The PAUSD Board of Education

The Palo Alto Unified School District is governed by a five-member Board of Education. The board hires and evaluates the superintendent, adopts the budget, sets policy, approves the school calendar and labor contracts and decides questions like attendance boundaries and new programs. Day-to-day running of the schools belongs to the superintendent and staff. The board's own protocols put it plainly: authority rests with the board as a whole, not with individual members.

This page explains how the board works and how residents can take part, based on the district's Board of Education page as it read on November 2, 2026. We do not take positions on board decisions or candidates. For background on the district, see our public schools guide and our history of Palo Alto's schools.

How the board is set up

The district describes the board this way: five members elected by the public to four-year terms, with elections in even-numbered years and staggered terms so that two or three seats are open at each election. Trustees are elected at large, so every voter in the district can vote in every board race. The district does not use trustee areas.

The board page also lists three student board representatives drawn from the high schools. Student representatives take part in discussion and give reports from their schools. Under California law student members do not cast binding votes.

Each year the board chooses a president and a vice president from among its members. The president runs meetings. The president, vice president and superintendent together decide whether a request to add an item to a future agenda falls within the board's jurisdiction and when it should be heard.

What the board decides

• Hiring and evaluating the superintendent.
• Adopting the annual budget and the Local Control and Accountability Plan.
• Board policies and administrative regulations, posted in full on BoardDocs.
• Contracts, construction projects and labor agreements.
• Curriculum adoptions, the school calendar and programs such as choice schools.
• Placing bond and parcel tax measures on the ballot.

When and where it meets

Regular meetings are held in the Board Room at the district office, 25 Churchill Avenue, next to Palo Alto High School. They start at 6:30 p.m. and the district calendar blocks them until 10:30 p.m. The board's protocols call for ending at 10 p.m. unless two thirds of the board vote to extend.

The next regular meetings listed on the board page are:

The board also holds special meetings and study sessions, which are posted with shorter notice. A Google document titled Calendar of Board Items 2026 to 27, linked from the board page, shows which topics are expected at which meetings over the year.

Agendas and materials

Agendas, minutes and staff reports live on BoardDocs. The district says regular meeting agendas are posted 72 hours ahead and special meeting agendas 24 hours ahead, as the state's open meeting law, the Brown Act, requires.

Watching remotely

The district offers public comment by Zoom as well as in person. Instructions for joining the Zoom meeting appear at the start of each agenda, so open the agenda on BoardDocs before the meeting to get the link.

How to comment

There are three ways to reach the board: speak at a meeting, email all trustees at [email protected] or contact an individual member through the links on the board page.

Speaking at a meeting

1. Submit a speaker card. Cards for open forum and agenda items are accepted from 6:30 p.m. on meeting day. The district asks people to submit its virtual speaker card in advance to keep the order straight.
2. Know your time. With 1 to 10 speakers each gets 2 minutes, with 11 to 15 each gets 1.5 minutes and with 16 or more each gets 1 minute.
3. Know the limits. Each agenda item gets up to 30 minutes of public comment. The president may adjust that with the board's consent.
4. Speak for yourself. Time cannot be given to another person and the name on the card must match the speaker.

Open forum

Open forum is for topics that are not on the agenda. Since April 22, 2025 it is capped at 30 minutes. Sign-ups close when the first speaker finishes. Anyone who signed up but was not reached speaks at the end of the meeting, after all other items. Trustees can respond briefly but cannot act on a topic that is not on the agenda. Special meetings and study sessions have no open forum, though the public can still speak on posted items.

Committees and liaisons

Trustees also sit on committees and serve as liaisons to schools and community groups. The board page lists the current assignments. Committees include:

• Board Policy Review Committee, which reviews policy changes before they reach the full board.
• City/School Liaison Committee, shared with the Palo Alto City Council. Our City Council meetings guide explains the council side.
• Fiscal Advisory Committee and the Property Committee.
• Special Education District Advisory Committee, chaired by two trustees. See our special education guide.
• Sustainability Committee and a liaison role with the Los Altos Hills Town Council.

Each trustee is also paired with schools and programs, from individual elementary schools to Palo Alto Partners in Education and the PTA Council. Citizen oversight committees for the district's bond and parcel tax report to the board as well.

The November 3, 2026 election

Two of the five seats are on the November 3, 2026 ballot. Local reporting in August said both incumbents whose terms end this year chose not to run again, so voters will seat at least two new trustees. Ballotpedia lists the race as an at-large contest for two seats with no incumbent running.

We do not list or describe candidates here. The official candidate list, candidate statements and results come from the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters. Each voter can choose up to two candidates and the two with the most votes win.

After election day

Counting continues for several weeks while mail ballots arrive and the county certifies the results. Under the state Education Code, terms of trustees elected in November begin in December. The board then holds its annual organizational meeting, where members choose a president and vice president for the coming year.

The June 2026 parcel tax vote

Earlier this year the board placed Measure B on the June 2, 2026 ballot. It would have renewed the district's parcel tax at $800 per parcel for four years, down from the current $941. A parcel tax needs two thirds of the vote. Final statewide results compiled by California City Finance show Measure B at 62.4 percent, so it failed. The current parcel tax runs until 2027. What the board does next is a decision for the board, so follow its agendas for updates.

Following the board

• District calendar. Board meetings and committee meetings appear on the district calendar, which can be subscribed to. Our PAUSD calendar guide covers school dates.
• Weekly updates. The district publishes a weekly superintendent's update on its news page that often previews board items.
• Policies. The full set of board policies and regulations is on BoardDocs. Families with a policy question are asked to start with their child's school.
• Student press. Student newspapers at both high schools cover board decisions. Our Paly guide describes the journalism program there.

Frequently asked questions