School Board Appoints Komatinsky to Vacant Seat

A Manhattan Beach Education Foundation board member was elected as the newest member of the Manhattan Beach Unified School District Board of Trustees during a special board meeting Wednesday night.

“I’m a bit overwhelmed still,” said Karen Komatinsky, after her appointment. “I was encouraged by a few people to throw my hat in the ring and it’s a bit surreal still.”

Komatinsky and three other candidates were publicly interviewed by board members during last night's meeting, each one given two minutes for opening and closing statements, answering questions from the board in between. Questions from the board included topics such as Mira Costa High School’s bond construction project, the city’s education foundation, the Parent Teacher Association and its Athletic Foundation practices. 

Komatinsky replaces Amy Howorth, who ran a successful campaign for a city council seat in the March election. Komatinsky will serve on the board provisionally until general elections are held in November. The board chose not to hold a special election to fill the vacancy, an option that would have cost the school district approximately $65,000.

"The school board does not have to hold a special election because of the length of time left in my term," Howorth told Manhattan Beach Patch on election day March 8, 2011. "My term would be up in November of this year, so Ed Code dictates that the board can appoint."

Howorth said an election would have cost the school district "around $65,000," adding, "That's a teacher's salary. I could  not, in good conscience, leave the board if I knew that they would have to use operating costs to fund a special election." 

Komatinsky, whose two children attend Meadows Elementary School, said she is excited to offer a voice for elementary schools [since most board members are parents of Mira Costa High School students], in addition to representing a corner of Manhattan Beach that has not been represented on the board before.  

She is the PTA president for Meadows and the PTA’s legislative representative, traveling to Sacramento to discuss educational policies and funding. In these roles, she has been working with the school district for the last six years.

“I’m a firm believer in the concept of giving back,” said Komatinsky. "I want to uncover resources, ask questions, bring people together and generate data to find real results.”

“Clearly all of the candidates running were in it for the right reasons," Howorth told Manhattan Beach Patch on Tuesday. "They all come from diverse backgrounds and I know they did their homework about the position.”

“It’s a hard job,” said Howorth, reflecting on her seven years of service as a board member.

Candidates running for the position included Linda Bair, Christine Hurst, and Timothy Flake. 

Flake, a former teacher and now a financial controller for a large law firm in downtown Los Angeles, said that he has a deep appreciation for what teachers do in the classroom. 

“Education should be one of the top goals in our society,” he said. “It is very important and we need to further diversify what we do in Manhattan Beach so we teach our kids to not only have strong test scores, but also to be prepared for a life-long educational process.”

Flake has lived in Manhattan Beach for 12 years and has two sons attending Meadows Elementary School. 

Bair, who has lived in the city for ten years, said, “There is a lot to celebrate in our schools, but there is a lot to be done as well.”

She has served on Mira Costa’s Media Arts Foundation Board and the Gifted And Talented Education committee as well as school site councils. Her background includes working as a teacher, elementary school principal and district administrator. She has a doctorate in educational administration. 

Hurst said education is her passion. “Technology is changing and change has to be embraced,” she said. “We need to continually be reviewing our methods and our models if we want to secure the best education possible for our students.”

With a 25-year career in finance, Hurst told the board that she has an understanding of state education funding and cost structure programs for K-12 education. She has served on the PTA executive council and as the education foundation’s site rep. She currently serves on a grant committee.

Said Board of Trustees President Bill Fournell, “Applications were written well and presentations were well thought out. A lot of good points were made that showed a depth of knowledge of the intricacies and complexities of our district."