Stephen Kain: Retired Educator

Stephen Kain was selected as Hollister School District’s next school board president through 2022 after a split vote in his favor at the annual organization meeting Dec. 18. “It was an honor,” said Kain of being elected president. “Even though I’m a first-time board member, I’ve worked for this school district for 30 years and dealt with all kinds of issues over those 30 years.”

Trustees are elected by the voters at-large to establish the educational policies of the district. The Superintendent is employed to administer the schools and carry out these policies with the aid of the professional staff. The Superintendent informs and advises the Board on education-related matters and recommends action based on the input of staff and often with the guidance of parents, community, and other sources. The term of office for members elected in regular elections shall be four years, commencing on the first Friday in December next succeeding their election. (Education Code 5017)

All meetings, by law, are open to the public. Closed sessions are permitted to allow Board members to address such matters as collective bargaining, confidential student or personnel actions, and items related to litigation. The president is the presiding officer and has identical voting rights as the remainder of the Board. Three trustees constitute a quorum and may act on most items.

Kain is a former teachers’ union president and classroom instructor who finished out his education career at the district office. That pedigree allows him to understand principal reports, standardized test data, contract negotiations and new school construction among other education issues, Kain explained.

While recovering from a devastating back injury, Mr. Kain realized that he missed teaching and the school environment and believed that he should be doing more for his profession. Soon thereafter, he began attending school board meetings, and quickly came to understand that the superintendent at the time was ignoring the needs of special education in the district was far more dysfunctional than when he had retired. In 2016, Mr. Kain was elected to a seat on the district’s board of trustees and was elected board president. The first step taken was to hire a new superintendent who specialized in resolving special education issues.

By the final board meeting of Mr. Kain’s term, the new superintendent and other members of the board had been able to resolve all his concerns about the special education program. He considers this achievement to have been the highlight of his career, and he is proud to have been able to continue to help improve the Hollister School District. Notably, Mr. Kain is a past president of his local union.

“As union president, I’ve attended hundreds of board meetings,” said Kain, who was challenged by trustee Robert Bernosky for the board presidency. “This is not something new to me. Most things that get brought up I’ve experienced before.”