SANTA CLARA — In a move that seemed almost inconceivable a few months ago, the Santa Clara Unified School District board Thursday night barred trustee Chris Stampolis from representing the board within and outside the district and stripped him of committee assignments.
Stampolis already has been banned from the campus of Peterson Middle School and ordered to stay away from its principal, after a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge found he had harassed and threatened her. After that ruling, the board censured Stampolis.
On Thursday, the board approved, 6 to 0, a resolution to prevent Stampolis from participating as a board official at school and district events. He may still attend events open to the public. A resolution to strip Stampolis of committee assignments and liaison work passed by the same vote. Stampolis abstained on both votes.
Both measures are stunning and unusual restrictions against a sitting trustee and were enabled by a sea change on the board. Last month, Stampolis supporters Ina Bendis and Christine Koltermann lost their bids for re-election to challengers Jodi Muirhead and Noelani Sallings. Both newcomers were sworn in at Thursday’s meeting, and Stampolis was left with just one sometime ally, Michele Ryan, on the seven-member board. Ryan voted for the resolutions.
Trustee Andrew Ratermann said he wanted to limit Stampolis’s participation to protect district employees, some of whom feel he has threatened them and their jobs.
Earlier, Bendis objected to both resolutions. She said that restricting Stampolis’s activity harms students by depriving the district of his skills and expertise. She also said she was not aware of any improper conduct by him.
Contact Sharon Noguchi at 408-271-3775. Follow her at Twitter.com/noguchionk12.
