SMUSD Board Vacancy and provisional board member process begins

SAN MARINO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

PRESS RELEASE

May 18, 2021

Greetings San Marino Community,

On Tuesday night, May 11, 2021, Vice President of the San Marino Unified School District Board of Education (BOE), Mr. Corey Barberie, resigned his position on the Board as he and his family anticipate a move from California to another state. Mr. Barberie initially recused himself from the Closed Session and subsequently announced his resignation prior to the Board conducting any business on the regular agenda. Mr. Barberie’s resignation became official on Wednesday, May 12, 2021, when he submitted his signed resignation letter to the Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Debra Duardo. The SMUSD Board of Education and Cabinet thanks Mr. Barberie for his outstanding service to our students and community over these past two-and-a-half years and wishes the best to Corey, Jennifer and Caroline as they begin their new adventure together.
On Monday, May 17, 2021, the Board of Education met in open session at 5:00 p.m. to determine the process and timeline for filling the vacancy created within the 60-day timeline, as defined in the California Education Code sections 5091-5095, for appointing a provisional board member candidate. The following timeline was created after the remaining four Board members were advised by Dr. Allison Deegan, Business Advisory Services Coordinator, with the Los Angeles County Office of Education.

• On Tuesday, May 18, notification (http://bit.ly/51821Notification) of the board vacancy and provisional board member appointee process is being provided to media outlets, the San Marino community including the City of San Marino, community organizations and the parents and followers of SMUSD;
• The provisional board member application period will begin at 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18, 2021, and will close precisely at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, June 4, 2021;
• The application for serving out Mr. Barberie’s term will be made available both electronically and on paper. Information regarding the application process will be posted on the District website at www.smusd.us;
• The remaining four BOE members have called for a Special BOE Meeting on Monday, June 7, 2021 at 3:00 pm, in open session to screen applications for eligibility to serve on the Board;
• The names of candidates who pass the screening process will be made available to the public in both the open Special Meeting of the BOE on June 7, and in written form to the community at 8:00 a.m. on June 8, 2021 via Constant Contact;
• The SMUSD Board will conduct their Regular BOE Meeting on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. An information item will be included in the agenda to discuss the names of eligible candidates and the continuing process of filling the vacancy;
• Candidates will be interviewed by the four Board members at a Special BOE Meeting, on Thursday, June 10, 2021, beginning at 5:00 p.m. Candidates who had previously arranged to be out of town will be allowed to interview via the District’s normal Zoom panelist link;
• Multiple Public Comment periods will be offered on June 7, 8 and 10, including prior to and immediately following the interviews;
• It is the intention of the San Marino Unified School District’s Board of Education to announce a provisional candidate at the Special BOE Meeting on June 10, 2021, and to swear that candidate into office to serve the remaining term vacated by Mr. Barberie. That term will end in December of 2022.

If the SMUSD Board of Education is unable to appoint a provisional candidate or if the provisional appointment is challenged in a legally defensible manner, a costly special election will be called for by the County Superintendent of Schools on or around July 11, 2021.