Families in Tiburon, Corte Madera and Larkspur have until 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12, to see new candidates enter two school board races that will shape how their districts spend nearly $160 million in bond money over the next decade.

Marin County Registrar of Voters Natalie Adona extended the filing window for both the Reed Union School District and Larkspur-Corte Madera School District board races after at least one incumbent in each district did not refile by the regular Friday, Aug. 7, deadline, according to a notice posted by the county. Under California Elections Code section 10516, the extension is open only to non-incumbent candidates.

Reed Union: four candidates, three seats and a $115M bond

In Reed Union, board member Afsaneh Zolfaghari is not seeking re-election, triggering the extension. Two incumbents have filed: board President Shelby Pasarell Tsai and Mike Ghaffary, who was appointed to the board in February. Two challengers also filed before the original deadline: Lina Godfrey, a Tiburon disability-access advocate who serves on the town's Diversity Inclusion Task Force, and Krupa Antani, a Tiburon parent volunteer, according to the Ark.

The stakes are substantial. Whoever wins these three seats will oversee a $115 million bond measure on the same Nov. 3 ballot. That bond would cost homeowners about $30 per $100,000 of assessed value annually, roughly $635 a year for a home at the district's median assessment of $2.14 million, according to the Marin Independent Journal. The district already carries two older bonds and a parcel tax. The measure requires 55% approval to pass.

"Our district is facing a number of critical facility needs from leaky roofs, failing pipes and portable classrooms that can no longer be used for students because of mold and other problems caused by their advanced age," Tsai said in a July 6 statement when the bond measure was announced.

Larkspur-Corte Madera: one incumbent absent, one challenger in

In the Larkspur-Corte Madera School District, three seats held by Jessica Dinday, Amir Movafaghi and Natalie Medved are expiring. Dinday and Movafaghi filed for re-election; Medved did not, opening the extension window. One challenger, Ryan Woodring, has filed, according to the Marin Independent Journal.

The incoming board will oversee $44 million from Measure D, a bond extension the district reported passed in June. The district recently completed a 10-year Facilities Strategic Plan identifying critical repairs across its campuses serving Larkspur and Corte Madera students.

How to file

Prospective candidates must contact Marin County Candidate Services at 415-473-6437 or [email protected] before the 5 p.m. Wednesday deadline. A candidate guide is available at marinvotes.org. The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.