The surprising firing of Santa Clara County’s superintendent of schools, Mary Ann Dewan, last month was the latest in a string of controversial resignations and firings within the county over the last decade.
A 2018 Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury report found an “unusually high turnover rate” at the Santa Clara County Office of Education, which the report said suggested the board of education trustees has not been aligned with the superintendents members have appointed.
Santa Clara County has one of five county superintendents in the state who are appointed rather than elected by voters.
The civil grand jury report said the average tenure of the county’s superintendents from 2008 to 2018 was slightly under three years and estimated the cost of the turnover in the last decade to be more than $1 million for taxpayers.
It’s unclear why Dewan — who was recently awarded an Outstanding Individual Achievement Award from the National Association of Educational Services Agencies — was fired last month. Dewan began her career as a fourth-grade teacher and has worked in education for more than 33 years.
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Dewan joined the office of education in 2013 as chief schools officer before stepping into the role as deputy superintendent in 2015. She served as an interim superintendent from March to July 2014 and again in November 2017. The board of education appointed her superintendent in early 2018.
While the board has offered no explanation for her termination, reports suggest that her firing stemmed from alleged tension with board members.
But Dewan’s recent removal underscores the history of the “inherent tension” the civil grand jury report found between the county’s appointing board of education and the appointed superintendent of schools. Here are the superintendents who led the office before Dewan:
Colleen Wilcox, October 1993 – November 2007
— During her time as county superintendent, Wilcox secured $60 million in facilities for special education programs, founded programs promoting children’s and employees’ fitness and health and helped restore art and music in struggling schools. She was selected as California Superintendent of the Year in 1999.
— Wilcox was pressured into resigning in 2007 in exchange for $485,0000 amid allegations of harassment and retaliation. She was banned from contacting nearly all of her 1,900 employees as part of her separation agreement.
— Wilcox retired from her role as the executive director of the alliance for teaching at Joint Venture Silicon Valley in 2011 and is now a sculptor.
Charles Weis, July 2008 – June 2012
— Weis was appointed county superintendent after serving 15 years as Ventura County’s superintendent of schools.
— As Santa Clara County superintendent, Weis reformed alternative schools run by the county office, developed a seal of bi-literacy for students and worked to eliminate the racial achievement gap in the county.
— Weis’ last year as superintendent was plagued by controversy over a $915,000 housing loan in his contract which he used to secure a condo in downtown San Jose. The county board of education sued Weis over the condo after his resignation in 2012 but later settled with Weis in an agreement that left the board with little more than the title to the home and an underwater mortgage.
— Weis now serves as dean of the School of Education at California State University, Channel Islands.
Xavier De La Torre, July 2012 – March 2014
— While his appointment as county superintendent incited excitement in the county over his background helping low-income students, De La Torre resigned after a mere 21 months in the position.
— His tenure was plagued with controversy. After a year in office, the board gave him an unsatisfactory review and refused to grant him a raise. His payroll department was also investigated for issuing dozens of incorrect checks. Employees complained of a hostile work environment and fears of retaliation.
— By the time he left the county in 2014 to return to Texas, relations between De La Torre and the board were at an all-time low.
— De La Torre has served as superintendent of schools for the Ysleta Independent School District in El Paso since his departure from Santa Clara County.
Jon R. Gundry, July 2014- November 2017
— As superintendent, Gundry helped expand preschool for underserved children, led a database for tracking foster youth in three counties and secured a $1 million grant for a technology infrastructure expansion.
— Despite positive evaluations, Gundry was forced out of his position by the board of education over friction with board members and allegations of harassment. Gundry marked the fourth consecutive superintendent ushered out by the board in a decade. He received a $150,000 severance.
— Gundry now works as the chief executive officer of a tuition-free public arts school in Southern California.
