School Board Members - Roles & Responsibilities

About the School Board

School Board members are locally elected public officials who are responsible for ensuring that the school district aligns with the values, beliefs, and priorities of their community. The Board works collectively as a governance team with the Superintendent to make decisions that best serve all students in the district. Authority is vested in the Board as a whole, not in individual members. All meetings are conducted in compliance with the Brown Act. For more information, refer to CSBA's Brown Act FAQs.

Responsibilities of the Board

The School Board has five primary responsibilities:

Setting Direction: Establishing goals and priorities for the district.
Establishing Structure: Creating an effective and efficient framework, including hiring and evaluating the Superintendent.
Providing Support: Ensuring resources and policies are in place to meet district needs.
Ensuring Accountability: Overseeing fiscal and academic performance and ensuring transparency.
Advocating for the Community: Serving as leaders and advocates for children, public schools, and the district.

The Board also develops and adopts district policies and provides fiscal oversight. One Board member serves as President and chairs meetings; this role traditionally rotates annually among members. To learn more about the role of school boards, refer to the California School Boards Association (CSBA) document, What It Takes To Lead.

Community Input

The Board values input from the community. To contact the entire School Board, including the Superintendent, email [email protected]. Individual email addresses for Board members are listed below their names. If you are interested in running for a School Board position, feel free to contact any current Board member or the Superintendent for more information.

School Board Members

Tracy Park - President

First Year on Board: 2022
Current Term Ends: 2028
Committee Assignments: 2+2 Joint City/School District Committee, Board Policy Subcommittee
Other Education/Community Leadership: B.A. in Mathematical Economic Analysis from Rice University; MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She has served on PTA executive boards and committees, led the Art in Action program at Mariposa and volunteers at her children's schools when possible. In addition to her volunteering, Tracy was also a substitute teacher for the school district.
Professional Experience: Work experience includes financial analysis for two energy companies, management consulting at Booz Allen Hamilton and leadership roles at two education nonprofits. At Teach For America, Tracy served as the Director of Planning and Operations, guiding its largest region through record growth, and at Teach For All, she was the Managing Director of Organizational Development, helping social entrepreneurs develop their strategic plans, budgets and staff resources.
Personal Info: Tracy has two children, one still in SCSD and one at Carlmont High School. Tracy and her husband Nara moved to San Carlos in 2018 because of the city’s outstanding schools and she is excited to now be serving as a board trustee.
Email: [email protected]

Sarah Johnson Kinahan - Vice President

First Year on Board: 2022
Current Term Ends: 2028
Committee Assignments: Facilities Master Plan, Advocacy
Other Education/Community Leadership: MA in Cultural Anthropology from Portland State University; BA in Anthropology from UC Berkeley.
Professional Experience: Sarah has spent the past two decades working for nonprofit and government programs in the early care and education sector in San Mateo County. She began her career at the Child Care Coordinating Council (4Cs), where she ultimately served as the Executive Director for two years, providing strategic direction during the Great Recession. Sarah was excited to join the San Mateo County Office of Education in 2020 as the Coordinator for the Child Care Partnership Council because this position allows her to synthesize previous experiences working on public policy, data and research, and advocacy to continue to improve the early care and education systems in the county. While at SMCOE, she played a key role on the San Mateo County COVID-19 Child Care Response Team.
Personal Info: Sarah and her husband moved to San Carlos in 2009. They have two children who attend Arroyo and Central schools. Sarah's favorite school volunteer role is being a docent for Art in Action. You may see the Kinahan family around town walking their dog, Lucy.
Email: [email protected]

Sarah Cassanego - Clerk

First Year on Board: 2020 (appointed 10/1/2020)
Current Term Ends: 2026
Committee Assignments: 2+2 Joint City/School District Committee, Board Policy Subcommittee, Representative to the San Mateo County Committee on School District Organization
Other Education/Community Leadership: Previously served on the Board of Directors at Little Hands Preschool in Belmont; Co-Founder, San Carlos Parents for Racial Equity.
Professional Experience: Program Manager, Sustainable San Mateo County; clean energy and environmental policy and program management
Personal Info: Sarah and her husband (a San Carlos native) have lived in San Carlos since 2013 and have two children in SCSD schools.
Email: [email protected]

Ben Kornell - Trustee

First Year on Board: 2021 (appointed 5/27/2021)
Current Term Ends: 2026
Committee Assignments: Facilities Master Plan
Other Education/Community Leadership: AYSO Soccer Coach
Professional Experience: Middle School Educator; School systems leader; and EdTech CEO
Personal Info: Ben and his wife moved to San Carlos in 2014. Their two sons attend Mariposa and Tierra Linda schools. They love to go for family hikes with their dog, Bruno.
Email: [email protected]