Navya Narayanan

Deputy Superintendent Trent Bahadursingh’s seat remains empty at today’s board meeting. According to an email from school board president Shounak Dharap, the separation was mutually agreed upon by Bahadursingh and the board. “The agreement the Board reached with Mr. Bahadursingh reflects salary terms already established in that contract,” Dharap said in an email. “In return, both parties agreed to a mutual release of claims, which protects the district from future litigation.”

The Palo Alto Unified School District school board reached a mutual agreement to ‘separate’ with Deputy Superintendent Trent Bahadursingh ‘effective immediately.’

In an email from board president Shounak Dharap, the board announced that Bahadursingh — who replaced former Superintendent Don Austin after his separation last month — will also separate from the district.

“Mr. Bahadursingh’s contract as Deputy Superintendent included a standard provision, common in contracts for senior district leaders, entitling him to 12 months of salary in the event of a separation without cause,” Dharap said. “That provision was part of his contract before any of the transitions of recent weeks began. Mr. Bahadursingh’s contract ran through 2029.”

As such, PAUSD currently has no publicly known acting superintendent.