BY AMELIA BISCARDI
Daily Post Staff Writer
The Las Lomitas School Board has revoked Superintendent Beth Polito’s district credit cards while the District Attorney’s office looks into her spending.
Polito has faced fierce parent and teacher opposition leading to parents digging through district finances, finding receipts from stays at luxury hotels and expensive dinners. The board voted Wednesday to no longer let Polito charge things to the district’s card.
Meanwhile, the DA’s office is investigating a claim made just before Thanksgiving that Polito has been misusing school district funds. District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said his team is currently gathering records and hopes to announce whether it will open a formal investigation by the middle of next month.
At this point in the investigation, no subpoenas or search warrants have been issued, Wagstaffe said.
The DA isn’t the only county office looking into the matter. The San Mateo County Office of Education is also reviewing credit card spending by district administrators, Las Lomitas board members Jason Morimoto and Gattam Nadella announced Wednesday.
San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools Nancy Magee said in an email to the Post her office is reviewing policies of the district. Magee hopes to complete the review around mid-January and bring the report to a board meeting.
“This represents progress and a long overdue step in the right direction,” parent Christine Arnould said. “However, given the spending concerns involving Beth Politio, she should no longer be trusted with any district budget decisions. Additionally, establishing robust community oversight is essential moving forward.”
Board President Paige Winikoff told the Post the expense investigation by the county office of edu- cation will look at credit card expenses over the last couple of years. The board hopes to receive the report from the office of education at its Jan. 15 meeting, Winikoff said.
Winikoff said the board plans to evaluate travel and expense policies in light of the investigations.
When the teacher’s union went on strike for three days starting on Oct. 23, parents began digging into school finances.
Parent Susanna Chenette filed a public records request for the district’s finances. She was trying to understand if the district’s claim that there wasn’t enough money to give teachers a raise was true. She found eyebrow-raising expenses, including invoices for $4,796.43 at a luxury Manhattan hotel.
Polito said in an email in November to the Post that she often places group meals or group hotel stays on her card and that “total charges on my card often don’t reflect my personal consumption.”
She also added that part of her contract allows for $10,000 a year for professional coaching and development.
Over the last two weeks, the board has met in closed session twice to discuss Polito’s contract. Winikoff and board member Heather Hopkins announced on Dec. 13 that the board will hire an outside attorney to advise them about Polito’s contract.
Neither Winikoff nor Hopkins have answered questions about what the concerns are with Polito’s contract. Polito, who made $315,362 in total pay in 2022, is retiring in August.
Polito, 55, said she planned on retiring last school year but because of her cancer diagnosis, wanted to have a full year on campus before retiring. Polito has been working as the district’s superintendent for five years after replacing Lisa Cesario who retired after eight years.
A change.org petition bearing 1,049 signatures calls for Polito’s resignation saying, “Under Superintendent Dr. Polito’s leadership, the budgeting practices implemented have significantly altered the culture and sense of connection with the LLESD community.”
Las Lomitas’ two schools have 1,161 students, according to the California Department of Education. There are 18 administrators and 84 teachers in the district, according to the schools website.
This is the second local school district where par- ents dove into the finances and questioned district spending habits.
Parents criticized former Mountain View Whisman Superintendent Ayinde Rudolph for spending too much on contracts that don’t directly benefit students. He hired his former boss as his personal coach and brought in an “energy healer” for $121,150.
Rudolph announced his resignation on Nov. 1, saying that he wanted to focus on his family after a recent health scare. The district is paying Rudolph $98,259 to leave his position without suing.
to leave his position without suing.
I don’t know what’s worse — the parents who can’t get their numbers straight or the free-spending superintendent! They deserve each other.