Piedmont schools chief Booker leaving
Superintendent will join his alma mater San Mateo district
PIEDMONT >> Piedmont Unified School District Superintendent Randy Booker has announced his departure from the district for the same job at his alma mater, the San Mateo Union High School District, which he attended as a teenager.
“In many ways my career in education is coming fullcircle,” Booker said.
Booker sent an advisory May 13 to school parents and the Piedmont community at large, saying “This is bittersweet, as I have been privileged to work in the Piedmont schools for 19 years. Here my extraordinary colleagues continually innovate to improve education for one and all.”
Booker came from the Albany Unified School District in the early 2000s to be Piedmont High School's principal until June 2011. He served as assistant superintendent from 2011 to June 2015.
Then-Superintendent Connie Hubbard announced in November 2014 that she was leaving the following June, and an intensive search began for a new superintendent, the position Booker was picked for in March 2015. He will be greatly missed, said Hubbard, who is now president of Oakland's Holy Names High School.
“Randy Booker understands that the soul of an education community depends on its teachers. His trust in the teaching community of Piedmont was lived through his choice of schools for his own children. He modeled the expectations of respect, care and integrity in each role he served in Piedmont. The Piedmont community has been enriched with Randy Booker as superintendent,” Hubbard said.
Booker weathered events good and bad during his tenure but always with an eye on unfailing student support. He dealt with repeated cuts in state funding and challenges from the pandemic. There was a recent controversy that gathered national attention about a “White student support circle” that another school official proposed for discussing race relations after Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin's conviction for George Floyd's murder and the ensuing national conversation.
On the positive side, the $66 million bond Measure H1 passed in November 2016 to fund construction of a new school district STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) building, new theater and other improvements and modernizations. Booker spoke highly of the district and his personal experiences within it.
“I want to express my gratitude as a parent for the wonderful education provided to my two sons, Aidan and Christian. I had countless reasons to take pride in the caliber and compassion of our staff. I got to see our programs from a different vantage point, and my appreciation only deepened.”
PUSD school board members said they wish Booker well and will miss him greatly.
“On behalf of previous board members, our educational community and ourselves we thank Randy for his hard work, advocacy, perseverance and unwavering commitment to placing students at the heart of all his decisions. To the board, he has been a reliable and candid advisor, sounding board and partner.
“He has served Piedmont for almost two decades with honor and integrity, and we are grateful for the opportunity to have worked with him and learned from him. We wish him the very best on this next part of his professional adventure.”
Heather Frank, the Piedmont Education Foundation's executive director, added her sentiments to the news.
“Superintendent Booker has made wonderful contributions to Piedmont schools, establishing the Wellness Center, building new high school buildings and leading curriculum focused on 21st century skills. These improvements as well as his willingness to share information and be present at all kinds of fundraisers and events have made him a fantastic partner for the Piedmont Education Foundation. We will miss collaborating with him but wish him all the best in his new district,” Frank said.
School board President Cory Smegal said the board will launch an exhaustive search for a new superintendent and appoint an interim superintendent for next school year. Booker will leave the district for the Peninsula on July 1.