connector role, has been an honor.”
Leonard, who plans to leave office at the end of the year, is serving as a panelist at the information session.
Candidates for the county board or a school district board must live within the trustee area for which they are seeking election. The trustee district boundaries closely align with the district boundaries for the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. A map showing the county board trustee areas is available here. To find out which school district you live in, as well as the current school board trustee who represents you, click here.
To register for the candidate information session, please complete this Google Form by June 19. Interpretation is available with advance registration.
For questions about the informational session, please contact SCOE Administrative Operations Specialist Lacey Goff at lgoff@scoe.org. For media inquiries related to the session, contact Director of Communications Eric Wittmershaus at ewittmershaus@scoe.org.
