Board Overreach on the february 12 agenda
At the February 12 Board of Education meeting, the board majority is scheduled to take a second reading and final vote on Bylaw 9322.
As we reported in our January 22 meeting recap, this proposed revision weakens the Superintendent’s role in agenda setting and places final authority solely with the Board President.
The superintendent did not recommend this change. During the January 22 meeting, he provided a detailed memo explaining that the existing policy aligns with best practices in high-performing districts and with California School Boards Association model language. He warned that the proposed revision would weaken shared governance and introduce operational and transparency risks.
Despite that professional recommendation:
The language was edited live during the meeting to further consolidate authority with the Board President
It was advanced without a first reading
Not a single written or in-person public comment supported the change
Staff and union representatives voiced opposition
You can review our full January 22 recap, including meeting timestamps and source documents, here: Link to Newsletter
Why This Matters
The superintendent was hired unanimously in a 5–0 vote after a national search to lead this district.
Moving forward with governance changes that disregard his recommendations represents a clear shift away from collaborative leadership. When the board majority dismisses professional guidance while expanding its own authority, it undermines stability, transparency, and trust.
We are also seeing this same pattern extend beyond governance policy. The board has begun inserting itself into site-level and administrative decisions, including graduation planning and staff direction. These are operational responsibilities traditionally led by school leadership, not trustees.
Strong districts depend on clear roles. Blurring those lines creates conflict and instability.
This is board overreach, and it is causing real harm to the district.
What You Can Do
Please take action.
Attend the meeting - Open Session 6:00 p.m. in Thurston Middle School Library
Email board members and urge them to reverse course on Bylaw 9322 - jglass@lbusd.org, smorgan@lbusd.org, dperry@lbusd.org, jkelly@lbusd.org, jmalczewski@lbusd.org, hhills@lbusd.org
Ask the board to stop this overreach, respect the superintendent they unanimously hired, and return to collaborative, transparent governance focused on students and staff.
Submit public comment here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd9_c3aUTtuP5NunLkZ-TSKQeSP-tb76wYdsI86aFExNVss5g/viewform?usp=send_form
Additional Resources:
