![Board meeting attendees, many of whom are Palo Alto Educators Association members, filled the room at the district board meeting on Tuesday. According to math teacher Herb Bocksnick, the time teachers save by not having to produce their own copies lets them support students. “I have done 34 summer recommendations over the last two months afforded by the time that Veronica [Rodriguez] provided me instead of standing in front of a copier,” Bocksnick said.](https://palyvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/IMG_3464-1200x900.jpg)
Oscar Varodayan
Board meeting attendees, many of whom are Palo Alto Educators Association members, filled the room at the district board meeting on Tuesday. According to math teacher Herb Bocksnick, the time teachers save by not having to produce their own copies lets them support students. “I have done 34 summer recommendations over the last two months afforded by the time that Veronica [Rodriguez] provided me instead of standing in front of a copier,” Bocksnick said.
Palo Alto High School teachers are celebrating after copy technician Veronica Rodriguez was informed Wednesday morning that she would not lose her job, which the Board of Education initially planned earlier this month to terminate.
Rodriguez’s case became a cause celebre among teachers and a point of contention at Tuesday night’s Board of Education meeting, where the district first indicated it would change course and keep her in her position, at least for now.
According to math instructional lead Randolph Mercado, the math department invests a large amount of money into making paper copies each year.
“We [math teachers] spend almost about 75 percent of our [department] budget per year just on copies,” Mercado said. “We prioritize those copies for you guys [the students] to make sure that we can have stuff accessible.”
AP Capstone teacher Lucy Filppu said that Rodriguez has been an invaluable resource to teachers including herself.
“In case I need to make a change, or if I need to change the lesson to meet the needs of my students, Ms. Rodriguez is always there,” Filppu said. “Learning would change fundamentally without her.”
According to Rodriguez, the Paly community has helped her build close, meaningful relationships with the teachers and staff around her.
“Paly teachers are like my family,” Rodriguez said. “They are my sisters, my brothers, my cousins, I see them like a family. I always try to be there for them, and I feel that they are there for me.”
Rodriguez said that when she first heard the news of her potential termination earlier this month, it came to her as a complete surprise.
“I was heartbroken,” Rodriguez said. “I was crying because I never expected that they would take that decision, because I think that I do my work well … It’s been hard to sleep, and I’ve been going through a lot.”
According to Filppu, if Rodriguez’s job was removed, the school would face chaos.
“The school would be a complete disaster,” Filppu said. “Toner all over our hands. Paper cuts. Lines at the copy machines. Teachers fighting with each other. Inside routes. Gray, ugly copies that have tons of mistakes or just everybody on their screen.”
Filppu said that Rodriguez has had a lasting and positive impact in and out of the classroom.
“Every single moment with Ms. Rodriguez makes my job better and makes my day better,” Filppu said. “She has never made one mistake in the history of me working with her.”
According to chemistry teacher Samuel Howles-Banerji, Rodriguez is a key source of support in his classroom and plays an important role in student success.
“We all need Veronica Rodriguez’s support,” Howles-Banerji said. “She makes me a better teacher and helps make my students smarter.”