BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer
The Palo Alto school board yesterday promoted an HR director to acting superintendent who signed a letter last year calling for the resignation of board member Rowena Chiu.
HR Director Herb Espiritu, 44, of San Jose, is the district’s third superintendent in the last month.
Espiritu was one of 60 members of the Palo Alto Management Association to call for Chiu’s resignation in January 2025.
Chiu was under fire for reposting a social media post that called out Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction Danae Reynolds, who was subject to racist comments underneath the post.
Chiu was the board member who made the motion to pick Espiritu yesterday.
The board met privately for two hours and 15 minutes and approved Espiritu’s appointment on a 5-0 vote.
“With this action, the board has expressed its intent to discuss searching for and hiring an interim,” board president Shounak Dharap said. “The time-bound nature of the action also shows an intent to move speedily.
When the Post asked to speak with Espiritu after his appointment, district spokewoman Lynette White responded that Espiritu would issue a statement.
Espiritu was a principal in San Jose until July 2022, when he was hired in Palo Alto as director of student services. He’s been in his current role managing HR for teachers for the last two years and makes $229,217 plus benefits, pay records show.
Tom Culbertson, president of the teachers’ union, said he’s had a positive and productive relationship with Espiritu.
“This is a huge step for Herb, and he will do everything possible to do what’s right for students, educators and the community,” Culbertson said.
Espiritu will be acting superintendent until April 21 or until the board brings in an interim superintendent, whichever comes first, Dharap said.
“Herb is very well respected in the district, both among administrators, among families, clearly among the board and our teachers and classified staff,” Dharap said on a phone call.
The district and its unions are in the middle of tense negotiations over a new contract.
The district in February offered a 2% raise, while the teachers’ union had requested 13%, plus benefits.
Meanwhile, the union for non-teachers asked for an 11% raise this year and 8% raise next year.
Former Superintendent Don Austin said proposals amounted to 28% for teachers and 47% for non-teachers when other benefits and compensation were factored in.
The board agreed to pay Austin $596,802 on Feb. 20 and acting Superintendent Trent Bahadursingh $346,673 on Tuesday in exchange for their resignations.
Isn’t Herb the guy pictured on Don Austin’s Simple Wins website paying close attention to the lesson? So if he eventually gets a separation deal too, would that put PAUSD at $1,172,692? Who is Herb? Is he another apple off Don’s tree? Have there ever been complaints filed against him that might fall under the bullying or retaliation culture that has been alleged under Don and Trent? How many others inside this current upper PAUSD management: director, manager and/or supervisors have allegations against them for discrimination, harassment or retaliation during Don’s tenure? We all need to keep pushing ahead together and it’s important to have another spare tire to put on the car but sooner or later we will all have to pull over again and finally address the smoke still seeping out from under the PAUSD hood. Like David Price’s article had stated before, it would be best to let the incoming board members, the will of the Palo Alto voters, have a voice in who the new superintendent will be because he or she will inevitably have to root out the leftover rot before moving forward.
You said it! Herb is a terrible choice and will be let go as well sooner than later, and it will end up costing PAUSD.
They should leave the position open to save money. No one would notice.
Let’s hope this is a positive step for PAUSD as the transition to better leadership continues.
Before you get too excited, we should know if he was part of the Austin team. If so, nothing is going to change. (And that’s the kind of person a majority of this board would pick.)
The Austin team at the upper levels was controlled by inflated pay checks and the fear of losing a lucrative position. Loyalty was prized over ethics and competence, with the Colombo case being the most visible example. I’m guessing Mr. Espiritu is temporary and I agree that the next board should choose his successor. If anything, Mr. Espiritu can offer insights into the corruption since he was part of it.
The “Austin Way” bled down to the site level as well because principals, VPs, and department heads (instructional leaders) were afraid to cross Austin or the board. As I have stated before, I saw some decent and honest people get caught up in the corruption because they felt they had no choice. This type of culture is going to take time to undo, and the “new guard” at 25 Churchill will need to be aware of its pervasiveness and damage. This is where Mr. Espiritu, if he is the upstanding man he is made out to be, can be of value.
As someone who spent half of his life serving PAUSD and its stakeholders, I hope this new chapter becomes one that befits the old label of “Lighthouse District”. Under Austin, the light went dark for a time, but he did not extinguish it.
In the last 4 decades PAUSD administration has grown. Justification was increased enrollment. State penalties and established laws were put into place to control administrative growth yet PAUSD administration discovered a convenient loop hole. They found that by assigning teachers to do administrative jobs, they could reduce their work load and put the burden of less support on every teacher in the classroom by increasing class sizes. Those teachers, who reduced the class sizes were now Called TOSA’s, Or Teachers On Special Assignments. How convenient for administration. Hire a teacher, pay them teachers salary, and expect them to do administrative work. I’m wondering if the new temporary in charge, who was in charge of TOSA personnel, will put teachers back in the classroom rather than leeching off the loophole.
” Those teachers, who
‘reduced’ the class sizes were now Called TOSA’s” Actually, I met” increased”. Sorry for error. Get rid of TOSA’s and put them back in the classrooms where real differences are made.If they don’t want to teach, they can leave or apply for an admin position that does not belittle real teachers. You either teach or you don’t. There should be no gray area.