BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer
A Palo Alto school board candidate who was a teacher’s aide recruited student interns and solicited endorsements from her school district email address, records show.
Board policy and state law ban candidates from using public resources to campaign, with punishments ranging from a $1,000 fine to three years in prison.
Candidate Linda Henigin accepted responsibility for sending the emails yesterday.
“I really should’ve taken that off to my personal email,” she said in a phone interview.
Henigin’s opponent John Craig called the emails shocking, disturbing, unethical and illegal. He said he feels like his campaign is at a disadvantage because Henigin appears to be backed by the district. Henigin reached out on Jan. 27 to teacher Rachael Kaci, who runs the district’s work experience education program.
“I will definitely want to have student interns on my campaign,” Henigin said.
Another employee suggested Henigin should keep the students to doing research, not working on the campaign.
Henigin ended up having two student interns, who received class credit and were supervised by Henigin. Each of them worked for Henigin for about 40 hours, emails show.
Henigin worked as an aide at Duveneck Elementary School. She asked Principal Brittany Gardner for permission to send out an announcement that she was running for school board on June 2, and Gardner said yes.
Henigin told her coworkers she’d be back in January if she loses, and she can’t be employed by the district if she wins. She gave her coworkers her campaign email address.
Four employees wrote back with excitement that Henigin was running, including psychologist Erika Gardiner and teachers Kathleen Thibault, Judy Cloud and Sophia All.
“I am crossing fingers for you and that you find a place on the Board: the residents of PA, the students, the families and PAUSD would be LUCKY to have you,” psychologist Erika Gardiner said.
“I will be hoping that the run for school board goes well. Wish I lived here to vote for you,” Thibault said.
Henigin replied on June 5 and asked her coworkers to endorse her on her website.
“You could use the same message you wrote to me in the endorsement:)” Henigin said.
Gardiner said she would endorse Henigin once she’s formally retired so there’s no conflict of interest. Her name is now included on Henigin’s list of endorsers.
District spokeswoman Lynette White said Superintendent Jason Glass is aware of Henigin’s emails, which were produced in response to a California Public Records Act request by Craig.
“District policy and state law prohibit employees from using district resources, including district email, to support or oppose any candidate or ballot measure. Employees may take part in political activity on their own time and at their own expense,” White said in an email yesterday.
The district addresses complaints about employees using district resources through its personnel processes, which are confidential, White said.
“The district applies these rules the same way regardless of the candidate or measure involved. All staff will receive a reminder of these requirements before ballots are mailed,” White said.
In an interview yesterday, Craig said he requested the emails after seeing the district post a slide deck with an ad for Henigin’s campaign looking for student volunteers.
The district removed the ad and opened a review after getting a complaint on Aug. 21, Glass said in a letter to the editor.
In an interview, Henigin said candidates looked for volunteers in the slide deck from 2024, and she provided the ads.
Craig said he feels like he’s at a disadvantage because Henigin has access to government resources and connections.
Craig said he feels like he’s at a disadvantage because Henigin has access to government resources and connections.
“This is not a level playing field,” Craig said. “If a school employee and union member can use public funds and public resources and the PAUSD brand, then that suggests there’s support for her. That’s not how democracy is supposed to work.”
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