This story was updated to correct candidate Pooya Sarabandi’s occupation.
BY AMELIA BISCARDI
Daily Post Staff Writer
With a possible teachers strike looming and calls for new leadership, three seats are up for grabs on the Las Lomitas school board in Atherton and Menlo Park.
A change.org petition signed by over 800 people calls for a change in leadership and a vote of no confidence against Superintendent Beth Polito. The petition, written by Christine Arnould, a district volunteer, says Polito has left her employees feeling “unsupported and in fear of retaliation.”
On Wednesday, Polito announced she will retire in August. This means the new board will be tasked with finding her next superintendent.
The teacher’s union has approved a strike. Their ask is for a 10% salary increase and fully paid healthcare.
The school board says it is standing firm on its offer of a 5% salary increase plus about $2,000 in additional health benefits.
Incumbent Paige Winikoff is being challenged by Shauna Smith for a two-year board seat.
The school district has two schools, Las Lomitas Elementary and La Entrada, a middle school.
Winikoff, 58, works as an employment attorney and has three children, with her youngest in 7th grade at La Entrada and lives in Menlo Park.
Winikoff’s met with teachers
Winikoff wants to make sure that every student has the “best possible educational experience” and all students meet state math and English standards.
While she thinks the district is on the right track, she wants to see more resources for academic excellence. She wants to keep class sizes small, have librarians at both schools and have full-time art and music teacher at Las Lomitas.
With the district and union still in the midst of negotiations, Winikoff has met with teachers informally and says their concerns are legitimate and go beyond just pay.
“The teacher’s union and I have the same priority, which is to provide the best possible educational environment for the students,” Winikoff said. “We must ensure that our employees are fairly compensated, treated well, and given the opportunity to voice their ideas.”
Smith is pro-union
Running against Winikoff is Shauna Smith, 46, of Menlo Park. Smith is a director for a non-profit that brings technology to the Ravenswood City School District in East Palo Alto and Menlo Park.Smith has two sons, one who attends the Las Lomitas School District. She has volunteered as a board member on the La Entrada PTA.
On the PTA, Smith said she enjoyed volunteering for events such as family picnics and movie nights. Smith has also served on other school PTAs as well.
Smith, if elected wants to focus on high-quality academics and giving students more opportunities with STEM and technology. She wants to encourage a positive and inclusive environment.
Smith is disappointed the unions and district can’t come to an agreement and says she is firmly pro-union.
Pick up tomorrow’s post for information on the three candidates running for the two four-year seats.
A separate ballot question will ask voters to vote for two four-year seats. Here are the candidates for that race.
Morimoto about finance
Incumbent Jason Morimoto, 45, works as a finance executive and has two children who attend La Entrada Middle School. Before being elected in 2020, Morimoto served on the Las Lomitas PTA as a treasurer and board member.
Morimoto, who lives in Menlo Park, wants teachers to be paid competitive wages but is concerned that paying teachers more would have to come from somewhere in the budget and could not be feasible without additional revenue.
Morimoto says the board and union need to work together to find a solution.
Alternatively, Morimoto says the community needs to advocate to state elected officials for legislature that provides teachers housing options with stipends.
Sarabandi wants transparency
Pooya Sarabandi, 45, is a Chief Technology and Product Officer in a Risk Management company and is the father of two Las Lomitas students. He is running for school board because he wants the board to be more transparent and communicate better with parents and teachers.
One of the ways that Sarabandi, who lives in Menlo Park, hopes to do this is by having more public information easily available.
Sarabandi wants to reprioritize the budget putting more of an emphasis on teacher salaries and programs for students.
Paying teachers a competitive salary Sarabandi says is “essential for retaining our highly qualified teachers.”
Sarabandi says the board needs to regain the public’s trust by communicating more and being more transparent. One of the ways Sarabandi wants to see this is by having the district’s budget breakdown on its website.
Legg is life-long Laderan
Kimberly Legg, 38, a realtor and mom did not respond to the Post’s inquiries about her run. According to her campaign website, she attended Las Lomitas as a student and is now hoping to give back and make sure students receive an education that is just as good if not better.
Legg, who lives in Ladera, says on her website that she wants to advocate for staff to have a full compensation package and more professional development resources.