Incumbent Karen Tate withdraws from Portola Valley school board election

Portola Valley School District board member Karen Tate, the only incumbent running for one of the three open board seats this November, has announced she is withdrawing from the race after she was recently diagnosed with health problems.

Board president Timothy McAdam said Ms. Tate has been a key part of the school board. “Karen is the most conscientious, energetic and thoughtful trustee that this district has ever seen, full stop,” he said. “Her passion for education and the PVSD is infectious and she has single-handedly upped the game of everyone around her, from the district team, to the teachers and administrators to the Trustees.”

Mr. McAdam said that although board members are “disappointed that she has decided to withdraw from the race due to health concerns, we are confident that the slate of interested parties running are eminently qualified to pick up the reins from the outgoing Board members.”

“We all wish Karen a heartfelt and speedy recovery,” he said.

Ms. Tate’s departure means the Portola Valley school board will be deciding what should be in its facilities master plan, and the details of a bond measure to pay for some plan projects, with only one veteran board member. Gulliver La Valle, who has been on the board for less than two years, will be the only veteran after November. Board member Jennifer Youstra resigned Sept. 8 with more than two years left in her term and the board plans to appoint her replacement on Oct. 25.

Superintendent Eric Hartwig said the new development means the district may hold off putting a bond measure on the ballot. “I’m going to have to consider what my recommendation would be,” he said. “It just may not be appropriate” to work toward a June election, he said.

The board had discussed putting a bond measure on the June 2018 ballot, which would have to be finalized by early March.

Ms. Tate’s name will remain on the ballot, which the county elections office has started mailing, but the announcement of her withdrawal says she would have to resign her seat if she is elected.

“Trustee Tate regrets any inconvenience,” the statement says. “She has full confidence in the three other candidates who are vying for the three expiring terms and asks that you support them instead.”

Ms. Tate, who has two children in Corte Madera School, was appointed board in April, 2013, and re-elected in November of that year. She plans to complete her term. She is an active community volunteer and had a major role in raising the money to find a site for and build a permanent home for the Windmill School preschool.

Ms. Tate’s son, Liam, is in fifth grade and daughter Abigail is in eighth grade. Ms. Tate is a graduate of the University of California, Davis who majored in chemical engineering. She met her husband, Charles Krenz, at Davis.

Eric Hartwig, the district’s superintendent, said that Ms. Tate will be missed. “She’s such a hard worker, spirted and even tempered,” he said.

Ms. Tate “has been a rock on the School Board and in the community. We will miss her contributions but will benefit from her vision and leadership. I wish her all the best as she faces her current challenges,” Superintendent Hartwig said.

In the district’s statement, Ms. Tate said: “It has been an honor and pleasure to serve this community over the past four years. I look forward to seeing the District move forward with its key initiatives and with its continued focus on supporting, inspiring, and challenging every student.”

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