BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer
A group of parents is trying to recall Palo Alto school board member Shounak Dharap after votes to eliminate Honors Biology and mandate Ethnic Studies didn’t go their way.
Dharap has allegedly weakened academic rigor and rushed approval of major, controversial changes, supporters of the recall said yesterday.
“The district has taken a sharp anti-academic direction ever since Shounak joined the board,” said parent Avery Wang, who is a spokesman and assistant treasurer for the fledgling recall campaign.
In an interview yesterday, Dharap said a recall is a waste of taxpayer money, and he pushed back on claims that the district is in decline. Test scores are up, more students are ready for life after high school and Palo Alto is ranked as one of the best districts in the nation, Dharap said.
“It’s a record to be proud of,” he said.
Dharap, 34, is the veteran of the board in his seventh year.
He’s been in lockstep with board member Shana Segal, who is in her third year.
Josh Salcman, Alison Kamhi and Rowena Chiu were elected in November on platforms of bringing change to the district.
Dharap said he represents “the old board” to some. But he doesn’t see it that way even though he’s been defending the old board’s decisions. Dharap was successful in two consequential 3-2 votes in the span of 72 hours. The board voted on Jan. 21 to eliminate Honors Biology for freshman at the request of science teachers.
The board voted on Jan. 23 to make Ethnic Studies a graduation requirement starting in the fall.
Kamhi voted with Dharap and Segal on Honors Biology, and Salcman voted with them on Ethnic Studies in a five-hour meeting.
“I think there’s a real anger toward me for being able to convince my colleagues to vote in my way,” Dharap said yesterday.
On different sides
Chiu and Dharap were opposed on both issues, and they had another battle on Feb. 11 when Dharap and Segal tried to pass a resolution condemning Chiu’s social media activity after the Ethnic Studies debate.
Chiu wanted to hold off on making Ethnic Studies a graduation requirement. She said she didn’t feel safe during the meeting because the room was stacked against her.
After the meeting, Chiu reposted an account that called out Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction Danae Reynolds.
Chiu said she felt silenced, along with many other Asian parents in Palo Alto.
Salcman and Kamhi opposed the resolution, and Chiu agreed to step down from committees that work directly with district employees.
Dharap said yesterday that all of his colleagues except Chiu have said they oppose a recall.
Chiu declined to comment on the recall yesterday.
Many of the recall supporters also supported Chiu’s campaign, including her campaign manager.
But Wang said Chiu isn’t involved.
Many reasons
“Many people have many reasons to recall Shounak, and these have been festering for years,” Wang said. “Attributing it to Rowena does a disservice to the longstanding genuine feelings in the community about Shounak.”
Parent William Watson, who is the recall campaign’s treasurer, said he started paying attention when the district combined girl’s and boy’s bathrooms during construction at Hoover Elementary School.
Parents fought to have the district separate the bathrooms on the rebuilt campus.
The debate reflected the district and Dharap’s focus on issues other than education, Watson said.
In response, Dharap said yesterday that a single board member doesn’t have any power — they need a majority vote.
On bathrooms, Dharap said he listened to parents and brought their concerns to district employees, who agreed to separate the bathrooms.
“I did the opposite of what they’re alleging,” he said.
Dharap’s thoughts on recall
Dharap said a recall is appropriate when an official abuses their power. He pointed to a special election in San Mateo County on March 4, when voters will decide whether to give the county’s Board of Supervisors the power to remove Sheriff Christina Corpus.
Corpus allegedly made racist and homophobic slurs, retaliated against employees and relinquished control of the office to her lover Victor Aenlle.
Dharap said his opponents’ grievances are more about the district’s direction and not his role specifically.
The campaign has 160 days to get 7,635 signatures, according to the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters.
The campaign is planning to launch its website tonight.
In an FAQ, the campaign said Dharap has disenfranchised the Asian community that makes up 32% of voters.
Wang provided a statement yesterday from a group of anonymous Chinese parents who said Chinese students have been bullied and harassed, and Dharap fuels this culture.
“Parents and community members of all backgrounds are coming together to oppose policies that devalue merit and harm students’ futures,” the campaign said.
I’m generally not a fan of recalls, but this is absolutely necessary after seeing how Dharap and the rest of the board treated Rowena Chiu. We can’t tolerate that kind of racism.
What racism?
Ms Chiu, as a member of the board, publicly attacked a district employee, subjecting her to viral racist attacks. AND THEN Ms Chiu did not promptly remove her tweet when asked. AND THEN Ms Chiu went and talked to the media repeatedly, continuing to blame and attack this employee. AND THEN Ms Chiu didn’t apologize for a week. AND THEN, when Ms Chiu did (sort of) apologize, it was a line or two in a long essay focusing on herself.
