By Jennifer Silva

Like many parents, I moved to Marin for our excellent public schools — the No. 1 educational outcomes in the state. But these schools aren’t excellent for all. We have high disparities by race.

When my oldest entered high school in 2017, I learned about Tam High’s long history of anti-Black racist incidents. His entry to high school started with a spray-painted racist slur, and more followed. In response, the district implemented a Racial Equity Board Policy, Racial Equity Task Force and an Anti-Racist Strategic Plan.

Yet, the incidents continued. A video of White students laughing as they repeated a racial slur. Separately, a photo of a student’s face emblazoned with a slur and swastika was shared. The football team was put on probation after two racist incidents. It is both common sense and empirically proven that these types of racist incidents lead to alienation, trauma and educational disparities for Black students. The district has been trying to address these inequities. For years, little progress was made.

This year has been different. Tam High launched the Black Student Support Team and hired Tenisha Tate-Austin and Paul Austin to lead the program. These highly qualified and trusted consultants were the logical choice. Tate-Austin is a seasoned educator and former Tam High vice principal experienced in addressing racial equity issues. Austin founded Play Marin and is an esteemed youth leader and mentor. They were often the first people the district called after racist incidents to provide support for students.

This first year of the BSST produced outstanding results. F grades for Black students decreased by 50%, Black attendance increased and 87% of Black students surveyed reported a greater sense of belonging at school. Many Tam teachers support the program. Many Black students report that they finally feel like they belong at Tam. It was stated in a recent board meeting that only Tam High has shown this great improvement in outcomes. The BSST is working.

Despite these results, the Tamalpais Union High School District Board of Trustees voted 3 to 2 not to renew the contracts for Tate-Austin and Austin. This vote was against the recommendation of Superintendent Tara Tapier, a large number of teachers, staff and many parents and students. Over 1,200 signed a petition disputing this decision, 100 Tam faculty and staff sent a letter to the board in support of continuing the contracts. The three board members opposing the contracts are Jenny Holden, Cynthia Roenisch and Kevin Saavedra.

The trustees say the district can’t afford this expense, that there were irregularities in the contracts and that the program could be run by internal staff. I don’t believe that stands up to scrutiny.

The district had already accounted for the expense in the budget. There is no requirement for further cuts this year. Staff responsible for these duties testified to the board that they did not have the skills or relationships to achieve the results Tate-Austin and Austin did.

Bringing new staff in house is not a plausible solution for next year. Summer is starting, we have a new superintendent and the high cost of living makes it very difficult for TUHSD to recruit new staff. I find it inexplicable that trustees picked these one-year contracts, representing less than 0.2% of the school budget, for extra scrutiny. The district spends $20 million on special education. Why is $250,000 for Black students unaffordable?

More importantly, the trustees’ concerns ignore the board’s No. 1 responsibility — our students. It is the duty of every trustee to “keep learning and achievement for all students as the primary focus.” The uncontroverted evidence before the board — including district recommendations, community testimony and performance metrics — showed the program to be uniquely effective for Tam’s Black students. Addressing the needs of this uniquely disadvantaged population has been declared a district priority.

This decision was a mistake, but it can be fixed.The next TUHSD board meeting is Tuesday. I implore the board to add these contracts to the agenda and bring Tate-Austin and Austin back for the 2025-2026 school year.

Jennifer Silva, of Sausalito, is a former member of the PTSA boards at Tamalpais and Redwood high schools in the Tamalpais Union High School District.