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The Primary School, a private school that has provided free education to hundreds of East Palo Alto children over the past decade, plans to eliminate 122 positions in the city as part of its scheduled shutdown this summer, according to a notice filed with the state Employment Development Department.
CEO Jamie Kidd, whose position is among those getting eliminated, said in the notice that the separations will occur at The Primary School’s two East Palo Alto locations and its one San Leandro location over a 92-day period between June 30 and September 30. Staff from NOVAWorks, a workforce service agency, and the EDD plan to come to East Palo Alto on May 6 and to San Leandro on May 13 to assist staff with the transition, he wrote.
All of the employees were notified on March 30 about the separation plan, according to Kidd. The school has a campus at 2086 Clarke Ave in East Palo Alto. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative announced in April 2025 that the private school will shut down after the current school year.
“The Primary School will entirely cease operations and will have no further employees,” Kidd wrote. “Separations resulting from this action will be permanent. Affected employees will continue to receive their regular pay and benefits up until the termination of their employment.”
The list of eliminated positions in East Palo Alto includes 24 lead teachers, 10 associate teachers and six assistant teachers, according to the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification notice. It also includes dozens of specialized positions, including a behavioral interventionist, an occupational therapist, a makerspace teacher and a speech and language pathologist.
In addition, the school plans to eliminate 22 positions from its administrative office on East Bayshore Road, the WARN notice states. These include the CEO, chief of staff, a data fellow, a controller and the medical director. In San Leandro, The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative plans to eliminate all 25 jobs.
The Primary School has been serving more than 400 children at its East Palo Alto campus, according to the school website. Spearheaded by Priscilla Chan, pediatrician and wife of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the school provided free education to hundreds of children from East Palo Alto and the Belle Haven neighborhood of Menlo Park. About 58% of the students received either individualized education programs or specialized support services.
Last month, CZI announced that it plans to spend $3.6 million to fund 550 education savings account for The Primary School students. It also announced grants to the Ravenswood Family Health Network, the Children’s Health Council and Ravenswood Early Learning, local organizations that focus on student wellness and education.