That is completely unacceptable behavior for a board member — not a single mistake, but a series of non-impulsive poor decisions. Keep in mind that 3 of the other 4 board members who “mistreated” Ms Chiu either endorsed her (the board president) or are generally aligned with her (all but Mr Dharap). This wasn’t political retribution or racism; it is that Ms Chiu’s behavior was atrocious.
But this recall is not about that. It’s about Mr Dharap’s decision-making over the course of years. Whether you support the recall or not, let’s be clear what it is and isn’t about.
I think Dharap should just resign and save us taxpayers money.
totally agree. hiring Dharap is a waste of my money. i have been paying tax here for over 30 years.
We cannot tolerate anti- Asian comfort? Or Asian anti-blackness. Don’t appropriate the term racism for what is happening.
No, because you can only stand for racism when it’s against black and brown people. Because you were supporting a woman that openly re-posted something from an outwardly racism account. In turn condoning there horrible racism comments remarks that followed. How can you even say you don’t stand for racism but support what she did?
It is not true to say the district “allegedly” held back the students in math, when PAUSD lost that case badly in court no matter how Don Austin tried to spin it, and had to change many of their math policies. And even now, they still feign ignorance and don’t follow the rule of law. Avery Wang is one of the community members that has the bravery to hold the district accountable for its’ illegal actions.
Bad look for Mr. Dharap. This is what happens when you disrespect women, students of color, and religious minorities in our community. We need people who actually care about education in these Board roles, not politicians trying to advance their own agenda. Please resign.
Agreed! Dharap should resign. That will save taxpayer money and we can move on.
The faster they recall that spineless idiot, the better. Shana Seigel should be next. Then finally maybe they can fire Austin too. The trifecta of the useless will be gone.
I am going to take a wild guess that very soon, supporters of Dharap will begin flooding this message section with – this has been all done by Rowena and her supporters. This is vindictive. This is going to cost the district millions. And more.
I am also going to guess that they are actively preparing a recall campaign against Chui.
You may want to think very carefully about what you post and say.
It might cone back to bite you.
I wish this recall came sooner. Dharap has done so much damage to our schools, children snd district.
I cannot wait to sign this petition
Bring it on.
This community is livid!
Guess what! If a board member engages in egregious behavior – actual wrongdoing, fraud, doxxing – a recall would actually be entirely defensible. This recall is the absolute opposite of defensible. It is both punishing Dharap for joining Segal in putting forth a resolution condemning Chiu’s appalling participation in the racist doxxing of a district employee AND it is also about policy differences. Dharap was elected by the voters twice and his term expires in 2026. His views and votes represent many of us. The 2026 election is the appropriate time to put forth candidates who reflect your policy positions. This recall is a total disgrace.
Do nothing Dharap did try to force girls to accept boys in bathrooms in Hoover elementary school. Time for him to go.
Thanks for being honest about your transphobia! Good to know exactly the type of people who are behind this Recall effort.
Dharap needs to go. Too much disgusting narcissism, zero spine and nothing to show during his tenure except rhetoric.
Do nothing Dharap needs to resign
Thank you to the group organizing this recall. Mr. Dharap is the self proclaimed senior member of the board, and it’s largely been under his watch that the board has so severely declined. Just listen to experience former board member Camille Townsend in the last board meeting, who publicly scolded the board leadership for its mismanagement. It’s time to get some real governance in place. Count me in.
Parents have long dreamed of recalling Dharap. Parents are infuriated as repeatedly says that PAUSD must support struggling students and ignore the needs of students who want to excel and concluding that education is a zero-sum game. He even suggested that students who want to be challenged should go to private schools! He was against multivariable calculus even though many STEM students applying to engineering have no 4th year of math and this class has been part of PAUSD for years. That parents in Silicon Valley have STEM-aspiring kids should be no surprise. The previous board hired a radical group from Berkeley to create a Liberated Ethnic Studies class that was highly political and raced to adopt it without transparency. The community long tolerated this because virtually the entire existing board shared these values and it was hopeless to challenge them.
The community waited until there were enough open seats to elect candidates who wanted change, who cared about supporting ALL students, and who were thoughtful in engaging the community around the ethnic studies class that united rather than divided us. If there is any doubt about how frustrated the community has been with the previous board one has only to see that the heir apparent, selected by the previous board (Nicole Chiu Wang) lost the election twice!
