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Palo Alto Unified board selects finalist in superintendent search; contract on June 16 agenda
Summary
The Palo Alto Unified School District board said June 2 it has selected a finalist in its superintendent search after community and student panels and weekend interviews; the contract negotiation is underway and will be brought for a vote at the June 16 meeting.
The Palo Alto Unified School District Board of Education announced June 2 that it has selected a finalist in its search for the district’s next superintendent and has entered contract negotiations.
Board President Mr. Darup said the board and two public panels — including a student panel — interviewed candidates in closed‑session interviews that together ran roughly 24 hours over the weekend before narrowing 34 applicants to a single finalist. "All our candidates were exceptionally qualified, and the board worked hard to make the difficult decision of choosing one finalist," Mr. Darup said during the open meeting.
Nicole Anderson of executive search firm McPherson & Jacobson, who joined the meeting by Zoom, described the firm’s process and reiterated the importance of confidentiality during closed interviews. Anderson said the firm recruited 34 candidates and helped assemble community and student panels that participated in multi‑round interviews; she said the firm will support the district’s onboarding work after the board’s selection is finalized.
The district said it has begun contract negotiations with the finalist and that the proposed contract will appear on the board’s June 16 open session agenda for final approval. "We have entered contract negotiations with this individual and we look forward to introducing them to you once those negotiations are complete," Mr. Darup said.
Trustees and staff thanked the community and student panelists for participating in the process. Several trustees emphasized the district’s interest in a leader who can restore trust and work collaboratively with staff, unions and families.
The board did not disclose the finalist’s name at the June 2 meeting. The search firm and board said portions of the selection process were confidential because candidates’ careers and privacy were at stake; the district asked the community to await the June 16 public agenda item for contract terms and candidate introduction.
Next steps: the board will consider the finalist’s contract on June 16 and the district expects the new superintendent to begin July 1 if the contract is approved.
