After the superintendent of a West Valley high school district resigned on Oct. 22 following mounting tensions between him and members of the community, some parents believed that officials had finally heard their complaints about his “top-down” leadership style.
But days later, documents indicate that Bill Sanderson’s sudden departure from the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District may have been the result of newly uncovered allegations of Sanderson’s workplace misconduct during his time as principal of Inman Middle School in Atlanta in the 2002-03 school year.
Sanderson’s teaching credential in Georgia was suspended for one month in 2005, according to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, the body that manages certifications for employees in Georgia public schools. Documents obtained by this news organization state that the suspension was the result of an investigation by the commission which found that Sanderson allegedly discussed “issues of a personal and sexual nature” and made other staff members at the school uncomfortable, affecting morale.
“Several teachers and staff alleged that the educator made inappropriate comments, told jokes of a sexual nature, displayed his body tattoos and had a friend visit during school hours,” the investigative summary reads. “Staff stated that if they said anything to the educator about his behavior, the educator retaliated against them.”
The summary states that Sanderson denied all allegations against him, saying “’I do not recall,’ ‘I do not remember,’ ‘I am not certain’ and ‘I don’t believe.’”
Nevertheless, he agreed to the terms of the suspension, which meant he was not allowed to teach at a public school in Georgia in any capacity from Feb. 25, 2005 to March 25, 2005, according to the documents.
Sanderson, who was not available for comment, is openly gay, and has attributed the suspension to homophobia.
“I’m an openly gay man, and being openly gay in education leadership has not always been easy—especially in the Deep South,” Sanderson told the Los Gatan earlier this month.
He also implied in his comments to the Los Gatan that the more recent criticisms of his leadership at the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District were the result of the same homophobia. Parents, however, say their concerns are only about his leadership style, and some said they didn’t even know he was gay.
“We don’t care who you love, how you love or what you believe in or anything,” said Saratoga High School parent Alicia de Fuentes. “Just make sure our kids have the right school environment, our teachers feel safe and supported, and our community can enjoy our school traditions and customs.”
Both teachers and parents in the district have said that in his almost two years with the district, Sanderson’s top-down leadership style widened the gap between community members and staff and district leadership.
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His departure, while sudden, was met with support from community members who had been unhappy with his leadership — but had stopped short of calling for his resignation. The district held two town hall meetings this month so that community members could have an “open two-way conversation” about recent conflicts. The district announced Sanderson’s resignation hours before the second meeting on Oct. 22.
Board of Trustees president Misty Davies said in an email that Sanderson would be on leave for “personal reasons” and would officially resign at the end of the current academic year.
“I would like to express my gratitude to the board [for] acknowledging the challenge within the district administration, particularly regarding their top-down execution style and lack of communication,” a parent said at the Oct. 22 meeting. “It is very empowering to see that proactive measures are finally being taken to address those issues.”
Sanderson’s sudden departure and the subsequent revelations of his checkered past have also raised questions about how he got the superintendent’s job in the first place, and caused some to question the judgment of the trustees who were responsible for hiring him.
“Why is it that we don’t have higher standards for the people who are directly involved with our students?” de Fuentes said.