In THIS election, the community finally elected three fantastic candidates who shared our values and thought we had the votes for change. We see the board asking smart questions. What we are shocked about is that our new board members are repeatedly being told that the teachers cannot accomplish what they want. They already de-laned honors biology so the vote was symbolic. They can’t wait a year on Ethnic Studies for some unexplained reason. The community was getting more and more frustrated until the attacks on Rowena Chiu began. Chiu was the highest vote-getter and overwhelmingly popular because she is courageous in asking articulate and probing questions that are always respectful.
The last straw was when Dharap attacked and intimidated Chiu while allowing the chaos of those board meetings. He is a lawyer with 6 years on the board and he should have known and supported his colleagues to avoid the disastrous chaos. The Asian community was horrified by how Rowena Chiu was treated in the 1/23 board meeting on Ethnic Studies. In response to a student question Chiu gently explained that some of her constituents feel unsafe having a class that divides people into oppressed and oppressors. The community was aghast when the Director of Curriculum and Instruction implied Chiu did not deserve to use the word. Rather than standing up for his Asian colleague and the Asian community and diffusing the situation, Dharap wrote a profoundly disrespectful resolution punishing Ms. Chiu for an exasperated tweet/x when she promised her constituents she would not be silenced. That next 2/11 board meeting had one item on the agenda, that disgraceful, illegal, resolution, and the remainder of the school business was in the consent section (i.e. not to be discussed!). He also wrote a disrespectful op-ed insisting Chiu apologize for the tweet after she already apologized twice in print. School boards are for school business, not litigating one’s colleagues but he will try to spin it that Chiu is seeking vengeance. No, this recall is about Dharap.
I’d sign the recall petition. Does anyone know where I can find it?
Regarding Mr. Dharap’s comment “Test scores are up”, let’s check the CAASPP results of 2018 (when he was elected the first time) vs 2024:
Year English Language Arts (ELA) Mathematics
2018 83.84% met/exceeded standard 83.94% met/exceeded standard
2024 80.52% met/exceeded standard 78.15% met/exceeded standard
The more relevant question I think would be if scores are up since COVID.
Both school board vice president Shounak Dharap and president Shana Segal should be recalled unless they take immediate steps to restore Rowena Chiu’s previous liaison positions, apologize to her for implying in their proposed resolution (that did not pass) that Ms. Chiu had somehow engaged in racist conduct or encouraged racist conduct by re-posting on X a post that did not contain racism, and take every step to communicate to PAUSD employees and students and the Palo Alto community that Ms. Chiu did not engage in or encourage racist conduct and that she is a member in utmost good standing of the PAUSD school board.
People may argue in good faith that Ms. Chiu exercised poor judgment in using X to express her feelings about having been subjected to “bullying” at the first board meeting about the Ethnic Studies course; but they may not in good faith accuse or imply she engaged in racist conduct or encouraged racist conduct. It appears what happened was first the Palo Alto Management Association, Palo Alto Educators and “13 former school board members” seized upon objectionable X posts by third parties to falsely accuse or imply that Ms. Chiu engaged in racist conduct or encouraged racist conduct, not because she did engage in or racist racist conduct (since it is clear she did not), but as a cynical means to try to silence or weaken her criticism of the content of the Ethnic Studies course and her advocacy for making it optional. Then, it appears, Mr. Dharap and Ms. Segal piled on with their resolution that deplorably sought to publicly shame Ms. Chiu by reassigning her liaison roles and, remarkably, “urging her” to “engage in meeting with district staff … to restore trust.” Unfortunately, when trying to win policy debates, “woke” ideologists commonly use the tactic of falsely accusing a policy opponent of being “racist” not only to attempt to censor the opponent but, perhaps more importantly, to cause others who oppose the policy to self-censor for fear of being falsely branded a racist. (As a separate matter, these other parties that attacked Ms. Chiu should also retract their arguably defamatory statements that accused or implied Ms. Chiu engaged in racist conduct or somehow encouraged racist conduct.)
This unfortunate and unnecessary episode is an excellent example of why the Ethnic Studies course should not be taught at all, or at least made optional. The course as currently designed seeks to persuade students that the divisive and unreasonable “woke” ideology “oppressor/oppressed” framework—-the one used cynically to try to silence Ms. Chiu and in doing so embroil the community in counterproductive race-based turmoil when neither Ms. Chiu nor Ms. Reynolds engaged in racist conduct—-is a valid way to view the world. There’s a lot more that should be said about this—-too much to say here.
Shounak Dharap has set a toxic tone for the school board, one built on arrogance, condescension, and dismissing the voices of parents and students. He does not lead through collaboration or respect. Instead, he manipulates, bullies, and pressures others to fall in line with his agenda. A clear example of this is his treatment of Shana Segal, whom he has turned into his puppet. Rather than allowing independent voices to thrive, Dharap ensures that board members either submit to his influence or face hostility.
