County Board of Education
Appeals and Oversight of Alternative Education
The Sonoma County Board of Education’s five elected trustees represent areas that roughly correlate to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors’ districts. They serve four-year terms that are staggered to ensure continuity. The Sonoma County Superintendent of Schools serves as the ex-officio secretary to the county board. These trustees are responsible for overseeing SCOE’s alternative education program, which includes Amarosa Academy and the educational programs at juvenile hall.
The trustees adopt SCOE’s budget and set the county superintendent’s salary. They also hear appeals for student expulsions and denied interdistrict transfers and charter school petitions. Each trustee acts as a liaison between SCOE and the districts in their trustee areas and supports professional development opportunities and collaboration for district trustees.
Gina Cuclis
Area 1, Southeast County
Term Runs Through 2028
Peter Kostas
Area 2, President
Southwest County
Term Runs Through 2026
Mary Watts
Area 3, Central County
Term Runs Through 2028
Dr. Steven Herrington
Area 4, North County
Term Runs Through 2026
Herman G. Hernandez
Area 5, Vice President
Northwest County
Term Runs Through 2028
Student Support Services & Accountability
Oversight of SCOE Classrooms and Compliance
The Student Support Services & Accountability division collaborates with the County Board to administer SCOE’s Alternative Education program. It also oversees SCOE’s other student-serving programs run by the Special Education Department. In total, the division serves about 200 students who receive their education directly from SCOE staff. Division staff support Sonoma County’s districts and charters with the development of state-required Local Control Accountability Plans. These three-year documents are updated annually to outline the actions and expenditures aimed at improving student outcomes. The department also works to ensure local compliance with state and federal requirements, and monitors school progress. Its data architect is developing SCOE Dash. (Page 21).