Calabasas : Knaster Won’t Run for School Board Again

Dr. Harry B. Knaster, a member of the Board of Education of the Las Virgenes Unified School District, has announced he will not seek reelection this fall.

A physician, Knaster said his professional career has become more demanding of his time.

“I feel I would be short-changing the school district and our community if I were to serve another four-year term,” said Knaster, who works at a Santa Monica firm that creates software for the medical field.

Knaster, who could not be reached for comment Monday, was first elected to the board in 1991. During his tenure, he has spearheaded a move to reduce class size in the district and cut wasteful spending.

The Calabasas resident has never accepted his $240-a-month stipend nor the $6,356 allocated by the district annually to pay for health insurance premiums for each board member. After he was elected, Knaster tried unsuccessfully to persuade fellow board members to also decline their benefits.

Two seats are up for reelection in November. The deadline for filing papers to run for those seats is Aug. 16, according to the county clerk/registrar recorder’s office.

Meanwhile, incumbent Amy Berns has taken out the paperwork to seek reelection, but has not officially filed, according to officials at the county clerk’s office.