On Sept. 24, the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District Board of Trustees approved an 8% raise for Superintendent Bill W. Sanderson, jumping to a base salary of $308,448—$28,448 more than his initial annual rate of $280,000 in 2022.
His new pay package was approved unanimously, with trustees—still basking in the honeymoon period with their relatively new leader—expressing confidence in his ability to continue to steer the District in positive directions.
But tension has arisen in various quarters, and some parents and teachers have raised questions about whether Sanderson really had all the credentials he was supposed to when he landed the job in the first place.
For example, during the meeting, Alicia de Fuentes, the Saratoga Music Boosters president, said she doesn’t believe Sanderson followed all the terms of his contract.
“The reason I’m here today is to see accountability and transparency,” she said. “Given the time restriction, I’ll make sure my ask is front and center. I’ll ask that you do not extend the contract to the superintendent. I ask that he is not awarded a pay raise. I ask that we do not grow the District office. And I ask we find a leader who is able to execute their duties as indicated in the hiring contract.”
Sanderson declined to comment on his relationship with the Saratoga Music Boosters, a tax-exempt organization that had $2.83 million in expenses in 2023, according to ProPublica.
A December 2022 Change.org petition critical of Sanderson’s communications with the Saratoga High School music department gathered 2,359 signatures.
Another, started May of this year, titled, “End Dysfunctional Leadership, Pay our Teachers & Maintain our School Programs & Traditions,” has racked-up more than 1,000, including 72 this week.
The latest battle relates to what opponents say is a serious breach of ethics, but which the District characterizes as a minor oversight in an obscure part of Sanderson’s original contract.
It all boils down to Clause 31 and whether or not Sanderson falsely represented that he had or would acquire a teaching certificate.
On June 28, 2022, the board was presented with the inaugural contract for Sanderson.
Clause 31 reads, the “Superintendent shall maintain in full force and effect all credentials required to teach and to serve as an educational administrator in the State of California.”
In fact, Section 35028 of the California Education Code clearly states, “A person shall not be eligible to hold a position as city superintendent, district superintendent, deputy superintendent, associate superintendent, or assistant superintendent of schools unless the person is the holder of both a valid school administration certificate and a valid teacher’s certificate, unless the person is employed as a deputy, associate, or assistant superintendent in a purely clerical capacity.”
The very next rule (Section 35029) provides that “A local governing board may waive any credential requirement for the chief administrative officer of the school district under its jurisdiction. Any individual serving as the chief administrative officer of a school district who does not hold a credential may be required by the local governing board to pursue a program of in-service training conducted pursuant to guidelines approved by the commission.”
Katherine Tseng, who was president of the board at the time, reported Sanderson was selected after a rigorous and extensive search conducted by Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, according to meeting minutes.
The motion to contract with Sanderson was put forward by David Guidry and seconded by Cynthia Chang—and carried unanimously.
It’s not that Sanderson doesn’t have experience teaching.
‘Bill Sanderson not only meets the requirements for the Superintendent position, but he exceeds the qualifications of many current superintendents.’
—Diana Siri, of Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates
He received a science teaching certification in South Carolina in 1988, but this expired at the end of June, 2008.
According to publicly available records, Sanderson was credentialed in Georgia, but faced a suspension from Feb. 25 to March 25, 2005. His “educational leadership” certificate for the state lapsed on June 30, 2005.
California’s Commission on Teacher Credentialing shows a valid Administrative Services Credential, which was issued in 2004 and expires in 2029.
Sanderson told the Los Gatan he got a temporary teaching certificate prior to teaching in the San Francisco Unified School District, but that he didn’t get a permanent one, deciding instead to go after an administrative credential.
As of Oct. 8 there did not appear to be any teaching credential on file.
Diane Siri, of Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, said most California superintendents have a valid Administrative Services Credential, but many don’t have current teaching credentials.
“California Education Code allows boards to waive credentials,” Siri said. “Bill Sanderson has the necessary valid Administrative Services Credential that was verified over two years ago when he was hired as the Superintendent of Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District. Many superintendents come up through the business, Human Resources, counseling, or pupil personnel services track and have never taught. Mr Sanderson has a successful record of teaching and administrative experience from the San Francisco Unified School District and South Carolina.”
