Tam Union incumbents deserve votes

Voters in the Tamalpais Union High School District can’t go wrong in picking two communitymembers to serve on its school board.

Five candidates, including two incumbents, are on the Nov. 3 ballot for the job.

It’s a tough time to be on the Tamschool board. Revenue isn’t keeping pace with budget demands of providing top-notch educational opportunities for more than 5,000 students, the district’s bill for pensions is rising, enrollment is growing, the district has a tax measure on the ballot and the community is embroiled in a debate over renaming Sir Francis Drake High School, one of the district’s high school campuses.

The name change comes in response to criticism that the 16th century circumnavigator had once engaged in the African slave trade before landing in Marin.

But five people want the job of helping steer the district into calmer waters. The district’s schools are among the most respected across the state, but despite the affluence of the community, its revenue is not keeping pace with its budgetary demands.

Incumbent trustees Leslie Harlander and Karen Loebbaka and challengers Mandy Downing, Brandon Johnson and Tiffany McElroy are in the running on the Nov. 3 ballot.

Re-electing Harlander and Loebbaka would provide the board with both balance and experience.

Loebbaka was appointed to the school board in 2019, bringing with her experience as a parent, a leader of the Redwood High School Foundation and the advisory board of Bridge the Gap college prep tutoring for Marin City teens.

Both have been involved in reviewing the district’s budgetary challenges and have proved their mettle in making tough decisions.

Harlander was elected to the board in 2018. She came to the board as a parent of a Tamalpais High School student who was concerned about some of the curriculummoves the district had made. She is also a retired registered nurse who now works as a civil engineer. Harlander not only knows the importance of top-flight schools, but has a breadth of experience in medical care and construction that the board could use.

But Downing, Johnson and McElroy are making their case for change.

Johnson is a Drake High graduate and prep basketball coach. He has become a voice for racial equity in Marin and says there is a need fromAfrican-American representation on the Tam board.

Clearly, when making decisions, trustees need to ask how their actions will help advance racial equity for district students. But there’s more to the job.

Downing, a Larkspur resident, has two students in the Tam district. As a longtime school volunteer, she is knowledgeable about the issues facing the district.

San Anselmo resident McElroy is the parent of a Drake student. She is a member of the Parents for Racial Equity committee. Her experience as a TV journalist could benefit the school board and district in improving its communication with the community.

One example is the board’s messy handling of the name change. The school quickly removed Drake signs and images from the campus before starting a community dialogue — and triggering debate — over what to call the campus.

The move clearly gave the impression from district leadership — although refuted by the administration and school board — that the Drake name is history and the conversation would home in on a new name.

This race is a tough call as each candidate offers a perspective and experience that could prove valuable to the board’s decision making process.

And the board faces the challenges of having to make some very difficult decisions, even if voters pass the tax measure.

On the Nov. 3 ballot, we recommend retaining Leslie Harlander and Karen Loebbaka. Their resumes offer on-thejob experience that the district needs in steering it through the challenging shoals it faces.