This is not how leadership should work. A school board should foster open debate, listen to the community, and work toward solutions that benefit students. Under Dharap, it has become a dysfunctional echo chamber where disagreement is treated as disloyalty. His behavior does not just impact policy. It poisons the culture of the board itself, making it clear that he values power and control over genuine dialogue and accountability.
This recall is about more than just one bad vote or one failed policy. It is about removing a leader who has made the board more divisive, less transparent, and completely dismissive of the concerns of the people it is supposed to serve. Palo Alto deserves better.
Dharap has had a destructive impact. His treatment of Chiu demonstrates his intolerance of opposing opinions.
The following statement is written by a group of Asian and Chinese parents who wish to remain anonymous due to concerns about potential retaliation within PAUSD.
PAUSD Is Not Safe for Asian Students—And Shounak Dharap Made It Worse
Let me begin with a truth that too many PAUSD families already know: PAUSD is not a safe place for Asian students.
Every year, Asian students, especially Chinese students, are bullied, harassed, physically assaulted, and even sexually assaulted. They are seen as easy targets—discreet, culturally reluctant to cause conflict, and with parents who often don’t speak English fluently or understand how to navigate the school system. And when these families seek help?
They are ignored, dismissed, and gaslit by the very leaders entrusted to protect them. Worse, many students and families who speak up face severe retaliation—students develop depression, continue to be attacked, and some leave the school altogether.
A Chinese student is beaten up at school—but administrators downplay the attack, falsify witness statements, and manipulate facts.
A Chinese girl is sexually harassed and reports it—yet PAUSD tells her parents there’s no real “threat” and takes no action.
A Chinese student is mocked, harassed, and excluded—but their parents, struggling with English, are brushed off when they demand answers.
This happens again and again because bullies see Asian students as easy targets—they won’t fight back, their parents don’t speak English, and PAUSD won’t protect them.
And what has Shounak Dharap done to stop this?
He fuels this culture—twisting the truth to erase the Chinese community’s pain from Ms. Reynolds’ statements. His actions directly embolden PAUSD’s ongoing pattern of silencing Asian students and families.
Dharap’s response is not just his personal failure—it is a direct reflection of how PAUSD administration operates. As the most powerful trustee on the school board, Dharap enables, protects, and flames this culture of silencing victims, manipulating facts, and allowing Asian students to remain vulnerable in an unsafe district.
Dharap’s Leadership Makes PAUSD Even More Dangerous
For three weeks after the January 23 board meeting, the Asian community voiced their pain over a deeply offensive remark suggesting that Asians do not have the right to say they feel unsafe.
And how did Shounak Dharap respond?
He stayed silent for three weeks, ignoring the hurt and frustration of the Asian families who had elected him.
On February 8, California Senator Josh Becker publicly called for unity and grace regarding the turmoil at PAUSD. Yet Dharap ignored his call and instead chose to further divide the community.
On February 11, nearly 100 Chinese parents attended the board meeting—many speaking to him directly at the parking lot entrance, telling him their pain.
And yet, when he finally spoke, instead of acknowledging the harm, he gaslit the entire community.
He deliberately twisted the facts regarding the timing of the “unsafe” remark, pretending that the delay in response meant it wasn’t directed at a specific group—when in reality, people were simply waiting their turn to speak.
This is not leadership. This is a betrayal.
Let’s Call It What It Is: Gaslighting.
You do not get to tell a community that what they heard was not what they heard.
You do not get to tell people that their pain is not real.
You do not get to decide whose safety matters and whose does not.
A Fundamental Human Right Is Being Taken Away
The right to feel safe at school is a fundamental human right. Every child—regardless of race—deserves to go to school without fear of being bullied, harassed, or assaulted.
Shounak Dharap is taking that right away from Asian students and families.
By dismissing real concerns, gaslighting victims, and protecting a system that refuses to hold bullies accountable, Dharap is sending a clear message:
Asian students’ safety does not matter.
Asian parents’ voices do not count.
Asian families are disposable in PAUSD.
We refuse to accept this.
What Kind of District Will PAUSD Become If Dharap Stays in Power?
Dharap is the most powerful trustee in PAUSD. And if this is how he wields his power—by silencing victims, gaslighting families, and protecting the status quo—imagine what the district will look like if he stays.
More Asian students will be bullied, assaulted, and harassed, knowing that PAUSD will do nothing to protect them.
More Asian parents will be dismissed and ignored, their voices erased because of language barriers.
More leadership failures will be justified with gaslighting, deception, and procedural tricks.
Dharap had every opportunity to be a leader. He chose not to be.
