LaBarbera resigns from Anderson Union High School District Board

Jackie LaBarbera’s nearly four years on the Anderson Union High School District Board came to an end yesterday. That’s when she submitted a letter of resignation, effective immediately, to Shasta County Superintendent of Schools Mike Freeman. 

LaBarbera did not respond to a request for comment last night. Her letter was provided by Pellow, who said a copy had been submitted to her attorneys. Kerri Schuette, a spokesperson with the Shasta County Office of Education, confirmed that SCOE had received the resignation. 

LaBarbera stepped down just one day after the California Attorney General’s Office released a legal opinion supporting a lawsuit against her for the second time this year. The ruling came in response to a complaint by West Valley High School teacher Tamara Pellow, who’s being represented by attorneys with the California Teacher’s Association, of which she’s a member.

In her complaint, Pellow said LaBarbera’s decision to maintain her AUHSD seat after also being elected to the SCOE board was illegitimate, because the two seats are incompatible. LaBarbera has resisted calls to step down from her Anderson seat since she won the seat on the SCOE Board nearly two years ago. 

Community member Jeff Carr filed a complaint against LaBarbera earlier this year. He too was given authorization to sue but instead signed an agreement requiring LaBarbera to resign in November, something she revealed in her response to the state last month. 

That wasn’t good enough for Pellow, who said she not only wanted LaBarbera to step down, she wanted to set a precedent that school board members will be held accountable to the law. In her complaint to the state she also documented a second claim against LaBarbera, that she had been violating state law by serving on the AUHSD board while living outside the district.

LaBarbera has publicly admitted to having moved outside the district in January 2025. That’s information she shared with the rest of the AUHSD board in June. In response, the board adjusted its bylaws to allow members to serve without maintaining district residency. But that adjustment did not alter LaBarbera’s history of having served on the board, apparently in violation of both district bylaws, and state law, for the prior 18 months.

The opinion released by the state this week said LaBarbera’s dual seats and her out-of-district residency both present a “substantial legal issue,” which is why the state gave Pellow permission to pursue a lawsuit under the attorney general’s supervision.

Pellow said last night that her attorneys have already drafted a lawsuit that she had planned to file in court later this week. The wording of the suit calls for LaBarbera’s removal from office and asks that she be fined $5,000 and pay attorneys’ fees. She said her legal team has not yet decided whether to move forward with the suit against LaBarbera, given her resignation.

“Right now I’m just happy she’s stepped down,” Pellow said, speaking by phone.

Asked why she thinks the case matters, she said for her it’s mostly about providing an example for staff, and students.

“I think the biggest win with this is that it’s an example for the staff and the students within the district that policies and rules are to be followed, and when you choose not to, there are consequences for it and you have to be accountable for your behavior.”

---

Do you have a correction to share? Email us: editor@shastascout.org.