Dear LGSUHSD Board of Trustees and especially Superintendent Sanderson,

It is with a heavy heart that the Saratoga High School Parents, Alumni Families, and the Los Gatos - Saratoga Community have resorted to circulating a petition to address the district’s poor response toward our esteemed SHS music educators Mr. Boitz and Mr Shiuan.

We understand that both Mr. Boitz and Mr. Shiuan tendered their resignations due to their frequent mistreatments by a Senior Administrator (“SA”). The last interaction escalated to uncalled for shouting and egregious levels of disrespect.

It appears that the SA, realizing his inappropriateness, filed false complaints against both Mr. Boitz and Mr. Shiuan. We call them false based on the years of experiences that the students and families have had interacting with both Directors, including during times of stress and duress, where they consistently remained poised, calm, respectful and solution-oriented. Multiple families, alumni and students are willing and ready to share what their experience has been working directly with the Directors over multiple years. Given the Music Community’s overwhelmingly consistent positive experience with these educators, we interpret these allegations as shocking and defamatory. Therefore, it is not surprising, these accusations resulted in the resignation of both Music Directors. A normal working environment would have senior administration staff partnering with all departments and striving to support every department where needed. 

We fully understand that an internal investigation must ensue following a formal complaint. We trust that these investigations will ultimately prove the allegations to be false and any damaging accusations should be wiped from the educators’ files.

Starting on 12/3/2022, upon learning of the resignations, the community requested, through their numerous emails to various District Staff and Board of Trustees, that the District Administration find ways to retain our beloved and highly decorated, award-winning Directors and ensure a productive, safe, respectful, joyous and non-hostile working environment moving forward. No-one should feel their dignity is compromised at any time, and most especially when they are simply trying to do their job. Sadly, rather than take immediate measures to de-escalate the conflict and work towards preventing similar outbursts in the future, it is our understanding that, the District Administration instead, threatened our Directors that if they do not retract their resignation, they would work to revoke their teaching credentials and also pursue other forms of legal action. If this is the case, it is hardly a response that in any way, shape or form, is conducive to a productive and respectful working environment.

On 12/07/2022 Superintendent Sanderson released an email communication titled ‘Rumors & Personnel Issues’. The community found the tone and content of this communication condescending and belittling of the community’s efforts and desire to understand what actions can be done to mediate and reverse this situation. While we respect and appreciate confidentiality associated with personnel issues, our efforts are not directed at “gossiping” about what happened, but rather at pointing out that it seems strange that a disagreement over what could have been a trivial matter led the Directors to resign. Clearly, something is amiss. This resignation indicates that there is an underlying level of dysfunction and hostility in the work environment that prevents the educators from effectively delivering on their mission, resulting in an increasing lack of trust in the Administration’s ability to appropriately service the students and the community. 

This is further reinforced because on 12/06/2022, community representatives requested a meeting with Superintendent Sanderson and Principal Louie to voice our concerns and start working towards action plans in support of our goals to retain the Directors and provide a productive work environment for our educators. On 12/07/2022 the District agreed to schedule a meeting but did not offer dates/times. We followed up on 12/08/2022 to secure a meeting, as of 12/09/2022, we are still waiting for a response.  

Given all the above, the community herein reminds the Board of Trustees that you are our elected and governmental officials, and you are there to represent all stakeholders to the best of your abilities and represent the wishes of your constituents. Your constituent’s wishes are that:

• Mr. Boitz and Mr. Shiuan choose to stay at Saratoga High out of their own volition, rather than due to legal or other coercive threats to their persons and/or careers for the 2023-2024 school year and beyond.
• Should they stay, then direct the Administration to work effectively with students, teachers, administration staff and volunteers, via a combination of multiple avenues such as zero tolerance policies against any kind of abuse, offer anger management courses and seminars, and other means that would accomplish this goal, as well as correct the current hostile work environment. 

Until the goals above are accomplished, we request the following:

• Remove the SA from any managerial role related to the Music Director’s working environment. There is no room for an abusive administrator who appears to be abusing their power.  Should there be a repeat offence of belligerence unto anyone, we task the district to evaluate the best course of action to resolve it.
• All allegations be removed immediately from our Music Directors’ personnel files when found to be untrue.
• Work to retain our Music Directors over the long-term - in a voluntary, rather than coercive manner - in a safe, effective, productive and non-hostile working environment.
• Should the investigation confirm a pattern of abuse and/or belligerence from the SA, then we trust appropriate and swift disciplinary action be taken.

If no action is taken, outside of the independent investigation, to immediately resolve workspace hostility, we will rally to remove the Superintendent and the SA through community action, by taking a combination of all possible approaches available to us under the law.

If this District has not taken any meaningful steps to restore a respectful workspace, outside of the independent investigation, the community will start the formal motions to recall all the members of the Board of Trustees as we take this stance as a refusal by the elected members to represent their community to guarantee a safe working space for all, especially for our children. who revere our Music Directors and are proud of their Music Program.

As this is a matter of utmost interest to our music (current SHS, RMS and alumni) families, we will follow all actions (or lack thereof) closely. 

To help grasp the importance of why losing decades-long program building educators may be detrimental to our school, can be better explained by the effects of their work. The Saratoga High School’s Music Program is a magnet for students and families, and one of the reasons why it repeatedly obtains the ranking of one of the best schools in California. Mr. Shiuan and Mr. Boitz provide a critical foundation for the strength of the program and their leadership perpetuates all the gifts it brings to the community. The overall fallout from their possible departure is truly not measurable but the music program will suffer as a consequence. This problem can only be solved when there’s the wherewithal to address it for long-term success, rather than resort to threats and petty behavior to achieve short term goals that do nothing to solve the underlying issue. 

Ultimately, the Board of Trustees along with the Superintendent must ask how the departure of legacy-making educators benefits our children, and what are the immediate and long term costs of their loss to our school community? The Board of Trustees should also question what working environment is our school district offering to our teachers district-wide? Why would a disagreement over a trivial matter lead to the resignations of highly decorated and beloved Directors, whose life work is the music program? This is your opportunity to turn the page from this unfortunate situation and start building a school environment where administration and staff work together effectively for the betterment of the community it serves.

The community wants to partner with the Administration not only to solve this immediate crisis, but also for the long-term success of the program and our children. It makes it difficult to do so, when interactions with the Administration so far have been condescending and not responsive to the urgency of the matter. We will welcome working in partnership with the District when we see a genuine willingness to effectively address this crisis.

Los Gatos-Saratoga Community Members and Alumni