Why This Recall Matters
The Asian community was deeply disturbed after watching the January 23, 2025, board meeting. During the meeting, the curriculum director overseeing a controversial program told a board trustee that “UNSAFE” is not the appropriate word to use, and that she should only use the word “uncomfortable.”
This immediately raised serious concerns:
Does this mean PAUSD teachers will tell our children they can’t say they feel “unsafe” because, according to the curriculum director, that word is only for certain racial groups?
When Asian parents raised concerns about this exclusionary message, Dharap dismissed them, insisting that “the staff didn’t say that” and implying that our reactions were invalid.
But let’s look at exactly what the curriculum director said:
“Stuff happens every single day… any class we offer, even in PE, things happen, and someone doesn’t always feel comfortable. I worry about the word SAFE as a person who has to worry about my husband driving and coming home… So the word ‘safety’ is something we have to be a little bit… we have to be aware of what that means.”
This sends a clear message that some racial groups are allowed to use the word “unsafe” while others—like Asians—are not.
As of today, neither the curriculum director nor Dharap has issued an apology for this comment. Instead, Dharap doubled down, dismissing the community’s hurt by saying:
“People can take it any way they take it.”
This was not just dismissive—it was condescending and insulting. Instead of addressing the harm, he silenced and gaslit us.
Reynolds was not downplaying actual safety issues for students – she was distinguishing between actual safety issues and the discomfort of having people disagree with you, or teach about unpleasant historical facts.
Dharap in his six years on the board has consistently worked against the interests of students and the broader community,pushing controversial agendas that do more harm than good.
Dharap is deeply unpopular and was only re-elected primarily because the two failed candidates were simply unacceptable.
Dharap is dishonest, makes and breaks promises and misrepresents at will in order to push the current agenda. He conducts himself like a dishonest salesperson rather than someone that works for students. Dharap even declares that his job is not actually to support the students, or at least most students.
Interpret his quoted statement of “convincing his colleagues” as “misleading” his colleagues.
Initially, I believed we could simply wait out for Dharap’s term to expire. However, after watching the last three board meetings, it’s clear: we cannot afford to let this continue. As vice president this year and board president next year, Dharap controls the agenda. And he is already using this power to silence important discussions and push personal vendettas and distract from work that actually needs to get done.
Dharap hijached the only board meeting in February 11 for a smear campaign against another trustee. Actual business was postponed or ignored by an exhausted board. The open session was cancelled, silending public input.
Moreover, Dharap distracted away from addressing significant issues that surfaced at the prior meeting and have significant implications to students safety.
(1) An unacceptable proposed lesson plan (which included content on children performing oral sex on adults). Parents and the community need to know how this even made it into “proposed lessons” to 13-14 year olds by PAUSD teachers? Dharap chose to distract instead of working to make a plan to reassure the community that there was no ill intent and that the teachers undergo proper training.
(2) A comment by the top administrator in charge of curriculum and instruction, dismissing legitimate student safety concerns as mere “discomfort.” Moreover, the comment was interpreted by many to be racist in that it applied to particular groups of students.
Regarding (2), not only was this offensive remark not clarified, Dharap wasted precious meeting time and used it to actually attack another trustee. His argument? The problem wasn’t what was said, but that it was “misrepresented.” According to him, the administrator “only” minimized student safety, rather than a trustee’s safety.
Dharap appears to believe that minimizing student safety is ok.
So no, a recall is a mess but I don’t think we can afford 2 more years of Dharap as vice president and then as board president.
Reading the recall petition and recall proponents, there’s a lot of false information about a school district that’s rated #1 in California, has high test scores, expanding advanced math opportunities, and many other advantages. Why spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to spread misinformation about a high performing district?
It looks like:
– Political retribution because Dharap told the truth about Chiu’s reckless use of social media, that even she acknowledges was a mistake and has apologized for.
– Panic over elementary students bathroom use, pulled from the same anti-trans playbook that Trump is using.
– Labeling the entire school board “racist” because of curriculum decisions like agreeing with 9th grade biology teachers about how to structure the curriculum.
Rowena Chiu should call for her supporters to stop this destructive waste of taxpayer dollars, built on a pile of falsehoods about our district that is ultimately going to hurt property values and distract from the work of actually delivering a high quality education ot our students. We’ve had enough of these Trump tactics at the national level, we don’t need it in our schools.
This is not about Rowena Chiu at all. Please do not drag her into the recall. Please do not gaslight it as political retribution. To me part of it Dharap’s bullying behavior, starting a resolution to act against Chiu without even talking to her first how to make reconciliation. But the bigger part is his approach directly conflicts with the priorities of most voters who value high-quality education for every student. As a result, Shonak has lost touch with the values of the Palo Alto community, and his unwillingness to listen or promote transparency only deepens this divide. The core concern is his inability to fairly represent the community, is so drastic that deserves a recall.
