1. Call to Order / Closed Session (5:00 PM)
1.A Call to Order / Establishment of Quorum
The Regular / Organizational Meeting of the San Dieguito Union High School District Board of Trustees was called to order at 5:00 PM at the District Office Board Room, 710 Encinitas Boulevard, Encinitas, California. A quorum was established.
1.B Public Comment Regarding Closed Session Items
During the public comment period held prior to adjournment into closed session, members of the public addressed the Board regarding the anticipated litigation item involving a former temporary athletic team coach, identified by speakers as Coach Jono Zissi. Speakers focused on the impact on students, program stability, fairness, governance processes, and the need for timely resolution.
1.C Adjournment to Closed Session
The Board adjourned to closed session.
2. Closed Session
2.A Conference with Legal Counsel – Anticipated Litigation
Pursuant to Government Code §54956.9(d)(2) and (3), the Board met in closed session regarding anticipated litigation involving one case, identified as threatened litigation by a former temporary athletic team coach.
3. Preliminary Activities (6:00 PM)
3.A Reconvene Regular Board Meeting
The Board reconvened in open session at approximately 6:00 PM. A quorum was confirmed.
3.C Report Out of Closed Session
No reportable action.
3.E Approval of Agenda
Approved as presented.
Vote: 5-0
4. Recognition and Presentations
Student Board Member reports and a Requeza Education Center presentation were provided, highlighting student achievement, engagement, and alternative education pathways.
6–9. Consent, Educational Services, Business Services, and Human Resources
All items approved unanimously, including instructional calendar, fiscal reports, facilities items, and personnel actions. Invoices and contracts for the F3 law firm were pulled out of the consent agenda for separate discussion. See below.
Discussion – Legal Fees and Services Provided by F3 Law
Overview
The Board engaged in an extensive discussion regarding legal fees paid to F3 Law, focusing on cost, transparency, governance implications, and trustee access to billing records. This discussion reflected growing concern regarding escalating legal expenditures and the Board’s ability to meaningfully oversee those costs.
Trustee Allman’s Statements and Expressed Frustration
Trustee Michael Allman spoke at length regarding his ongoing frustration with the district’s inability or unwillingness to provide him, as a sitting trustee, with meaningful access to F3 Law billing records.
He stated on the record that:
He has been requesting detailed legal billing information for months, well before this meeting
The documents he has received in response have been heavily redacted
The extent of redaction prevents him from determining:
What work was actually performed
Whether the work was routine or necessary
Whether charges were duplicative or aligned with Board expectations
Trustee Allman emphasized that he is not seeking to waive attorney-client privilege, but rather to prevent privilege from being used as a blanket justification to withhold basic financial information from the governing board itself. He stated that trustees cannot fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities without understanding how public funds are being spent.
Documents Entered Into the Record
In support of his concerns, Trustee Allman physically distributed documents to all trustees and members of the public present. He formally requested that these materials be entered into the official record.
The documents were described as:
Allman’s repeated requests for information to allow an assessment of legal expenditures
Examples illustrating excessive redaction
Motion by Trustee Allman
Trustee Allman made a formal motion seeking:
Meaningful access to F3 Law billing records for trustees
Redactions limited strictly to what is legally required
Sufficient detail to allow trustees to assess scope, necessity, and cost of legal services
The motion reflected his position that oversight is impossible without information, and that continued denial undermines good governance.
Board President Williams prevented a vote on Trustee Allman’s motion, claiming that if a separate motion were passed, she is not required to call for a vote on Allman’s separate motion.
Instead of voting on Allman’s motion, the Board passed an alternative motion to allow for Trustee inspection of F3 billing records but only in the offices of the F3 law firm and without allowing the trustees to maintain a copy of the billing records for their own analysis, with Trustees Allman and Anderson objecting to these restrictions by voting no.
Public Comment – F3 Law Legal Fees
Speaker 1 – Questioned the value of repeated PRA-related legal research at premium rates and urged fiscal discipline.
Speaker 2 – Spoke about preventative governance and reducing reliance on outside counsel through better systems.
Mary Davis – Emphasized transparency and trustee access to billing data.
Marci Strange – Highlighted accountability and the public’s expectation of oversight.
Hong Wu – Focused on governance consistency and clear authority.
Dr. Mingzhu – Addressed public trust and the downstream impact on students.
10. District Operations
10.A Review of Revised Board Policies and Administrative Regulations
Hate-Motivated Behavior – AR 5145.9
Board Discussion
Trustees engaged in discussion regarding the revised regulation, focusing on implementation, consistency, and governance oversight.
Board members discussed:
The importance of clear, unambiguous language so staff understand when the regulation applies and what steps are required
The need for consistent application across all campuses, noting that uneven enforcement can undermine trust and expose the district to risk
Balancing student discipline with supportive and restorative practices, particularly in cases involving vulnerable students
Ensuring that staff training accompanies policy adoption so the regulation is applied as intended rather than interpreted inconsistently
The role of documentation and reporting in enabling the Board to understand trends and assess whether policies are effective over time
Public speakers addressed the proposed revisions to Administrative Regulation 5145.9 (Hate-Motivated Behavior), focusing on student safety, clarity of procedures, consistency of enforcement, training, communication, and governance accountability.
10.B Approval of Officers of the Governing Board for 2026
Election Outcomes (Not Unanimous):
President: Jane Lea Smith — 3-2
Vice President: Rimga Viskanta — 3-2
Clerk: Jodie Williams — 5-0
12. Reconvene / 13. Adjournment
No additional reportable action; the meeting was adjourned.