Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Reed Union School District Board Meeting Summary — August 18, 2026

This was the board's first meeting of the 2026–27 school year, held days before the first day of classes. The tone was a welcome-back: new staff were introduced, community partners reported in, and the board spent most of its time on two big items — the fall enrollment picture and the November facilities bond (Measure O).

A new school year, new faces

Superintendent Dr. Kimberly McGrath welcomed a large group of new hires, who introduced themselves at the podium. The board formally welcomed John Weller, the district's new Director of Information Services, Educational Technology & Innovation, and noted new Bel Aire principal Amelia Elamari (introduced in the spring). Dr. McGrath recapped a full new-staff orientation and an all-staff kickoff, and celebrated Maintenance & Operations director Eduardo Muñoz's 25 years with the district.

Honoring Harper Tan

The board pulled one consent item for a separate vote: acceptance of donations to the newly established Harper Tan Memorial Library Fund, created by the Tan family in memory of Harper, a rising second grader at Reed who passed away after a 16-month illness. A trustee read a personal tribute before the board voted to accept the roughly 40 community gifts, which will fund author visits, new books, and library enhancements. The board approved it, and asked that future gifts to the fund keep returning for acknowledgment.

Community partners report in

The district PTA (president Jessica Etchikers) reported nearly 12,000 volunteer hours last year, new basketball hoops at Del Mar, funding for the ParentSquare rollout, and a push to involve more working parents. The Foundation for Reed Schools (executive director Mickey Hubbell) previewed its two signature community events — Run for Reed on October 9 and the spring gala returning to Black Point pasture — and reaffirmed its roughly \$2 million annual goal funding art, music, PE, Spanish, library, and technology. Maintenance & Operations detailed a heavy summer — the Renata roofing project (phase 3), deep cleaning across all three campuses, and field and facility repairs — and the technology team walked through classroom-display upgrades, device management, and network improvements.

Enrollment is stabilizing

Chief Business Official Dr. Chris Kim reported total district enrollment of 1,107 students, up 33 from the prior year (+28 at Del Mar, +14 at Reed, −9 at Bel Aire). He noted enrollment has climbed every year since its 2022–23 low of 1,017, largely on the strength of the TK/PK program, and that class sizes appear to be stabilizing around 100–115 students per grade. One flag: Bel Aire's fifth grade, at 118 students (a 23.6 student-to-teacher ratio), is the largest fifth-grade ratio in recent years — the board asked staff to watch it and consider supports before adding a class.

Strategic Plan, Year 3

The board reviewed the Year 3 (2026–27) priority areas across the six strategic-plan pillars — Academic Excellence, Social-Emotional Learning, Staff, Families & Community, Facilities & Infrastructure, and Finance — including an age-appropriate tech-use framework, report-card improvement, the ParentSquare rollout, facility-bond steps, and a budget-advisory revenue-enhancement focus. Trustees asked how to communicate the priorities more clearly to the whole community.

The bond: picking an advisor, and the education-vs-advocacy line

The board's main action item was selecting a municipal advisor for the district's general obligation bond program (Measure O, on the November ballot). After a competitive RFP process run by Dr. Kim — four firms, written proposals, oral presentations, and reference checks — staff recommended Isom Advisors (a division of Urban Futures), the most active municipal advisor in Marin. The fee is a flat \$67,500 per bond series (an estimated \$202,500–\$270,000 total across three or four series), paid entirely from bond proceeds with no impact to the district's general fund. The board approved the selection and authorized the superintendent/CBO to finalize and sign the agreement.

Trustees then spent a long stretch mapping out how to educate — not campaign — about the bond. Staff can only play an educational role; only board members (on their own time) and an outside committee can advocate. The board divided up back-to-school nights, city-council meetings, neighborhood groups, and community organizations to share a forthcoming informational flyer, and agreed to follow the lead of the communications consultant being hired.

Board policies and wrap-up

The board held first readings of Board Policies 2110, 4100, 4200, and 4300, moving them to a second reading at the next meeting, and requested a future report on the district's report-card work. The meeting adjourned at 8:31 p.m.