1. List out the false information and prove why they are false.
2. Give the evidence of the amount of money spent as you claimed.
3. If the money cost is your top 1 concern, let’s work together to let Dharap resign by himself. That way we don’t need to spend a penny going forward. Win-win!
Thank you, Mr. Dauber, for your voice of reason. These bullies and their lies make me worry a lot about my family’s future in this town that has been our home for almost a decade. I worry that everyone will end up hating Chinese people here and that maybe we made the wrong choice to come here even though we have loved Duveneck for our kids. It makes me sad and stress to have a board member who looks like me behave in such a manner as Ms. Chiu does. Sadly, her ways (that remind me of Trump’s ways) have emboldened a part of our community that is right-wing and hyper focused on academic achievement above all else. It’s no coincidence that Trustee Chiu reposted the racist “Asians Against Wokeness” post attacking a black woman (who by the way seemed by all measures to be lovely and highly regarded), and that many of her supporters’ demands sound similar to that awful “Moms for Liberty” group. I implore others in the Asian community, who like me are mortified that someone who looks like us behaves this way, to unite against these egregious attacks on our trusted elected leaders (like Shounak Dharap who btw is also Asian and who makes me proud). Ms. Chiu and her supporters are both lying about Asian hate occurring AND creating Asian hate by giving people reasons to think Asians here are all anti-woke, entitled, dishonest and racist. That is not how most of us are and this is deeply hurting our relationships and standing in this community. Please stop making us all look bad, stop this recall and I wish Ms. Chiu would step down. She is clearly not fit for the role she is in and I am also not sure she is well.
This typical dismissiveness of the Chinese community is what we lived with for many years. Thank heavens, Dauber was termed out and is no longer on the school board. They will keep attacking and will try to pin everything on Rowena Chiu because she courageously challenges the status quo. She was overwhelmingly supported by the community so it’s not surprising that many people don’t want to live with Dauber’s mentee anymore.
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Ken: you need to acknowledge that the board and its policies during your tenure were soundly rebuked in the last election cycle. Your rhetroric essentially amounts to every progressive trope — cancel culture, afraid to engage with different opinions and attacking everyone who disagrees with you as a racist.
It is plain as sight to everyone — over the last decade, Palo Alto USD is in a descent. Teachers have bought into a culture endorsed and represented by bureaucratic leaders who think “equality” means that all students should scoop ice cream during summers instead of pursue their interests in math, science, biology, the arts. Your board of trustees literally turned Palo Alto USD into a joke during covid, ignoring all science and common sense, keeping the school district closed for longer than any school district in the country, leaving elementary school age kids to learn from packets of worksheets and little zoom video squares. And let’s not even get into how wastefully your board’s tenure was fiscally, causing a district in one of the wealthiest areas in the world to somehow still be in a state of financial disaster.
Ken, it’s time to let go and realize that you represented an era of policies that have failed. It appears that in all of your time you still have not learned about leading vs lagging indicators. The current school district ratings are an indicator of yesterday when Palo Alto stood for an excellent education.
Your tenure, of which Shounak is like a remnant hanging on, is only accelerating the hollowing out of a school district that at one point could take pride in creating opportunities for every student. Instead what is going to be left is a school focused on idealogical and political brainwashing.
No more. It’s time to recognize that we have moved on from your time.
When Dauber says “We’ve had enough of these Trump tactics …” I’ll take that with a big grain of salt. He was a contractor for the Obama administration’s Department of Education. Republicans call Democrats names and Democrats call Republicans names. Ken, let’s rise above that kind of discourse and talk about actual facts here in Palo Alto.
Ken,
It is not anti-trans to want 3 bathrooms for your kids in elementary school and be uncomfortable with your 6-7 year old daughter going to shared multi-stalled bathrooms with boys. That you believe this is okay and people who feel uncomfortable with this are anti-trans shows how out of touch some board members are with the community and reality. If this feels like something out of a Trump playbook it is b/c it works. Very extreme liberals are out on a fringe in their views so it is becoming easier to peel moderate democrats off to the republican party. Liberated ethnic studies is another area that is an easy attack vector. Just b/c people don’t agree with liberated ethnic studies and shared multi-stall bathrooms for elementary school age children and other extreme left views / ideologies does not make them a Trumpster. However, as the democrats move further and further to the left and out of step with the mainstream this is becoming more likely as you abandon more and more voters to the Republicans.
It doesn’t make these people bad people b/c they don’t agree with your extreme views or perspectives or want them for their children.
