Calls for investigation over Santa Clara County superintendent firing

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. ( KRON ) — The controversy continues over the firing of Santa Clara County’s superintendent Mary Ann Dewan. A couple dozen teachers, parents and education staff rallied on Tuesday — calling for an independent investigation into the Santa Clara County Board of Education over Dewan’s termination.

Most of the people at the rally asked for a civil grand jury investigation into the board. One of their main reasons is they say the board fired their well-loved superintendent behind closed doors, without public input.

With the Santa Clara County Board of Education set to appoint an interim superintendent on Wednesday, supporters of the former educator-in-chief are saying not so fast.

The Santa Clara County Board of Education voted 4 to 2 at the beginning of October to fire Superintendent Dr. Mary Ann Dewan.

Supporters on Tuesday said there was no clear reason to fire the superintendent. They believe it’s just dirty politics. Two of the members who fired Dewan are running for re-election this fall.

“We need to bring back transparency and accountability,” one board member said.

A member of the board who supports Dewan, Tara Sreekrishnan, did not give KRON4 any more details about the firing. She says the decision was made by her fellow board members and needs to be investigated.

The protest comes as Dr. Dewan is suing the Board of Education herself, saying the Board of Trustees has no right to fire her without cause.

On Tuesday, the board put out a statement saying the lawsuit is just wasting resources. Supporters of Dewan say the decision to fire her is — on its own — a waste of resources.

Michelle Vonderhaar is a friend of Dr. Dewann and was there Tuesday in support. She says the board is not setting a good example for families in South Bay districts.

“What they did does not exhibit this they need to be good examples for our community and our children,” Vonderhaar said.

KRON4 reached out to the Santa Clara County office that would form a grand jury investigation, and we did not hear back. A similar investigation in 2018 did find significant issues with the board of education.

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