On Tuesday, June 3rd, the PAUSD Board will meet to discuss Don Austin's performance review and extending his contract. We are urging the board to stand with the parents who have been negatively impacted by Don Austin’s track record of stonewalling, intimidation, and gaslighting.

It is time to decline a renewal of Don Austin’s contract. The district cannot continue to live up to its promises when its members –– staff, parents, students, elected officials –– are bullied to keep their heads down.

We believe school leaders can’t make good decisions within a culture of fear and intolerance for dissent that Don Austin has cultivated. Here are some of the biggest examples of that:

1. Devaluing Academic Excellence
Under Superintendent Austin’s tenure, PAUSD has taken steps to eliminate academic differentiation—removing honors biology and honors English in a process called “de-laning.” Students no longer have access to courses that challenge them and prepare them for selective colleges and STEM careers. This has garnered the attention of Congressman Ro Khanna, tech entrepreneur Garry Tan, and many others. 

Don Austin has also repeatedly refused to bring back Multivariable Calculus during school hours on campus, despite a parent finding a suitable teacher who is already teaching the class at another high school through a local community college. The reasons for his refusal are constantly changing.  This course previously existed in the district for a decade and is offered in neighboring districts. 

2. Poor Communication
Austin’s tenure has been marked by accusations of misleading communication and inadequate community involvement. For instance, he claimed a “productive” conversation with Rep. Khanna, including an apology, which Khanna denied, stating he stood by his criticism. This discrepancy erodes trust in Austin’s leadership.

Additionally, the decision to close special education classrooms at Ohlone and Escondido elementary schools was made without parental input. It was also under investigation by the federal civil rights office due to concerns about discrimination. A community member remarked in response to a Palo Alto Online article, “All I want for Christmas is one bleeping decent school superintendent.”

3. Fostering Factionalism and Disunity
On January 16th, 2025, Don Austin said, “At my recommendation, and after confirming that the course cannot currently be deemed a formal state mandate, our Board of Education has decided to remove the proposed Ethnic Studies course from the upcoming agenda. It will not be considered at the next Board meeting and has no anticipated future date at this time.”

On January 23, 2025, Ethnic Studies went up for a vote at a special school board meeting. It was passed 3-2 despite there being no up-to-date curriculum provided and no formal state mandate. 

What changed between January 16th and January 23? One is left to wonder. All we know is that now, students will be forced to take a one-sided, ideologically charged class that has already been shown to drive students apart in other districts such as Marin and Campbell. As of today, the legislature did not provide the funding to make Ethnic Studies a mandate and yet the course is moving forward despite failure to gather parental input, widespread parental protests, and grossly inadequate course materials.

4. Ignoring Student Mental Health 
Don Austin repeatedly claims that academic pressure accounts for youth suicide. This claim is dangerously wrong because what people may believe (e.g. academic pressure causes suicide) is different from the best available evidence (e.g. the strongest predictor of whether students think of killing themselves is if they have symptoms of depression).

He has been repeatedly corrected even during a public board meeting by the public health officer, Sara Cody, who oversaw the CDC report on the suicide cluster that he claimed to have read.  

On March 21, following a depressed student’s suicide, Austin wrote the following in a letter that failed to mention depression: “If students tell us that academic stress is a major factor in mental health, why would we discount or doubt them? To better understand the issues in question, I revisited the 200+ page CDC report and pulled some key findings: Academic Pressure: In PAUSD surveys, students ranked academic stress as a leading risk factor for youth suicide, also rating it higher than parents did. Protective Factors: The biggest supports for mental well-being included strong teacher relationships, school connectedness, and a sense of purpose.”

5. Failure to Address Community Concerns on the Hoover Elementary Bathroom Issue
The decision to implement only gender-neutral restrooms at the new Hoover Elementary campus has sparked significant backlash from parents and students. “Children often held off on using the bathroom and felt stressed and embarrassed when they did,” according to an article in Palo Alto Online. A petition with nearly 1,800 signatures asked for separate boys, girls, and gender-neutral restrooms.

Eventually, the petition succeeded and gender-specific bathrooms were reinstated. But Don Austin’s failure to engage meaningfully with these concerns prior to the petition and dismissive attitude towards parents was not forgotten. 

6. Retaliation and Culture of Fear
Perhaps most troubling, Don Austin’s leadership has cultivated a climate of intimidation and retaliation. Parents, teachers, staff, and even Board members who voice dissent or raise legitimate concerns report being bullied, marginalized, or silenced.

Community members describe a “mafia-like” culture under Austin, where loyalty is rewarded and whistleblowers or critics face personal attacks, harassment, or efforts to discredit them. Parents advocating for vulnerable students — particularly in special education — have been pressured to drop complaints or risk retaliation.

Such a toxic culture undermines transparency, deters community involvement, and fundamentally betrays the district’s core values of equity, respect, and student-centered leadership.