San Marino Unified board retreat picks four meeting norms to guide 2025-26 work

At a June 9, 2025 retreat, San Marino Unified School District board members worked with a California School Boards Association governance facilitator to select four meeting norms and discuss roles and expectations for 2025–26.

Board members, facilitated by Safida Yoke of the California School Boards Association, reviewed a list of recommended norms and, in small groups, identified priorities that included keeping students’ interests foremost, staying focused on agreed goals, taking responsibility for team work, and privileging process over personalities. Board members discussed how those norms could be read aloud at the start of regular meetings and posted in the boardroom.

The exercise was framed as part of a broader governance training. Yoke said the session would produce a memo summarizing selections and suggested that the five-member board take turns reading the adopted norms at meetings so the public can see the district’s expectations for board conduct. Board members discussed logistics for following up, including sharing the memo with the absent trustee when she returns.

In group reports, members said they chose norms that emphasize unity of purpose, accountability to the team, and avoiding personal attacks during deliberations. Several members noted the need for a clear process for asking and following up on questions between meetings; staff confirmed a timeline for question submission tied to packet distribution. The retreat also included exercises about roles and commitments for trustees, communication protocols, and expectations for principal and superintendent interactions.

Board members and staff agreed to return the suggested norms and related materials in a follow‑up memo and to consider formally posting the agreed norms in the boardroom and including them in meeting openings. No formal policy changes or votes were taken during the morning retreat session.