After serving half of his four-year term on the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District’s school board, trustee and former Los Gatos High science teacher Alex Shultz announced his resignation from the position, effective Jan. 24, at the board’s first meeting of the year.
During the Jan. 14 proceedings, he said his decision was due to an “extremely difficult and ongoing family matter” which has hindered his ability to fulfill his responsibilities as a trustee over the past six months. He added he’’ missed community meetings, as well as an important school board convention.
“I appreciate all the support and understanding given to me and my family,” Shultz said. “I’m really confident in our leadership here—at the school sites and in our district—and the stewardship shown by the board, including our student representatives.”
Shultz taught for 34 years (six years at Gunderson High School; 28 at Los Gatos High) before retiring in 2020. He was elected to the board in 2022, promising to increase the district’s parcel tax to fund new programs from coding curriculum, to stress-relief activities, to a teacher-mentorship initiative.
In the two years since then, he campaigned to increase the parcel tax from $49 to $128. The measure passed in May of last year by an eight-vote margin.
Acting superintendent Heath Rocha complimented Shultz’s commitment to the campaign. “He never missed one parcel tax community meeting and spent countless hours meeting with community members to educate them,” Rocha said.
All three of Shultz’ children graduated from Los Gatos High. He also served on Los Gatos High’s Building Committee, helping refurbish classrooms across the campus.
Shultz said his departure is unrelated to the recent controversies surrounding former superintendent Bill Sanderson, who resigned in October following a breakdown in community and staff relationships.
The Los Gatan reached out to Shultz for comment but did not receive a response.
‘I’m happy that we did accomplish a lot.’
—Alex Shultz
In his remarks at the meeting, Shultz indicated he supports the strategic plan developed under Sanderson.
“I’m happy that we did accomplish a lot, and I wish that I would be able to continue on with this,” he said. “But I have all the confidence in (the board) that we’ll move forward in the right direction.”
He also distanced his departure from a change.org petition that gained traction a few months ago, which contained “malicious, untruthful personal attacks” on him and his wife with regards to the parenting of their son, Tyler Shultz. The petition—parts of which have since been deleted—alleged that the elder Shultz failed to support his son when he blew the whistle on fraud at the medical startup Theranos. In reality, their family spent over $400,000 in legal fees and even considered selling their house to cover the costs, according to the Wall Street Journal.
“It’s been a particular privilege for me to be able to serve as a trustee with Alex for the last two years,” said board vice president Katherine Tseng. “I have witnessed firsthand an extraordinary, life-changing educator become a trustworthy, dedicated trustee.”
In a statement to the Los Gatan, Rocha described Shultz as “the kindest, most thoughtful and selfless human being I have ever met.”
The school board will decide during their Jan. 28 meeting whether to fill the vacancy through an appointment or a special election.
Shultz’s decision comes as the board weighs their options on how to elect a new superintendent for the 2025-26 school year. On Tuesday, the board tabled a decision on the hiring process. The choices under consideration are: hiring an external search firm; conducting a search via the District’s own HR department; or appointing Rocha without a search.
Instead, to increase community involvement, the board on Thursday sent out a survey to gather insight on what parents, students, and staff would like to see in a superintendent. Since Rocha is a finalist for the role, the board will also host a public meet-and-greet with him, before the Jan. 28 board meeting.
In a similar effort to answer community questions, the board will host a “Special Study Session” to discuss statewide PE credit requirements on Jan. 23, using the same format as the town halls held at Saratoga High last October.
Over the next three months, the board will also host five public hearings as part of the transition from an “at-large” to a “by-trustee-area” election system. The first two elections under this system will take place in November 2026.
