Santa Clara County education leader subject of closed door meeting

The Santa Clara County Board of Education has tried to turn a page after the dramatic firing of its former superintendent set off uproar and internal spending probes. Trouble could be brewing with its newest superintendent.

On Monday, board trustees met behind closed doors for a special meeting that flagged an emerging, but unspecified issue with Superintendent David Toston. The agenda item was labeled “Public Employee/Charges/Complaint.” Toston — who oversees 1,400 employees and myriad special education programs for the county’s 33 school districts — is the only public employee of the board, which selects the superintendent and votes on district policies.

The issue appears unresolved, as the board took no reportable action out of closed session. Board President Maimona Afzal Berta declined to comment. A spokesperson for Toston’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

The nature of the issue with the superintendent is unclear, but follows more than a year of contention and fallout over the October 2024 firing of former Superintendent Mary Ann Dewan.

The decision by a majority of the board roused opposition from local lawmakers and support among special education parents and teachers. The board majority later defended Dewan’s firing by accusing her of misspending funds for education programs, rejecting calls for oversight and maintaining a top-heavy administration. The board launched multiple investigations, which have purportedly found contract favoritism and improper use of funds — though the full reports have not been made public.

A federal investigation found more than $135,370 earmarked for preschool education program Head Start was misallocated to pay for non-Head Start staff and credit card purchases.

Dewan previously said the Santa Clara County Office of Education’s probes were meritless and aimed at smearing her character. Regarding the federal Head Start funds, she said the misspending was unintentional and immediately corrected when brought to her attention.

The probes into Dewan were overseen by an interim superintendent the board hired in 2024, Charles Hinman, who faced criticism for making cuts to the special education program — including layoffs. State lawmakers at the time said the layoffs were unfounded. In April, the board announced the hiring of Toston as permanent superintendent. He has more recently helped the board hammer out reforms in response to Dewan’s firing.

There’s been longstanding tension between the board and its superintendents. The Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury in 2018 found the board “often exceeded its authority” by entering into the “day-to-day management” of the office of education. A governance audit in 2024 found this was still the case six years later. Prior to the 2018 civil grand jury report, the office of education cycled through five superintendents in 11 years.

“This board has repeatedly destabilized the Santa Clara County Office of Education through micromanagement, serious governance issues, wasteful spending and manufactured crises,” Claudia Rossi, a former board of education trustee, told San José Spotlight. “The result has been predictable and devastating: program cuts, layoffs, leadership churn and the erosion of trust among educators, students and community members.”
Kathleen King, another former board trustee, said the seemingly cyclical issue is wasting taxpayer money.

“There is a reason all but five counties elect their superintendent of education,” King told San José Spotlight.

Rossi said the community is still reeling from the instability over the board’s firing of Dewan last year.

“It is alarming to see the board heading down the same path again,” she said.

Contact Brandon Pho at [email protected] or @brandonphooo on X.