The Contra Costa County Board of Education is different from your local school board. The Orinda News says the five-member board oversees programs run by the County Office of Education and approves its budget. It also hears appeals on interdistrict transfers, charter schools and expulsions, and reviews changes to school-district boundaries.

Danville San Ramon reports that Area 2 includes Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda, Canyon and the northern edge of Alamo. In Area 4, which covers the rest of that region, Mike Maxwell drew no challenger and keeps his seat for four more years.

The candidates

  • Sarah Butler is the incumbent and current board president. She was first elected in 2018. Before that she served on the Orinda Union School District board from 2012 to 2016 and sat on Acalanes Union High School District budget and parcel tax oversight committees. Her campaign stresses transparency and community engagement, more mental health and counseling resources, and closing access and inclusion gaps.
  • Pamela West spent eight years on the Orinda school board. She points to her work on the committee that oversaw the district’s $19.5 million sale of surplus property to Pulte Group, money used for a new administrative building and two playing fields. The Orinda News reports she heads U.S. Affordable Housing at Nuveen and is a former middle-school teacher.
  • Sibyl Minighini is a longtime school psychologist with San Francisco Unified. She ran for the Acalanes board in 2024. She says she would focus on budgets, district financial health and special education support. “I’ve seen how budget crises, staff shortages and unclear priorities hurt classrooms,” she says on her campaign website.

Where they overlap and differ

All three list fiscal responsibility, safety and student mental health as priorities. Danville San Ramon notes that Butler and West both stress advocacy at the state and federal levels. Minighini puts more weight on family and community engagement and on special education. Voters in Area 2 pick one. For drop boxes and early voting sites, see our Contra Costa voting guide.

How to vote

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls and vote centers close at 8 p.m., and mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and arrive within seven days. You can check your registration and ballot status at sos.ca.gov/elections. California lets you register and vote the same day at a vote center. For more local races and measures, see our 2026 Bay Area election hub.