Ken Dauber’s defense of Shounak Dharap is a prime example of deflection and dishonesty. Let’s break it down:
1. Misleading Claims of District Excellence:
While the district has historically performed well, Dauber, Dharap, and their cohort have allowed the ‘woke mind virus’ to infiltrate our schools, leading to decisions that undermine academic excellence. The elimination of Honors Biology and the rushed implementation of the Ethnic Studies requirement were both passed with minimal community engagement and transparency. These actions have led many to question the district’s commitment to academic rigor and inclusivity.
2. Disconnect from Community Sentiment:
If this group were in touch with their community, they would recognize that dissatisfaction has been simmering for a long time. Recent events have merely ignited the powder keg of frustration.
3. Trivializing Genuine Parental Concerns:
By labeling concerns over elementary students’ bathroom use as “panic” and aligning them with “anti-trans” rhetoric, Dauber trivializes genuine parental concerns about student safety and privacy. Such dismissiveness only deepens the divide between the board and the community it serves.
4. Weaponizing National Politics to Distract:
Dauber’s attempt to link local concerns to “Trump tactics” is a blatant distraction. Invoking national political figures to delegitimize community-driven efforts is both inappropriate and manipulative. Moreover, this approach reveals an intolerance to views other than their own, perpetuating a divisive atmosphere. The issues at hand are specific to PAUSD and deserve to be addressed on their own merits, without resorting to partisan fear-mongering.
5. Hypocrisy Regarding Financial Concerns:
While Dauber laments the potential cost of a recall, he overlooks the long-term costs of maintaining leadership that many feel is unresponsive and detrimental to the district’s values. Moreover, dismissing the recall as spreading “misinformation” undermines the genuine experiences and concerns of parents, students, and educators who have voiced their dissatisfaction.
The recall effort is not a “destructive waste” but a democratic response to leadership that many believe has strayed from the district’s core mission. Instead of belittling concerned community members, it’s imperative to engage in open, respectful dialogue to address the issues at hand.
Yep, PAUSD has a lot of good parents.
There’s a lot of criticism above of the School Board, but nobody’s talking about the root problem here: the small number of people willing to run for it. So many of these races end up as “hold your nose and vote for the least-unqualified,” because there are usually just not enough candidates to field a truly capable and analytical board. We all want somebody else to do it, so we end up with what we have.
Mushy school boards tolerate sliding expectations (Mr Dharap a particular case in point), and too much weighting on slippery topics like “identity” at the expense of teaching our kids to write essays and master math. I would love for Mr. Wang and his associates, who rightly opposed these trends, to take the next step and field more of their own candidates in the years ahead.
So tired of Avery Wang and his group of rabid Moms4Liberty turning Palo Alto into Trump-land. What’s next? Book bans? Eradicating trans kids? Don’t these people have anything better to do with their time? Dharap has been a super-solid board member, doing his utmost to make good decisions for ALL the students, not just the well-off.
Yes, extremists do tend to think everybody else is one.
This recall isn’t about Trump politics—it’s about accountability. Dismissing legitimate concerns as “misinformation” ignores the fact that many parents and community members feel unheard. If transparency and responsiveness were priorities, there wouldn’t be a recall effort in the first place.
Agreed, recall is a waste of taxpayer money! You should talk to Dharap and ask him to resign—that would be a better solution.
I agree with the criticisms of Dharap. His support of dumbing down science and math classes, his advocacy of a mandatory divisive ethnic studies course, and his advocacy of a single sex bathroom for an elementary school until the heat got too hot shows his disconnect from the parents of our school’s children.
Having said that, I believe that a recall vote for what will be the last eighteen months of his term will be counterproductive and will only add to the divisiveness of which we already have too much. Instead, let’s organize for the next election so that a board that prioritizes academic achievement for children of all abilities can provide the leadership that is so badly needed.
Ken Dauber claims that PAUSD is “expanding advanced math opportunities”, but the facts show that PAUSD has systematically restricted acceleration pathways, leaving students with fewer options than those in neighboring districts.
1️⃣ 2019: Middle School Math Delaning – Removing Math Pathways
In 2019, Ken Dauber and other board members voted to delane middle school math, eliminating PAUSD’s two-tier system and replacing it with a one-size-fits-all approach.
Meanwhile, neighboring districts (such as LASD and many others) retained a three-tier system, offering:
1️⃣ Grade-Level Math
2️⃣ Accelerated Math
3️⃣ Advanced Math (allowing students to reach Geometry Honors by 8th grade)
This difference is staggering:
~40% of students in neighboring districts reach Geometry Honors by 8th grade, setting them up for success in high school math.
In 2019 only ~3.75% of PAUSD students reached Geometry Honors by 8th grade.
