Area 3 seat open after Knudsen’s resignation
Terri Eves Knudsen
Published online on July 12, 2024
By Kaylee Arca
The Morgan Hill Unified School District Board of Education voted 5-2 to appoint a new trustee for Area 3, following the resignation of Terri Knudsen. Her term ends in December 2026.
The decision at a special July 9 board meeting came amid calls from community members for a special election, highlighting tensions between fiscal concerns and democratic representation. Trustees Knudsen and Pamela Gardener voted against choosing the appointment process.
The board will hold a special meeting Aug. 27 to interview eligible candidates and potentially make an appointment for the Area 3 trustee position.
Applications in English can be found by clicking HERE.
Las solicitudes en español se pueden encontrar haciendo clic AQUÍ.
The district’s attorney estimated a special election would cost between $500,000 and $2 million — a significant expense for a district already facing a $13 million budget deficit.
Attorney Harold Freiman from Lozano Smith presented the options to the board in alignment with the California Education Code. He explained the deadline to add the Trustee Area 3 vacancy to the next general election ballot, on November 5, passed. If Knudsen had submitted her resignation before June 28 instead of July 2, the vacancy could have been added to the November ballot, he said.
Resignation submissions must be made within 130 days of the next regularly scheduled election. Therefore, a special election will have to wait until March 2025.
During the special meeting, the discussion centered around the board’s two options: appoint a provisional board member or host a special election to fill the vacancy. The audience was noticeably sparse with a lack of MHUSD principals, teachers, and parents, due in part to the last-minute meeting.
During public comment, several community members and parents urged the board to include the short-term Trustee Area 3 seat on the November 2024 general election ballot.
“With mere months remaining until this pivotal election, choosing an appointment over an election would significantly undermine our community’s voice and the democratic process,” said Saied Zargar, a Paradise Valley Elementary School parent. “It’s about upholding democracy, ensuring fair representation of our community, and above all safeguarding the best interests of our students. I urge you to do the right thing by the community and our children.”
Another parent told the board that an appointment would deny the democratic process.
“As elected officials yourselves, you were chosen, all chosen by voters, to serve the best interests of our community and our children,” said Anahita Yazdi, an Area 3 parent. “The appointment process denies the people of Area 3 the right to have a say in who represents them.”
Some attendees supported Trustee Knutsen’s decision to resign.
“I think Terri has made a very hard decision, and we shouldn’t fault her for giving it five days ago,” said Area 5 parent Sonia Bennet. “She has a personal life that we admire and we are grateful for everything you’ve done for our community. Thank you so much for what you’ve done.”
Any additional cost for a special election is “more than justified” for the public, said Jim Levis, a Britton Middle School science teacher and the president of the Morgan Hill teachers union.
“Trustee areas were established a few years ago to allow for more representation by the citizens of Morgan Hill,” he said. “The board of trustees should be elected whenever possible. With almost two more years still on this trustee area cycle, it is possible and you have the ability to make this election happen.”
The majority of the public comments from community members supported the special election option. However, the board of education cited budget concerns when it voted to appoint a provisional trustee.
Knudsen requested that the board revisit the option of hosting a special election after receiving a proposed budget from the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters.
“I think we need to respect many of the public that spoke tonight that want an election,” she said.
Board President Adam Escoto is relieved that the board majority voted to make a provisional appointment in lieu of a special election.
“Any funds taken from the general fund means less money is available to pay staff and in present times inevitably would result in additional layoffs,” he said in an email.
The board’s decision to appoint a trustee instead of holding an election is a trend, said Trustee John Horner, who has been a board member for almost six years. Knudsen is the third resignation he has experienced during his tenure.
“In both of the other two times, we chose to make a provisional appointment, primarily for reasons of cost,” Horner said.
Knudsen decided to retire due to health reasons. She had knee surgery a few years ago and has been searching with her husband for a home with fewer stairs and closer to their children. The couple found a new house in The Delta Cove development on Bethel Island, north of Brentwood.
Knudsen has been part of MHUSD for 25 years. She was a library clerk at P.A. Walsh Elementary School before moving to Britton Middle School. She later earned her teaching credential and master’s in library science, serving as a librarian at Live Oak High School followed by Sobrato High School.
Kaylee Arca is a Morgan Hill-based freelance reporter.
