No Confidence in SCCOE Leadership, Superintendent Dr. David Toston Sr.
SCCOE Board of Education
The students, families, and educators in Santa Clara County deserve leadership that is attentive and respectful of their needs. After devastating cuts, stalled negotiations, decreased services for our students and communities, the time is now for a change. ACE educators, together with our allies, are formally calling for a vote of no confidence in Dr. David Toston Sr., Superintendent of the Santa Clara County Office of Education, citing deep concerns about leadership, accountability, and the future of public education in our county.
We know our communities deserve better!
Sponsored by
To:
SCCOE Board of Education
From:
[Your Name]
WHEREAS, on November 19, 2025, the SCCBOE board presented 14 areas of financial malfeasance identified by independent investigators and legal counsel during fact-finding investigations and analyses of SCCOE’s policies, practices, and operations, for which no remediation plan has been identified by Superintendent Dr. David M. Toston, Sr., and responsible individuals have not been held accountable;
WHEREAS, SCCOE is responsible for fiscal oversight of the 31 school districts yet carries a surplus of over $100 million annually that should be spent on today’s students while closing classes and programs due to “lack of funds;”
WHEREAS, SCCOE is mismanaging special education programs, resulting in districts cancelling contracts, students missing services, students having inappropriate class placements, and destroying the least restrictive environment continuum, particularly the bridge between district and NPS placements;
WHEREAS, SCCOE failed to address critical safety and accessibility issues for students and staff;
WHEREAS, SCCOE is laying off front line educators, including all mental health school wellness specialists, while increasing leadership positions;
WHEREAS, SCCOE releases selective budget information but refuses to share the full budget report, leaving out vital budget information, and is leaving the bargaining units out of the budget process despite continued promises of transparency;
WHEREAS, SCCOE has been unable to reach a collective bargaining agreement with its labor partners after more than a year of negotiations and is engaging in bad-faith bargaining, leading one bargaining unit to vote 95% in support of going on strike;
WHEREAS, SCCOE appears to be engaging in a pattern of retaliation against ACE president Riju Krishna as a result of her work as ACE grievance chair and president, and is interfering with her ability to fulfill her duties supporting ACE members, in violation of the Educational Employment Relations Act;
WHEREAS, SCCOE is engaging in union busting activities, including but not limited to circumventing the ACE Collective Bargaining Agreement;
We, the undersigned, have no confidence in the leadership of Dr. David Toston Sr., Superintendent of the Santa Clara County Office of Education.