School District Trustee Tom Kinoshita, who is one of four
trustees targeted for recall, has resigned effective immediately.
He was first elected to the board in 1994.
School District Trustee Tom Kinoshita, who is one of four trustees targeted for recall, has resigned effective immediately. He was first elected to the board in 1994.
School Board President George Panos made the surprise announcement at the start of Monday’s board retreat.
Kinoshita, reached at home Monday night, declined to comment on reasons for the resignation other than to say it was for personal reasons.
“It was an honor to serve on behalf of public education in general and the MHUSD specifically for almost the last 10 years,” Kinoshita said. “I’d like to thank my board colleagues, present and past; they are a dedicated group. They have an enduring commitment for public education.”
Panos said the board has lost a valued team player and will miss his experience and insight.
Kinoshita had missed a regularly scheduled board meeting March 8, and a special board meeting Friday night.
Board members will decide whether to appoint someone to replace Kinoshita. If they name a replacement or leave the seat open, it will be the fourth trustee position on the Nov. 2 ballot.
Filing with the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters begins July 12 and continues through Aug. 6, possibly later for MHSD trustee positions.
Kinoshita’s seat will be for the remainder of his four-year term, which expires in 2006. He served as board president in 2003.
Panos, Del Foster and Jan Masuda also are included in the recall effort. All three have said they do not intend to seek another term in the Nov. 2 election.
The fate of the recall effort is now up in the air.
Victoria Battison, spokeswoman for CARE (Community Alliance for Responsible Education) said during a break at the Monday night retreat the decision to continue the recall would be up to organization.
The four trustees were served with recall notices at a December board meeting and re-served by mail in January after one of the signatures on the original notices was found to be invalid.
When announcing his intention to seek a third term two years ago, Kinoshita said it was partly because of his strong belief in public education and partly because he felt he had something valuable to offer the community, the district and Morgan Hill School District students.
“Realistically, eight years was my plan,” he said. “Then I looked at where we are now, losing two board members. We will have three members leaving in two years. I see a real need for some continuity.”
Of the seven seats on the board, four were decided in 2002 balloting. Kinoshita was joined on the board by newcomers Shellé Thomas, who topped all candidates, Mike Hickey and Amina Khemici.
Kinoshita has a BA in health administration from St. Mary’s College and an MBA in business administration from University of Phoenix.
Kinoshita has two children who have gone through district schools. They are the fourth generation in the family to attend Morgan Hill schools. After graduation from Live Oak, he attended Gavilan College before joining the Peace Corps.
Recall backers are waiting final approval from the county Registrar of Voters office to begin gathering signatures on recall petitions.
The estimated cost of a special election, $300,000, would come out of the district’s general fund. The district is expected to begin making $2.8 million in cuts for next school year at Monday’s board meeting.
