Grand Jury peeks inside of SCOE

One of Sonoma County’s more hidden government bodies recently
investigated an even lower-profile agency, leading to a long list
of questions that could have been headed with, “what do they really
do?”
In a “pot calling the kettle black” scenario, the Sonoma County
Grand Jury included an informational report in this year’s Final
Report on the Sonoma County Board of Education (SCOE.)
The Grand Jury found that SCOE “has very little control over
initiating innovative educational policies for the County’s
schools,” its report concluded.
The jury panel called SCOE “one of the lesser-known governing
entities of the county” adding “its existence and function (should)
be better understood by the voters who elect the Board
Members.”
The report said SCOE has “virtually no control over individual
school districts” and has “little control” over its own office led
by an independently-elected superintendent whom they cannot hire or
dismiss.
The county office of education is led by superintendent Dr. Carl
Wong, an elected position with a 4-year term. There are seven
members of the board elected from geographic districts in the
county, also serving staggered 4-year terms.
Under Dr. Wong’s tenure since 2002, SCOE has increased its role
as a clearinghouse for special programs, training, career programs
and support services to the county’s smaller districts.
The board meets monthly, and visitors or general public
representatives are a very rare sight.
Each county in California has a central board of education,
although some smaller counties have combined boards. Sonoma
County’s board was first elected in 1956. Board members set a
budget, fix the superintendent’s salary, hear student expulsion and
inter-district transfer appeals, oversee Court and Community
schools and approve charter schools.
The Grand Jury found some board members were “frustrated” that
they have little influence over the policies of the local education
system, with some members calling the county system in “disrepair”
and needing to be restructured “from the top down.”
Jury foreperson Richard Klein said the review of SCOE was
“routine” and not caused by any complaint or specific issue.
“From time to time, it’s the Grand Jury’s responsibility to look
at all government agencies and the jobs they do for the public,” he
said.
The 2008-2009 Grand Jury Report was released earlier this month
and includes a total of eight separate reports, including one about
the makeup and activities of the Grand Jury itself, where a lack of
ethnic diversity and overall citizen participation was found.
The full report is available at county libraries and on line at
www.sonomagrandjury.org.
Among other conclusions in its report on the county office of
education, the jury asked:
• Would the electorate be better served if the Superintendent
were appointed, instead of elected?
• Are candidates for the board properly scrutinized by the
electorate?
• Would the citizens of Sonoma County be better served if local
and county school boards were combined?
The report concluded the education board members are very
dedicated and function “smoothly.”
Board members are paid $315 per monthly meeting and serve on
standing committees as well.
The North County is served by longtime member Karen Bosworth of
Geyserville, first elected in 1992.
West County also has a long-serving representative in Pat
Hummel, who has served continuously since 1983. Hummel is the
current president of the board.