Kate Ford and Rose Munoz were sworn in Tuesday night to the Santa Barbara Unified School District board of trustees.
Both of the new school board members, elected in November, took the oath of office and were sworn in by a person of their choice.
Ford chose Santa Barbara City Councilwoman Kristen Sneddon.
“It’s my honor to swear in this woman of integrity, intellect, and independence,” Sneddon said.
The two embraced in a hug afterward.
Munoz was sworn in by her daughter, Yesenia Munoz.
The board also elected a new president, Wendy Sims-Moten; vice-president, Laura Capp; and Dr. Jacqueline Reid as clerk of the board.
Ford is a former principal at Peabody Elementary School. Munoz is a social worker.
San Marcos Principal Search
Ford hit the ground running in her first meeting, calling for parents to be involved in the interview process for the new principal at San Marcos High School.
At the meeting, the board voted 5-0 to pay consulting firm Leadership Associates $12,500 to find candidates for the principal position.
District Superintendent Cary Matsuoka demoted former San Marcos High School principal Ed Behrens to junior high school teacher earlier this year, a move that sparked outrage among many San Marcos parents.
The board hired an interim principal, Richard Rundhaug, for a one-year stint.
Ford objected to language in the process timeline that stated “consultant meets with staff and community designated by superintendent.”
Ford suggested inviting everyone to an interview process, and if there were too many parents who come forward to hold a lottery to remove unfairness perceptions.
“The people I talk to are concerned there are favorites and there are not favorites,” Ford said of parents who could be selected to interview candidates.
Matsuoka said he considers the hiring of principals to be the job of him and his cabinet, but agreed to the lottery idea with “about five to six parents.”
Board member Laura Capps agreed that it is important to remove all questions about transparency and fairness.
“Things do seem like they are hidden; I know they are not hidden,” Capps said.
According to the timeline approved, the deadline for applications is Feb. 14, and a stakeholder group will interview and identify finalists between March 11 and 13.
“This is one of, if not the most important thing we are going to do this year,” Capps said. “We need to get this right.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
