Following the recent initiation of an effort to recall two Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) board members, two leaders of the recall effort and two board members sat down for a conversation on March 17 at the home of Councilmember Mary Wells.
Wells told the Courier that in hosting the gathering, she was acting in her capacity as a private citizen, not as a representative of the City Council.
The recall petition must be re-served due to a procedural error; however the goal of the meeting, Wells said, was to address both sides’ concerns through a less formal dialogue.
“I felt the most important thing was … they could start a conversation and a dialogue outside of the formality of the boardroom, where they could just chat and find their common ground,” she said.
District parents Jackie Kruger and Tasha Turner, both of whom were involved in the recall effort, attended along with board member Sigalie Sabag and board Vice President Judy Manouchehri.
Sabag and fellow board member Russell Stuart are the targets of the recall effort.
According to Kruger, over the course of three hours, the five women discussed matters including the district’s search for a new superintendent, the perceived lack of transparency in the board’s decision-making process and the recent release and reassignment of several elementary school administrators.
“There were some moments in which there was, you know, some significant tension,” Kruger said. “It ended with this hope that we could resolve in this collaborative feeling … at the very minimum, there is a pathway for communication.”
Tensions between the BHUSD board and district parents have been high since the latter part of 2024. In November, students participating in a post-election pro-Trump rally allegedly used racial slurs against faculty and other students. Shortly thereafter, longtime Media Director Romeo Carey was placed on administrative leave for reasons that were not immediately clear.
Beginning in early December, parents and students began showing up to board meetings and flooding the public comment period, accusing the board of a lack of transparency in its handling of those issues.
The situation became even more tense in February when the board announced that Superintendent Dr. Michael Bregy had resigned. Then, earlier this month, the district released and reassigned El Rodeo Elementary School Principal Sarah Kaber and Vice Principal Kevin Painter along with other administrative personnel.
At the Board’s March 11 meeting, Kruger served Sabag and Stuart with notifications of an intent to circulate recall petitions against them.
Wells said she believed an in-person meeting was the best approach to starting a dialogue.
“The best way to clear things up is to have a conversation,” she said.
In a written statement, Manouchehri said her intention in attending the meeting was to offer increased transparency.
“I met with community members in good faith to clarify ongoing changes at BHUSD, which are aimed at providing the best education for our students,” she said.
According to Kruger, she and Turner presented five primary issues to Manouchehri and Sabag: the lack of parent involvement in the search for a new superintendent, a desire for the board to hold town halls where parents can ask questions, the board’s participation in governance training, a request for the reinstatement of recently reassigned elementary school administrators and a request for the resignation or censure of Stuart, who has come under fire for a recent social media post that some claim appears politically motivated.
Manouchehri and Sabag are not able to make binding decisions without the rest of the board, however according to several people present, ideas were discussed as to how the board and the community might meet in the middle to address each groups’ interests.
Kruger said she and Turner pushed hard for them to “reconsider and reinstate” administrators at both El Rodeo and Horace Mann elementary schools.
“That is a very hot plate of contention,” Kruger said. “There is lines and lines of people knocking at my door regarding their eliminations.”
If the recall effort is to proceed, those behind it will need to serve the initial paperwork again. Under California law, to launch a recall effort against an elected official, the official must have held their office during the current term for more than 90 days.
Sabag and Stuart began their terms on Dec. 17, 2024, and were served with notifications of intention on March 11.
As of press time it is not entirely clear whether the effort will continue. Turner said that there are still mixed feelings among parents following the March 17 meeting.
“Jackie and I did go back to the group and discuss what we discussed with Judy and Sigalie, and most members of the group were encouraged,” she said. “We do have some members of the group who are still, you know, suspicious.”
Kruger added that the decision was not hers and Turner’s to make.
“We have yet to file,” she said. “We wanted to appear … at that conversation in good faith, not serving them notice. So, we’re going to let this, you know, air a little bit and hear what happens, see how people are behaving, and then make a decision about how to move next.”
Wells does not have plans to host additional conversations of this nature.
On Wednesday, multiple parents confirmed receiving a survey from the district requesting input on what is most important in a superintendent’s role.
“That was amazing to see,” said Turner. “I feel like, OK, that’s a step in the right direction.”
