Henigin overcomes controversy to lead in school board race; Wang second

Linda Henigin was able to overcome a court controversy about calling herself a “math teacher” on the ballot to win the most votes in the race for Palo Alto school board, early returns show.

One of Henigin’s critics, who disagreed with her on educational philosophy, Avery Wang, came in second.  

Voters were asked to pick two candidates for the five member board, and if early results hold up, Henigin and Wang will be sworn in — replacing Shounak Dharap and Shana Segal, who decided not to run for reelection.

In third was parent John Craig, who ran on a slate with Wang.  

Craig and Wang were seen as reformers, while Henigin — who said she wanted to raise teacher pay after they just got a 10% hike over two years plus bonuses — appeared to be defender of the status quo.  

Henigin’s campaign was hit by controversy early on. She lacked a math teacher credential even though she called herself a “math teacher” on the ballot. However, she did have a multiple subject teaching credential. A court decided against forcing her to change her ballot title.  

Former superintendent Don Austin, who was paid to resign earlier this year, was a haunting figure in the race as well, with many voters remembering that Henigin had supported Austin. Austin was seen as overbearing and manipulative.

Austin’s administrators remain in the district in key positions, and there appears to be only two votes on the five-member board who would have cleaned house — those of Wang and Rowena Chiu. Chiu was elected two years ago, and soon after taking office, she was the target of a secret investigation launched by Austin’s administrators. The investigation turned up nothing they could use against her.

Meanwhile, the district appears to be in for a $65 million windfall thanks to Measure J. In early returns, Measure J — a half-cent sales tax — was narrowly ahead. If that trend holds, the city will be using the proceeds of the tax to pay the school district $65 million for a seven-acre portion of Cubberley Community Center, which will be remodeled after years of neglect.