Superintendent Jason Glass plans to eliminate three central office positions and bring back an in-house attorney at his first Palo Alto Unified School District board meeting Tuesday, Aug. 18, a restructuring he says will save the district nearly $580,000 a year in legal costs alone.
The plan, first reported by the Palo Alto Daily Post, removes the deputy superintendent role once held by Trent Bahadursingh, along with an operations support administrator and an associate superintendent of curriculum and instruction. Together, those cuts represent $748,282 in salary savings.
Glass is presenting the new organizational chart as an information item, not a vote. The deputy superintendent's duties will be split among Chief Business Officer Charen Yu, Assistant Superintendent Herb Espiritu and Assistant Superintendent Jeong Choe.
"No school site positions were affected," Glass wrote in his board report.
The restructuring comes after a turbulent stretch for PAUSD's leadership. Former Superintendent Don Austin received a $596,802 payout to resign on Feb. 20. Bahadursingh's assistant, Victoria Maya, had alleged in a lawsuit filed Feb. 9 that he used a slur against her after she took medical leave; the district denied those allegations. After Austin's departure, Bahadursingh was promoted to acting superintendent but lasted 22 days before receiving his own $346,673 separation payment.
In-house attorney would return after four-year gap
Glass is also proposing to rehire an in-house general counsel, a position vacant since August 2022 when the board dismissed attorney Komey Vishakan without cause. Since then, PAUSD has relied on contracted outside firms. Board minutes from June 16 show contracted attorney Jacqueline Hang listed as general counsel, with a consent item renewing outside legal agreements that same night.
Hiring a staff attorney would cost an estimated $420,027 annually, but Glass said the district would save $579,973 on legal bills compared to the current arrangement. The board will discuss the proposal Tuesday and could vote to fill the position in September.
Glass signals priorities in first week
In his Aug. 14 weekly update to families, Glass described the org chart as a way for the community to "see how this district is structured and who is responsible for what." He framed his early tenure around three goals: grounding work in student experiences, rebuilding relationships and "healing as an organization and community."
Glass, who started July 1 on a four-year contract with a base salary of $396,136 in Year 1, most recently led Laguna Beach Unified School District and previously served as superintendent of Jeffco Public Schools in Colorado and as Kentucky's Commissioner of Education. The board hired him on a 4-1 vote in June.
Tuesday's meeting also includes the district's 2025-26 unaudited budget actuals, an early look at PAUSD's financial picture heading into the new school year.
