Sausalito Marin City School District teachers are seeking answers after a draft document surfaced offering the superintendent a new contract in exchange for dropping allegations of a hostile work environment.
Nathan Scripps, president of the Sausalito District Teachers Association, filed a Public Records Act request with the district on April 22 seeking all communications since Jan. 1, 2025, that refer to allegations of harassment and discrimination lodged against the district by the superintendent, LaResha Huffman.
“We want to try to get a better understanding of the context in which these allegations were made,” Scripps said.
Huffman’s allegations were part of a document titled “agreement and general release” that was included with an unrelated item on the April 14 board of trustees’ closed session agenda. The document was sent out on the public notification mailing list.
The document and related issues were referenced by four speakers during public comment time at the board meeting. Following state code protocol for public meetings, the trustees did not respond to the comments.
Huffman said the document’s inclusion in the board packet was a clerical error. Huffman and the five trustees all declined further comment.
“I can’t think of anything to share since discussions have been in closed session and it’s illegal to share that information,” trustee Bonnie Hough said. “I understand that the draft agreement was confusing.”
Nixon Diaz, a spokesperson for the district, said it is working with its legal counsel on responding to the Public Records Act request. The district has 10 days from the date of the request to respond.
“Because the matter involves personnel privacy and privileged materials, the district cannot comment at this time regarding the information,” Diaz said. “If information is required to be disclosed under the PRA, the district will comply with its legal requirements.”
According to the draft document, the allegations of hostile work environment started on Nov. 13. That was the date of a board of trustees meeting where members of both the teachers union and the classified workers union presented results of a joint survey.
In the survey, 80% of respondents said they were dissatisfied with the administration and wanted Huffman replaced when her current three-year contract ends in June.
The draft document states that Huffman would agree to waive all existing and future claims against the district about harassment, discrimination or the alleged hostile work environment “in exchange, in part, for an agreement to extend Huffman’s employment upon such terms as deemed appropriate.”
In February, trustees voted 3-2 to extend Huffman’s contract for two years. Trustees who voted for the extension said they wanted to maintain stability in the district. Huffman has been superintendent for three years.
Lauren Walters, one of the trustees who voted against the contract extension, said recently that it is important to him that a superintendent have the support of staff and the community. He said he does not feel the administration has that support.
Ellen Franz, a former district teacher and longtime district advocate, said she was shocked to see the draft document. In particular, Franz noted the description of what appeared to be a proposed agreement to release all claims in exchange for the contract extension.
“It just stopped me cold,” Franz said during public comment. “I don’t have any idea of the context of this, but if we’re at the point as a district that attorneys are writing this kind of a document for the superintendent, this doesn’t work.”
“It’s about the way this looks,” Franz said. “Our divisions are now more like chasms.”
Resident Marilyn Mackel said a number of people sent her copies of the document after the agenda was sent out. She said the content of the document goes against the previously stated goal of “creating a world-class school district, where everyone is smiling all the time.”
“We can’t continue to have this kind of energy operating in our community,” Mackel said.
Scripps, who also spoke during public comment at the April 14 meeting, did not mention the draft document specifically, but focused instead on the high turnover rate of teachers in the district, including for next year.
“Stability is what we were told to expect,” Scripps said, referring to the talks earlier this year when Huffman’s two-year contract extension was granted.
“I see six roles turning over this year,” he said. “That, to me, doesn’t mean stability.”