Novato schools trustee to leave board after 33-year tenure

When Ross Millerick was first elected to the Novato Unified School District board of trustees in 1991, the district’s budget reserve account was at 3%, the minimum allowed by the state.

“School buildings were falling down,” Millerick, a civil engineer, recalled in an interview. “We were fiscally challenged.”

In the 2023-24 year-end budget, the district had an estimated 10% or more in reserves in its approximately $115 million spending plan, according to Joshua Braff, the district’s chief financial officer.

Millerick, 77, announced recently that he will not seek a new term in the Nov. 5 elections.

“The district is good shape,” he said. “I have 33 years in. It’s time for someone younger to take the reins.”

Millerick has endorsed Chandra Alexandre, chief executive officer of the early childhood education nonprofit Community Action Marin, as his successor.

“She’s for the children,” Millerick said. “Any other reason is not the right answer.”

As of Thursday, Alexandre was the only candidate for the District 2 seat, according to the Marin elections department. The filing period ends Aug. 14. It was extended from the regular Aug. 9 deadline because the incumbent is not seeking reelection.

Alexandre said she wants to serve on the board because “education that works for all students is important to me and to our community.”

“Education changed my path in life,” she said. “I want to give what I’ve learned in Marin to help each child in our system to learn, every teacher to be supported and our schools to be safe places for curiosity to thrive.”

The board is overseeing a much different landscape than the one Millerick faced in 1991.

Following the passage of Measure G, a $222 million bond measure, in 2016, the district upgraded many older buildings and added others. The new ones include a performing arts center at Novato High School and a building at San Marin High School for STEM — science, technology, engineering and math.

Millerick also was on the campaign committee to pass Measure B, which funded improvements at College of Marin’s Indian Valley Campus in Novato. They included the construction of the Bill and Adele Jonas Center, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and an auto shop training center.

In March 2023, school district voters agreed to renew its parcel tax. The vote preserved more than $4 million annually in revenue that would have been lost if the parcel tax had failed, as a renewal effort did in March 2020.

“The most important thing about a family’s home value is the school district next to it,” Millerick said.

Following the exit of district superintendent Kris Cosca in 2021, former superintendent Jan LaTorre Derby returned to service for two years to help the district off shaky fiscal ground during the pandemic.

Last year, the district hired Novato resident and education veteran Tracy Smith as superintendent. Millerick said he is pleased to have played a part in the successful transition toward more stability.

“We now have sound leadership and a sound fiscal position,” Millerick said. “This is the time for a change.”

Millerick’s record was blemished by an incident in April 2021, when he repeated a statement that included a racial epithet in a private conversation with Cosca and assistant superintendent Jonathan Ferrer.

The three officials were having a discussion online about the hiring of athletic directors when Millerick recounted a 1998 incident at a basketball game where racial slur had been used by some players.

Millerick repeated a direct quote that included the epithet, sparking concerns by the other administrators. No formal complaint was filed, but the incident prompted an investigation by an ad hoc committee at the Marin County Office of Education.

The investigation determined that Millerick’s language was not meant as an affront to either administrator but was instead intended to be helpful in improving the approach to such situations in the future.

“I should not have repeated the exact quote,” he said. “I should have used different words. It’s a mistake I won’t make again.”

Beyond that, Millerick has earned respect, admiration and appreciation from other trustees.

“It has been a pleasure to serve alongside trustee Millerick throughout the years,” said Deb Butler, who has been on the board since 2006.

“His leadership was instrumental in technology, modernized facilities, College of Marin partnership and his NUSD historical knowledge,” Butler said.

Former trustee Derek Knell said Millerick “always took into account the concerns and interests of the entire community when making decisions.”

“Ross’ forward-thinking and high level of expertise in technology has been instrumental in many of the district’s investments and transitions to technology,” said Knell, who was on the board from 2005 to 2022.

Julie Jacobson, the board president, said Millerick has always been gracious and generous in helping new trustees get acclimated.

“His historical experience and engineering mindset will be greatly missed on the board once he has moved on to other endeavors,” Jacobson said.

Millerick said he has no immediate plans for other public service but is open to consider what presents itself. Meanwhile, he will continue his job as a lecturer and information technology center director for Golden Gate University in San Francisco.

Millerick graduated from the first master’s degree class in civil environmental engineering at University of California at Berkeley in 1970. He moved to Marin after college — first to Sausalito, and then to Novato in 1982, when his daughter was born.

He initially worked for four years for the federal Environmental Protection Agency, helping to construct water treatment plants through California and other states. His work after that led to jobs in information technology, where he helped build computer data centers.

Millerick’s ancestors were from Schellville in Sonoma County, where they settled in 1868. His grandparents lived in Petaluma, and his parents in Santa Rosa. The current “auto row” in Petaluma off of Highway 101 was formerly his family’s ranch, he said.

Like Millerick, his immediate family has been deeply involved in Marin schools. His wife Linda Millerick is retired from San Domenico School in San Anselmo, where she was on the administrative staff. She is also a former volunteer coordinator at San Geronimo Valley Community Center and was an aide to former Marin County supervisor Brady Bevis.

Their daughter Melissa Millerick is chair of the math department at Terra Linda High School in San Rafael. Millerick’s two grandchildren attend San Rafael schools.

Smith said Millerick “has exemplified the ideal board member.”

“He understands the rules of engagement and how to work as a team,” Smith said. “He has consistently been focused on the needs of students and educational equity.”