New and returning members of the governing board of the Benicia Unified School District took their oaths of office last week, then turned their attention to the next calendar year.

With many members of the trustees’ families in the audience along with teachers and administration staff from the different schools, returning Trustees Rosie Switzer and Peter Morgan and newcomer Diane Ferrucci were given the oath of office by City Councilmember Christina Strawbridge.

Following a brief reception, the meeting reconvened and the board performed their annual organizational meeting to decide officers and committee appointments.

Switzer, president of the board for four and a half of her nine years on the panel — including three of the past four years — said “it’s time that I got to make somebody else president,” and nominated Trustee Gary Wing. “Gary has been on the board for three years now, and he’s enthusiastic, he’s always read everything, and he’s always paying attention.”

Morgan seconded the motion and it passed unanimously; Trustee Andre Stewart was absent.

Saying “I’m not going to let you escape that easily,” Wing nominated Switzer for clerk, which was also unanimously approved.

After approving their 2015 meeting schedule, trustees made their appointments for various committees:

• Stewart will remain as board representative for the Solano County School Boards Association.

• Switzer and Ferrucci were named to the District-City Liaison Committee. “It’s in the daytime and we don’t work anymore,” said Switzer, referring to their status as retirees.

• Wing will remain in the Benicia Youth Action Coalition.

• Morgan will represent the district on both the Benicia High School Facilities Committee and the Valero Community Advisory Panel.

• Ferrucci and Switzer volunteered to be on the board’s Policy Committee.

• When Switzer brought up the board representative for contract negotiations, Morgan voiced some concerns.

He said in speaking with a member of the California School Boards Association, he learned that “it seems to be an outlier in practice for a board member to participate in negotiations. Their very strong recommendation is that that not occur.”

Morgan strongly recommended that there not be a board member involved in contract negotiations. Deputy Superintendent Michael Gardner said there has been a board member present in the three and a half years he has been with the district, “but I hear the same thing from my side of it.”

“If we move not to do that right now, should district personnel and administrators come back and say they’d like reinstitute this position, is that something we can do?” Ferrucci asked.

Superintendent Janice Adams said they could, and for now the appointment was left unfilled.

• Appointment to the District Curriculum Council will be shared by Switzer and Ferrucci.

“I did it last year at the request of Marie Morgan. Since that’s Diane’s interest and her area of expertise and career, I still want to be on it, but Diane would like to be on it too,” Switzer said.

The final meeting of the board in 2014 will be Dec. 18.