Redwood City School Board ratifies contract for incoming superintendent Dr. Christian Rubalcaba

The Redwood City School Board voted to ratify a contract for Dr. Christian Rubalcaba as the district's next superintendent during its Jan. 14 public meeting.

Board President Preston Weekley opened the item, saying the superintendent selection was among the board's most consequential duties and that the board had "spent countless hours" with its search consultants and community stakeholders to vet finalists. David Lee read the contract terms into the public record; a staff member summarized the recommended compensation.

According to the summary read to the board, the recommended contract begins with an annual salary of $285,000, includes up to 3% annual increases tied to performance, 20 paid transition days between March 1 and June 30, the ability to cash out up to 15 days of unused vacation annually, medical/vision/dental benefits comparable to management employees, a district annuity contribution of $1,000 per month in addition to standard STRS contributions, a transportation allowance up to $400 per month, an expense reimbursement up to $600 per month, and up to $7,000 for a mentor or executive coach during the first year.

The board took public comment on the hire before the vote. Maria Stockton, president of the Redwood City chapter of the classified employees union CSEA, told trustees the board packet's seniority list had omitted employee names and urged trustees to visit classified staff at each site so they can hear their concerns directly. Jennifer Blanco, a county commissioner on the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission, and other community members offered endorsements and emphasized partnerships between the district and county programs.

During board discussion trustees praised retiring Superintendent Dr. Baker for 40 years of service and described the search process, which they said included 13 stakeholder engagements, careful background checks and in-depth finalist interviews. Trustee comments highlighted a desire for a bilingual, equity-centered leader who is visible in the community.

A motion to ratify the contract was moved from the dais and, after discussion, the board approved the measure by voice vote; the transcript records "Aye" and "The motion passes," with no individual roll-call recorded in the meeting transcript.

After the vote, Dr. Rubalcaba addressed the board and community, saying he was "super thrilled" to join the district, looked forward to visiting classrooms and meeting students, teachers and classified staff, and pledged to build relationships across stakeholder groups. Retiring superintendent Dr. Baker also spoke, thanked the community and encouraged a smooth transition.

The board did not record individual vote tallies in the public transcript. The staff summary of compensation was read into the record; the staff speaker also cited "government code section 5 4 9 5 3, sub paragraph c 3" while summarizing legal requirements for reporting compensation, a citation that appears in the transcript as spoken and was transcribed verbatim.