Six active candidates are competing for three seats on the Tamalpais Union High School District board on Tuesday, Nov. 3, in a race shaped by a trustee’s resignation, a restraining order and calls for the board president to step down.

Election results are pending. This article will be updated as election officials release vote totals.

The county’s candidate list confirms seven ballot names for three seats. Two-term trustee Kevin Saavedra resigned Oct. 9, a day after a judge issued a three-year restraining order against him, the Redwood Bark reported. Saavedra said he will not serve if reelected, the Marin Independent Journal reported.

Polls close at 8 p.m. Pacific time. Results will be posted on the Marin County Elections Department website.

Who’s running

Board President Cynthia Roenisch is the sole remaining incumbent seeking reelection. An Advanced Placement English teacher, she emphasizes academics and district finances in her filed candidate statement.

Roenisch faced calls to resign at a board meeting earlier in October. Parents faulted her for not publicly disciplining Saavedra over profane emails he sent to a district parent, Local News Matters reported. Roenisch said she would not resign and said Saavedra had been admonished in closed session.

The five challengers are:

  • Leslie Harlander, a former trustee and retired civil engineer whose candidate statement emphasizes collaboration and financial oversight.
  • Brian Sutherland, a constitutional lawyer and district parent who identifies budget deficits and technology’s effects on students as priorities in his candidate statement.
  • Joy Scully Koo, an engineer and parent whose candidate statement calls for long-term financial planning and greater consideration of public input.
  • Valerie Wynn, a former Archie Williams High School teacher who taught social studies until June 2025, according to her candidate questionnaire.
  • Maria Sandoval, a Spanish teacher who reports more than 20 years in education and service as a Marin County library commissioner in her candidate statement.

What’s at stake

Community trust and district finances have divided the candidates. Disputes have included the board’s decision not to renew $250,000 in consulting contracts supporting Black students and its decision to put Tamiscal and San Andreas alternative high schools on one campus, The Ark reported.

The Tamalpais Federation of Teachers endorsed Sutherland, Koo and Wynn, according to The Ark.

Incumbent Emily Uhlhorn did not seek a new term. Her decision leaves a seat available alongside those held by Roenisch and, before his resignation, Saavedra, according to The Ark.

How to vote

Vote centers are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pacific time on Election Day, according to the Marin County Elections Department. Ballot drop boxes close at 8 p.m.

Mail ballots must be postmarked on or before Nov. 3 and arrive within seven days after the election, according to the county voter guide.

The Elections Department is at 3501 Civic Center Drive, Suite 121, San Rafael. Residents can call 415-473-6456 for more information.

Election-night results are unofficial.