Palo Alto Unified voters will fill two at-large seats on Nov. 3, and both are open. Palo Alto Online reports that Shounak Dharap's term is ending and Shana Segal is not running again. The winners will work with new Superintendent Jason Glass at a hard moment. The district has to make millions of dollars in budget cuts after its parcel tax measure failed. Earlier this year the board also approved separation agreements with its former superintendent of eight years and several top administrators. For more on the money problem, see our story on the district’s $33 million in planned cuts.

The candidates

  • John Craig is an engineer. At an Oct. 5 PTA Council debate he described a five-year project rolling out an elevator-manufacturing safety system in Korea, Japan, China, Australia and India.
  • Linda Henigin works in the district and was described as a classroom aide at the debate. She talked about organizing community volunteers to watch the Caltrain tracks as a suicide-prevention effort, working with mental health experts, nonprofits and police.
  • Avery Wang is a tech executive and Shazam co-founder. He said he is best known for math advocacy and for opposing the elimination of advanced classes, and that he has studied performance data across student groups.

Where they differ

  • Past board decisions: Craig and Wang have challenged past votes such as “de-laning” math classes and often clashed with former Superintendent Don Austin. Both have said they support more advanced classes.
  • Phones: Wang favors a bell-to-bell cell phone ban in high school. Henigin and Craig do not.
  • Teacher raises: Henigin is more reluctant than the other two to scale back teacher raises.
  • Biology Honors: Henigin supported the board's decision to combine Biology and Biology Honors into one course. Craig and Wang opposed it.

All three say they want to support students and make district decisions more transparent. Voters may pick up to two candidates. Need logistics? See our Santa Clara County voting guide.

How to vote

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls and vote centers close at 8 p.m., and mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and arrive within seven days. You can check your registration and ballot status at sos.ca.gov/elections. California lets you register and vote the same day at a vote center. For more local races and measures, see our 2026 Bay Area election hub.