Corruption and mismanagement are sometimes the same, just the other side of the coin. In Santa Clara, the former school superintendent used her powers to higher lots of staff—forgetting the needs of the kids in the classroom. She got fired.
“A top Silicon Valley education leader had five highly-paid admins and assistants working for her — with some making nearly $200,000 each a year in public dollars meant to serve the county’s most vulnerable students.
An analysis by San José Spotlight revealed an office studded with six-figure salaried assistants, strategy managers and a “senior administrator for superintendent projects” reporting to former Superintendent Mary Ann Dewan. Her three “executive assistants” were each making an annual base salary ranging from $150,000 to $192,000. Two were hired in 2024 and one was hired in 2014.
Could Musk come to Santa Clara and audit that government school system? I bet there are lots of personnel that are unneeded. What do you think?
Ex-Silicon Valley education leader splurged on staffing
by Brandon Pho, San Jose Spotlight, 2/7/25 https://sanjosespotlight.com/ex-silicon-valley-santa-clara-county-office-education-leader-splurged-on-staffing/
Records show former Santa Clara County Superintendent Mary Ann Dewan’s office was studded with highly-paid assistants amid a probe into abuse of public funds.
A top Silicon Valley education leader had five highly-paid admins and assistants working for her — with some making nearly $200,000 each a year in public dollars meant to serve the county’s most vulnerable students.
An analysis by San José Spotlight revealed an office studded with six-figure salaried assistants, strategy managers and a “senior administrator for superintendent projects” reporting to former Superintendent Mary Ann Dewan. Her three “executive assistants” were each making an annual base salary ranging from $150,000 to $192,000. Two were hired in 2024 and one was hired in 2014.
Dewan was fired in October after a divided Santa Clara County Board of Education narrowly voted not to renew her contract. The board majority defended its decision after fierce backlash by accusing Dewan of inappropriate expenditure of public funds, approving suspect contracts and conducting unauthorized surveillance of employees and board members. In December, officials sent their investigative findings to authorities, including the district attorney and law enforcement.
Dewan’s few allies on the board say she was overburdened and overworked — and that her spending on support staff was justified.
Records obtained by this news organization found Dewan also hired “managers of strategy and implementation” for her office. One position’s annual base pay was listed at $71,000 and the other at $117,000. Dewan also had a “senior administrator for superintendent projects” with an annual base pay of $192,000.
In all, Dewan employed at least six people to serve her needs — and they collectively received almost $1 million annually in base pay at the time of her termination.
The spending in Dewan’s office — along with her firing last year — fueled a divide between two factions on the board. Dewan’s interim successor, picked by the board’s majority, says this type of activity is what the school board is trying to eliminate.
“I have been leading the County Office of Education to identify and eliminate wasteful and unnecessary spending. Today, SCCOE is focused on ensuring public funds are directed where they can have the greatest impact for our students,” Interim Superintendent of Schools Charles Hinman told San José Spotlight.
The office of education oversees special education services, migrant education and Head Start and state preschool programs, as well as services for delinquent students at risk of expulsion. The office provides academic and fiscal oversight for the county’s 31 school districts and monitoring for the county’s 21 authorized charter schools.
Hinman said the agency is “realigning and right-sizing” its organizational structure to ensure taxpayer dollars go to student programs and services. His office confirmed more employees will be let go to “streamline” the organization. Sources told San José Spotlight at least three executives — including department leaders — have already been dismissed.
Dewan didn’t respond to requests for comment. Her supporters said her assistants and admins filled critical leadership gaps for an overburdened agency.
“Interim Superintendent Hinman’s statement about ‘right-sizing’ the superintendent’s office not only glosses over the unprecedented challenges faced during the previous administration, but also unfairly targets staff who went above and beyond to support students and communities during a time of crisis,” Board of Education Trustee Tara Sreekrishnan, who opposed and protested Dewan’s firing, told San José Spotlight.
Sreekrishnan said some of the executives under Dewan helped other departments and “wore many hats.” She also pointed to a 2024 audit report giving the agency solid marks on its finances.
The school board’s majority faced pushback for supporting Dewan’s ousting from fellow educators and even state lawmakers. In response, those board members have raised concerns of improper spending and other malfeasance under Dewan’s tenure.
Hinman last month announced “deeply concerning” findings as a result of the investigation.
“A series of third-party investigations into financial, operational and data management issues under the previous SCCOE administration and superintendent of schools remain ongoing,” Hinman told San José Spotlight.
It all comes after an apparent power struggle between Dewan and a majority of the elected board of education. Dewan has argued the board majority had no authority to fire her and she was not technically employed by them. A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge denied her lawsuit.
Before her firing, Dewan requested an investigation — outside of her office’s complaint policies and procedures — into board members for allegedly violating policies and public meeting laws, retaliating against employees and harassing her.
The board hired Hinman, who has a 35-year career in public education and is from Southern California, in October to temporarily replace Dewan while working from Orange County. The board is searching for Dewan’s permanent replacement.
The State Board of Education needs to follow the money to see how much of these high salaries ended up as a kick back to the Sup.