2️⃣ 2023: Dharap’s Vote Against Raising the Ceiling for Advanced Students
At the February 28, 2023 PAUSD Board Meeting (timestamp 1:37:34), Shounak Dharap made it clear that PAUSD leadership prioritizes limiting acceleration rather than supporting high-achieving students. He stated:
“…if given a choice to vote between building the floor filling the gap and raising the ceiling I am going to vote for the floor every time, every time…we have to prioritize the floor because we are a public school district not a private school, and if folks want higher ceilings at the expense of floors maybe there are private schools out there that can do that…”
This statement directly contradicts Dauber’s claim that PAUSD is “expanding” advanced math. PAUSD leadership is actively suppressing high-achieving students instead of providing equitable access to rigorous coursework.
3️⃣ 2023: PAUSD Eliminates Multivariable Calculus (MVC) – A Major Setback for STEM Students
In 2023, PAUSD completely eliminated Multivariable Calculus (MVC)—a course that top STEM universities highly value. The result? ~80 PAUSD students this year have been left without a math class to take, while neighboring districts continue to offer MVC as part of their advanced math curriculum.
The Reality: PAUSD is Falling Behind in Math Education
Ken Dauber’s claim that PAUSD is “expanding” advanced math opportunities is blatantly false. Under his tenure and Dharap’s continued leadership:
❌ Middle school math was delaned, leaving students with only one track.
❌ Skip tests replaced structured acceleration, leaving many qualified students without access to advanced math.
❌ Board members openly prioritized restricting high-achieving students instead of supporting all learners.
❌ Multivariable Calculus (MVC) was eliminated, putting PAUSD students at a disadvantage in college admissions.
PAUSD should be fostering academic excellence for all students, not suppressing opportunities for those who are ready for more challenge. Instead of misleading the public, Dauber and Dharap should be held accountable for the deliberate dismantling of PAUSD’s advanced math pathways.
So we’re committing that alleged crime of silencing dissent by silencing dissent ? Make it make sense. I dream to live in a world where everyone can freely say STFU and then come back the next day and have a beer.
Amen to that.
This recall is embarrassing for our city and district. The vengeful and vile few voices really have become so unhinged it’s hard to comprehend. One school board member doxxed a black school administrator on a hateful X account tiled “Asians Against Wokeness,” another has done nothing but serve the interests of our students in the most upstanding manner. Guess which one is getting recalled. I don’t know what dark and twisted world the recall supporters live in. This city is becoming sickening. It’s not a good day for Palo Alto.
Dharap is probably saying to himself, “I’ll just ride this out. I don’t need to apologize. It will all blow over, they’ll never get the signatures to put this on the ballot.” Meanwhile, Ken Dauber is thinking to himself that his years of trying to dumb down academics will soon be reversed by an academically-oriented board and community. He’s freaking out. One of his puppets will soon be removed from the board. And finally, Superintendent Austin has probably called one of those headhunter firms to put in his resume and find him a job in some unsuspecting community. He doesn’t want to clean up the mess he’s made. He wants to get out of Dodge.
Recalls keep politicians honest.
Our family worked absurd hours to save up to move from East Palo Alto to Palo Alto, so that
our daughters could go to school here. Shounak attacked girls and mothers in this community
by trying to remove their private spaces and disrespecting them when they spoke out. He told
kids who want to excel to go to private school. We did not work so hard to move here to be
bamboozled by a divisive politician. Inclusion, safety, and education for all. That is why we
moved here. We will not be bullied.
Finally, someone brings up Don Austin’s role in this mess. How about also naming Jennifer DiBrienza and Jesse as contributors to the decline of PAUSD? The trio led the charge toward mediocrity for the past few years. I guess that Dharap is the last one so he’s the best target.
I agree that the recall is a counterproductive and harmful distraction. However, it should be viewed as the clearest, loudest evidence of the frustration and desperation of a sizable and growing part of PAUSD. People have been ignored, shouted down and condescendingly dismissed for a long time.
The anger may seem sudden and drastic to supporters of the former board and anyone who has ignored or been ignorant of the feelings and concerns of many in the Asian community (and many other PAUSD communities). Issues and values that do not line up with the former board members’ agenda have repeatedly been dismissed and ignored for years. That board has a gaggle of supporters who turn up at every meeting or pop up on social media to take down detractors with liberal self-righteousness (I’m a lifelong Democrat LGBTQIA ally so please save your retort) This situation has been simmering for a very long time. One only needs to review the results of the past two elections to see who won and who did not and wonder why.
The frustration is real. It is not new. It sure looks to me like it’s no longer going to be shushed or pushed aside.