The Palo Alto Unified School District stands at a critical crossroads, which is why we proudly endorse Avery Wang and John Craig for the Palo Alto school board. The district desperately needs structural and cultural reform, and both Wang and Craig bring the independent vision, fiscal realism and commitment to academic excellence required to steer the district back on track.
We cannot endorse the third candidate in the race, Linda Henigin, because she represents a vote for the status quo.
Why Henigin Falls Short
Henigin, an instructional aide, seems to be on the side of policies that keep the district anchored to past missteps.
For instance, she leans toward de-laning — an educational practice of eliminating tracked or grouped classes (such as separating students by academic skill levels in subjects like math) in an attempt to place all students of varying abilities into the same heterogeneous classrooms.
Critics note this approach often dumbs down instruction and deprives high-achieving students of rigorous academic challenges.
When questioned about it, she wouldn’t take a “yes” or “no” position on de-laning, but offered another approach that would group students together that sounded a lot like de-laning to us.
Furthermore, Henigin supports raising teacher compensation despite an existing labor contract that risks plunging the district deeper into a multi-million-dollar budget deficit. At a time when the district has faced severe budget shortfalls — lately highlighted by wasteful expenditures like $18,000 luxury sushi machines while grappling with core budget holes — PAUSD needs leaders who prioritize fiscal discipline over empty promises.
Ending the Don Austin Era
Palo Alto schools must make a clean break from the toxic legacy of former Superintendent Don Austin, who infamously ruled through intimidation and manipulation. The district’s administrative bureaucracy spiraled so far out of control that it even launched a covert investigation targeting school board member Rowena Chiu. We suspect the point of this was an ugly attempt to dig up dirt and force her resignation. (They didn’t find any dirt, however.)
Electing Avery Wang and John Craig, alongside Chiu, will forge a principled three-member reform majority on the board. This new majority can finally sweep out Austin’s remaining collaborators and restore accountability, openness and integrity to 25 Churchill.
Merit and Advanced Math
We strongly favor Wang and Craig for their unwavering emphasis on merit and the rebuilding of an educational meritocracy.
Avery Wang, in particular, has been a tireless champion for advanced math opportunities. His dedication to ensuring students can excel and advance in mathematics goes beyond mere rhetoric — he even took legal action against the district to challenge policies that unfairly held back high achieving students.
John Craig joins him with a sharp focus on restoring academic rigor, financial transparency and common-sense governance.
To turn the page on administrative overreach and refocus our schools on student achievement, vote for Avery Wang and John Craig for Palo Alto school board.
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