PAUSD Weekly Update - August 28, 2026

From the Office of the Superintendent

Board Agenda Calendar

Superintendent Glass' Message . . .

The 2026-27 school year hit full speed this week, with students entering meaningful learning experiences, fall athletics starting early competitions, and student clubs and activities getting organized for the year ahead.

While I serve as Superintendent, Sarah and I are also PAUSD parents, and we have two students in our schools. Like many of you, we have started attending Back to School events aimed at building relationships between staff and families and establishing connections with parents. In the ones we attended, I noticed how much effort all our kids’ teachers had put into making their rooms places for vibrant and meaningful learning. They were filled with colorful, fun, and thought-provoking ideas and concepts. PAUSD classrooms are joyful and caring spaces - and that isn’t by accident.

Another important aspect of these events is for parents to get connected with parent groups like our Palo Alto Council of PTAs and  Palo Alto Partners in Education (PiE). Our PTAs work to support students and families and are a critical partner in helping us at the district understand the perspectives and priorities of our parents, along with fundraising for supplies and experiences for students. PiE is our community education foundation and provides significant resources that directly support critical staffing roles at schools. While both PTA and PiE are separate organizations from PAUSD, we operate in orbit together, all centered on creating quality and meaningful experiences for our students and meeting the needs of families.

I encourage all our families to take the time to visit our schools early in this school year and work on building those connections and relationships with school-level staff and administrators, and getting to know the other parents at your kids’ schools. Knowing them on a human level can help so much in navigating things that may come up, and there is just no substitute for those relationships. I also encourage families to get involved with your school PTA and with PiE. Without them, we would lose a vital connection to our families and so many incredible learning opportunities for our students.

Sarah and I are supporting both. However you choose to be involved, showing up for your kid's school is what makes all of this work