The board did their due diligence by visiting SFUSD, where they talked with officials there, and also did an external background check, she added.
“Bill Sanderson not only meets the requirements for the Superintendent position, but he exceeds the qualifications of many current superintendents,” Siri said.
When Sanderson arrived, he stepped into a district that had just been rocked by sex abuse scandals and pandemic upheaval.
With Sanderson’s new contract, the board quietly updated Clause 31—something that was not highlighted by staff.
It now reads, “Superintendent currently holds an Administrative Services Credential issued by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing and will maintain this credential. The District Board of Education hereby through Board action to approve this Employment Agreement waives any credential requirement for the Superintendent, also known as the Chief Administrative Officer of the School District, pursuant to Education Code section 35029, which states the following regarding this waiver: ‘A local governing board may waive any credential requirement for the chief administrative officer of the school district under its jurisdiction.’”
Misty Davies, the current LGSUHSD board president, said, after moving out west, Sanderson taught for a year before moving into administration.
“It is not uncommon for districts to hire a Superintendent with an active administrative credential while waiving the requirement for a teaching credential,” Davies said in a statement. “Superintendent Sanderson has been such a positive addition to this community and we are grateful for his work to advance our district.”
The Los Gatan asked Sanderson about the Clause 31 discrepancy directly.
“I cannot explain that. That was three years ago,” he said. “The board has addressed that now.”
He says he never misrepresented that he had an active teaching certificate.
Peter Hertan, who was on the school board at the time Sanderson’s first contract was signed, said he recalls HYA confirming the required paperwork was all good to go.
‘This is all B******’
—Peter Hertan, former LGSUHSD board member
“We did extensive background checks,” he said, adding SFUSD even tried to retain Sanderson by offering him a big raise. “I have observed that Bill is a very ethical, strong leader.”
He believes the people making an issue of Sanderson’s credentials have an ax to grind.
“This is all b******,” he said. “There are critics of Bill’s decisions. Those critical voices are not from the school board, nor from the leadership of the District.”
But for these critics, the lack of a teaching credential is just one more example of a growing divide between a bloating administrative office and the ever-increasing workload for front-line teachers and support staff.
Earlier in the Sept. 24 meeting, a student representative shared how a teacher-advisor mentioned things are more difficult now that the number of full-time employees dropped by a dozen people since 2022-23.
Mike Davey, a Saratoga High School social studies teacher, said because a counseling position was cut, he’s now dealing with 50 additional hours of work on his plate—writing 26 college recommendations.
“All of this goes back to, we’re a Basic Aid district,” he said, referring to how schools are funded by local property taxes, not the attendance formula that serves much of the rest of California. “We have funding that isn’t continuing to increase. That should be spent on (educating students). Not cutting teachers, at least.”
During public comment, Jen Young, president of Los Gatos Saratoga High School District Teachers Association, questioned the fairness of across-the-board 8% raises. She said some bargaining units needed more than that in order to make a living wage, and rejected the notion that the superintendent should get an around-$23,000 pay hike.
“I find it very concerning that there’s a new clause in this contract that waives Ed Code 35028 requirement that a superintendent holds an administrative credential and a teaching credential,” she said. “Yet this change was not mentioned at all in the oral summary on the board agenda, even though all of the other changes were described in detail in that summary. This feels like a bait-and-switch, and it is not in the interest of transparency.”
Tseng told the Los Gatan it’s normal for superintendents to come from other backgrounds besides teaching.
She also suggested that some of the frustrations are coming from parents and teachers who dislike changes to California’s rules that administrators are simply implementing.
Trustee Theresa Ann Bond, who was also on the school board when Sanderson was hired, said in an interview that she’s been really impressed with how much the new superintendent has accomplished—including overseeing the completion of a strategic plan, the nearly-doubling of the parcel tax and delivering 8% raises for staff.
“Those are major accomplishments,” she said. “It’s very important for everybody to have the entire perspective.”
The Los Gatan also asked Sanderson why his teaching credential was suspended back in 2005 in Georgia.
“I’m an openly gay man, and being openly gay in education leadership has not always been easy—especially in the Deep South,” was his reply.
Asked if he believed any of the current animosity towards his leadership style is coming from a similar place, he responded, “Homophobia is homophobia.”