The PAUSD Board of Education officially reached an agreement with Superintendent of Schools Dr. Don Austin to terminate his contract during a special closed session board meeting on Feb. 20. Austin will retain advisory ‘Superintendent Emeritus’ status till the end of his term on June 30. 

Deputy Superintendent, Chief of Staff Trent Bahadursingh was appointed in a 4-1 vote as acting superintendent until June 30 in a second special closed session board meeting on Feb. 23. The Board will continue to conduct its search for permanent leadership.

Responses to Departure

According to a statement from Board President Shounak Dharap released on ParentSquare at 11:37 a.m., the decision to end Austin’s tenure with the district was mutual.

“This is not a retirement or a termination,” he wrote. “Rather, it is a decision made jointly, one that allows the District to enter its next chapter under new leadership while honoring eight years of meaningful work.”

The Palo Alto Educators Association also released a statement Friday regarding Austin’s departure from the district.

“For our members, today marks the conclusion of a difficult chapter,” it reads. “While leadership transitions are never easy, this change is a necessary step toward healing a culture that has grown increasingly strained.”

While the exact motive behind the separation remains unclear, this decision comes in light of a recent verbal confrontation between Austin and Paly Student Board Representative Dylan Chen during the Feb. 10 board meeting. Following the conflict, Austin left the meeting but later came back.

Dharap, representing the Board, expressed his gratitude for Austin’s service to the district.

“??On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Dr. Austin for his service, and I know he would want to thank all of you—the educators, counselors, administrators, and staff whose daily work made everything above possible, and the families whose trust and partnership made it meaningful,” he wrote.

PAEA, too, expressed thanks for Austin’s leadership despite their qualms with his term as superintendent.

“The damage to morale and the erosion of professional trust cannot be ignored,” the PAEA statement reads. “However, as we look toward the future, we choose to do so with a spirit of professional grace. We acknowledge Dr. Austin’s years of service and his commitment to the operational complexities of a large district during unprecedented times. We wish him and his family the best in their next chapter.”

Austin’s Term and Termination of Contract

Austin, the longest serving superintendent in PAUSD since 1975, helped the district navigate challenges such as the COVID pandemic and led the district’s charge to form the PAUSD Promise. Austin’s original seven-year contract, created in 2018, was extended by the Board in a 4-1 vote on June 3, 2025 despite community pushback. Current Board Vice President Rowena Chiu held the sole dissenting vote. Austin will continue to serve as the president of CalSupts, an organization of California superintendents.

Austin’s separation with the district does not fall under the “Termination by Mutual Consent” or “Termination Without Cause” section of his employment agreement. Instead, the district and Austin reached a separate settlement contract with new terms.

Upon Austin’s separation from the Board of Education, he will be paid $421,272 as a settlement payment, excluding any deductions in the contract. Austin’s original contract with PAUSD would have terminated by default in 2029. The current settlement also stipulates additional payment for any project work by Austin in the “Future Cooperation” section of the agreement: Essentially, for any further work that Austin does for the district until the stated termination date, he will be paid by PAUSD at a rate of $500 per hour, according to the settlement contract.

It is unclear whether the Feb. 20 special board meeting serves as the specified mid-first year evaluation of Austin’s performance.

“The Board shall evaluate Superintendent’s performance at or around the mid-point of the first year of this Agreement pursuant to a process (formal or informal) established by the Board in consultation with Superintendent,” Austin’s June 30, 2025 contract reads.

Austin’s departure marks the second time in a row that a superintendent has left the district before the end of their term. Austin’s predecessor, former Superintendent Max McGee, resigned on Sept. 29, 2017 due to controversies surrounding his handling of Title IX sexual assault complaints at Paly.

Recent Board Concerns

The Board also resumed negotiations with PAEA and the California School Employees Association during the closed session meeting following the recent reinstatement of the copy technician position and numerous other classified staff roles. The decision to reinstate the positions contrasts an updated budget for the 2026–2027 school year presented at the Feb. 10 meeting by Chief Business Officer Charen Yu and district staff, which was unanimously opposed by the Board.

Austin’s removal also comes in the wake of the district reaching a settlement for $3.25 million with Fletcher physical education teacher Peter Colombo this month. Colombo was accused of sexually assaulting a student during the 2001-2002 school year while he was a teacher at what were then Terman and Jordan. The settlement details were released on Feb. 18.

Next Steps

Dharap ended his statement by reasserting the Board’s responsibility to the community.

“Here is my commitment to you: we will move with both urgency and care,” he wrote. “We will not rush this decision simply to fill a vacancy, but we will not drag our feet when you and our students need clarity.”

According to a second statement from Dharap released on ParentSquare at 1:50 p.m. on Feb. 23, the district is confident in Bahadursingh’s ability to serve as acting superintendent.

“Trent knows this district, its people, and its priorities from the inside, and the Board has full confidence in his ability to provide the continuity our community deserves during this transition,” Dharap wrote. “Effective today, he is the District’s leadership authority and reports directly to the Board.”

Board Vice President Rowena Chiu urged the Board to seek a professional Request for Proposal process for selecting a search firm instead of the expedited approach the Board took in a statement released exclusively to The Oracle.

“In my view, this transition is an opportunity to rebuild trust through maximum transparency and broad community engagement at every step in the process,” she wrote. “I believe the Acting Superintendent should remain neutral in shaping that process. I was also disappointed that the Board did not pursue a formal RFP process for selecting a search firm and instead opted for a more expedited solicitation approach.”

Bahadursingh reasserted his position as a transition figure in a statement released on the district website.

“While I am grateful for this opportunity and take the responsibility seriously during the search for PAUSD’s next Superintendent, I do not have aspirations for that position beyond serving in this temporary role,” Bahadursingh wrote. “PAUSD is a remarkable community, and I am committed to honoring that.”

Chiu held the sole dissenting vote. According to her statement, Chiu urges the district to consider potential conflicts of interest in Bahadursingh’s appointment.

“I am also concerned about Mr. Bahadursingh’s longstanding professional ties with Dr. Austin,” she wrote. “This includes prior work in Palos Verdes and their shared involvement in the consulting firm SimpleWins, which may reasonably be perceived as signaling continuity rather than change. At a time when many in our community are calling for recalibration, perception matters.”

PAEA also emphasized the importance of transparency in the search process for Austin’s replacement.

“We call on the Board to conduct a transparent search for new leadership—someone who prioritizes student well-being, respects the expertise of our staff, and understands that the strength of PAUSD lies in its people, not its policies,” the PAEA statement reads.

Austin has yet to comment on his separation with the district. Additionally, Austin has not released his weekly Superintendent’s Update which is scheduled for publication every Friday. The district’s website has not — as of the time of release of this article — changed Austin’s former “Superintendent” title to reflect this recent decision. It is unclear whether Austin will continue to attend scheduled board meetings as Superintendent Emeritus.