West Sonoma County Union High School board parts ways with superintendent

The school board for the West Sonoma County Union High School District voted Wednesday to buy out Superintendent Toni Beal’s contract, placing her on administrative leave and bringing in a retired superintendent to helm the district while searching for Beal’s permanent replacement.

Board President Patrick Nagle said the vote was unanimous among all four trustees present. Trustee Angie Lewis was absent.

“We did not make this decision lightly and we believe that this leadership change will help us create the climate necessary to end the disruptive and divisive activities that are inhibiting our school community from coming together and moving forward with a shared commitment and focus for students,” Nagle said.

The board’s vote was held in closed session Wednesday, with the results announced later during the public portion of the night’s board meeting.

The school board had met in closed session during two other special meetings that were called in the three weeks prior to Wednesday’s announcement. Those meetings, which cited government code, were held to discuss a public employee’s discipline, dismissal or release.

The school board is planning to bring on Donald Evans, former superintendent of the Berkeley Unified School District, as a short-term interim superintendent, while the board begins its search for a “longer-term interim” who can finish out the school year and prepare for the following one.

“We are grateful to Dr. Evans for stepping up to help us while we conduct this search, as we did not want a leadership void to place additional operational and administrative burdens on our lean district staff or our school administration,” the board said in a joint statement released shortly after the announcement during the public part of the meeting.

Beal has been superintendent of the high school district since July 2018, leading while the district dealt with continued declining enrollment and the COVID-19 pandemic. Her departure comes after more than a year and a half of turmoil around the school district’s budget woes, including a persistent structural deficit.

In the fall of 2020, she and other district administrators approached the school board with a possible plan to consolidate the district’s two large high schools, Analy and El Molino, as a way to eliminate a $1.2 million-structural deficit.

In March 2021, six months later and following attempts to stave off consolidation with increased tax revenue, the school board voted to consolidate. It later adopted a “bridge name” of West County High School for the new campus.

Controversy around the decision continued for months, however, including protests, a lawsuit brought by community members and a failed attempt to recall three board members.

In December, the school board, under pressure from Analy alumni, voted to restore the Analy name to the Sebastopol campus by the 2022-23 school year. That decision has sparked two additional walkouts by students who hope to see the joint name continue at the combined campus.

Beal’s most recent contract set her salary at $187,642 in 2021, in addition to a $350 per month vehicle allowance and a $100 per month cell phone stipend.

You can reach Staff Writer Kaylee Tornay at 707-521-5250 or kaylee.tornay@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ka_tornay.