The Post first published this story back on July 31. We’re publishing it again because one of our competitors has re-written it and is serving it up as if it were “new” news. If you want to get important local stories first, pick up the Post in the morning. Our competitors do.
BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer
A teacher’s aide is leading two advanced math advocates in fundraising for the Palo Alto school board.
Linda Henigin raised $17,620 from 49 donors through June 30, campaign finance forms show.
Henigin is followed by parent Avery Wang with $14,322 from 43 donors and John Craig with $9,917 from 32 donors.
Wang and Craig are running against Henigin for two open seats. They’ve donated $1,000 to each other’s campaign and both received $100 from board member Rowena Chiu, who has often voted in the minority since she was elected in November 2024.
Wang and Craig reported donations from several critics of the district’s direction — Edith Cohen ($500), who is suing the district for paying Superintendent Don Austin $596,802 to resign; Shailo Rao ($107), who attempted to recall board member Shounak Dharap; Brian Conrad ($106), a Stanford professor who wants to make math classes more rigorous; and Allyson Rosen ($104), a VA psychologist who has urged the district to discuss depression more.
Donor’s history
Rosen has been at odds with two of Henigin’s donors: former school board member Jennifer DiBrienza ($500) and parent Nana Chancellor ($500).
DiBrienza and Chancellor advised Councilwoman Julie Lythcott-Haims against appointing Rosen’s to the city’s Human Relations Commission in October.
“She is one of the math acceleration people. She is very unsympathetic toward Gaza,” DiBrienza said in a group chat.
“She is the worst!!” Chancellor declared.
Henegin’s donors
Henigin received donations from mental health advocates, including Stanford pediatric psychiatry professor Shashank Joshi ($100) and Youth Community Services Executive Director Mora Oomen ($100).
Santa Clara County Board of Education member Jessica Speiser ($500), 2024 candidate Chris Colohan ($1,000) and Human Relations Commissioner Mary Stimmler ($500) also donated to Henigin’s campaign.
Wang’s donors
Wang has seen a boost from the tech world, with donations from several engineers: Lexiang Ye ($100), Luby Gao ($106), Dan Shi ($106), Cheng Zhou ($100), Nishant Deshpande ($100), Sandeep Mirchandani ($100), Kun Zhang ($100), Shrileckha Chaithanya ($106) and Vish Ponnampalam ($211).
Wang founded Shazam and now works at Apple.
Wang also received donations from donations from Ethnic Studies critic Leor Melamedov ($180) and Marek Albostza ($1,000), who successfully sued the district for holding students back in math.
Am I to believe that the most important thing on the PAUSD’s agenda should be, wait for it, Gaza and that math is unimportant? Sure sounds like it. I would say that if you want Palo Alto to end up like Gaza that would be a good plan.
Another publication referred to Linda Henigin as a “Palo Alto educator”. That’s a stretch. She’s a volunteer who assists teachers. The title that other paper gave her makes her sound as if she’s a longstanding community institution.
Henigin’s LinkedIn says she is has been a substitute teacher, a math intervention teacher, and an instructional aide for 8 years. The first two require a full CA teaching certification, which, per the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, she’s held since 2019. So it does look like she is qualified to be a teacher. That said, the only listing for her in the PAUSD personnel actions (included in all board meeting packets) appear to be for a 1 hour per day teacher aide position (starting in 2018 until going on leave this month). She does not appear listed as hired for any certificated (teaching) position. Perhaps she can clarify what her role has been. One could also make a California Public Records Act request of the district for her employment history.
It’s pretty obvious, looking at Oakland as an example, that being a district teacher and a member of the school board, is a conflict of interest. If you doubt that read up on coverage of Oakland school board members backgrounds and district contract settlements. The board milks gullible taxpayers while delivering zero student achievement. The district is the world’s most expensive baby sitting service.
State law doesn’t allow current district employees to serve on the board where they work. There’s a fair question whether former employees, or employees of other districts, make good board members. PAUSD has had four in the last 20 years – only one managed more than one term.