WESD has for a very long while, a paragon of excellence in all respects, chiefly under the leadership of former superintendent Dr. Bruce Thompson. Since his departure, the position has been occupied by wholely lackluster types. How does one of the finest school districts in the state keep hiring deadbeats? This revelation now daylights the depths to which the district has been sunk. I encourage the Board of Trustees to HEIGHTEN their attention to the partculars and never again allow low talent types to occupy the superintendent position.

This is what happens when you put the clowns in charge of the circus.

I do not know exactly what Mr. Hanretty was accused of and if the accusations are even true. I found this letter that Mr. Parker put out to all of the parents in the Portola Valley School district to be extemely imprudent given the fact that this investigation is not yet complete and that Mr Hanretty is not yet proven to be guilty of whatever wrong doing he is accused of. Shame on you Mr. Parker and the rest of the school board for not using the proper discretion in this matter. Also, Mr. Parker's letter does not explain how it happened that this matter did not surface during the initial hiring process of Mr. Hanretty.

I am one of the first to be skeptical of public employees in top positions but this seems to be a PR fuss before investigation is complete. Were there really irregularities? Or as I understand it, just one carried out by his former boss?

greatly appreciate that the PV school board sent a letter out explaining what they could in facts - Mr Hanretty resigned, there is an investigation elsewhere that is not complete, here is what they are doing about it. See the Woodside letter that was sent to woodside parents for more facts and naming Mr Hanretty specifically, surprised the almanac didn't publish that letter.

shame on "concerned parent" for asking that publicly revealed facts (by woodsie) not be referenced

Mr. Hanretty wasn't a Superintendent at WESD, but held a shared finance position at WESD and Portola Valley. WESD hired their own finance person some years ago and Mr. Hanretty later was appointed Superintendent at PV.

I'm glad the public facts were referenced, but I don't understand why he wasn't placed on leave until the investigation is finalized. If Mr. Hanretty is proven innocent, it seems terrible that he should lose his job over an incomplete investigation.

I agree with some others that they should have put him on leave and investigated . What if all is clear and he is not at fault. His position gone, name ruined and more apologies etc. The late was very harsh and not fair until proven guilty.

Just to be clear, former superintendent Dr. Bruce Thompson hire Mr. Hanretty so I am befuddled by AMDG comment.

If Mr. Hanretty is guilty, his resignation will have been the only possible scenario. But if the charges are cleared, his name and reputation will still be ruined. That outcome is tragic. I hope this possibility gives the first few commenters reason to pause, rather than throw stones and 'I told you so's.

Of course I have no idea what the truth is, but my experiences with Mr. Hanretty has given me a deep respect for the man. In his dealings with the P.V. community and schools, he has been straightforward, fair, brave, and wise.

This is a human being we're bandying about, not a clown or low talent type. Why don't we all wait with quiet compassion while the people with knowledge uncover what truly has happened?

I want to echo "Saddened in PV".

I had the opportunity to work with Tim Hanretty over the last few years and have nothing but respect for his service to our community and would appeal to others to reserve judgement until more facts are known.

Agree Mr. Hanretty is a good man and did good things for PV. However, Mr. Hanretty resigned, so putting him on a leave would not be an option

This seems a heavily pointed story towards Portola Valley when it is a Woodside situation with not a lot of information to make it meaningful. Mr. Hanretty served both school districts through his career and was well respected. I and many others admire his work as Superintendent in Portola Valley and we should aspire to deliver the same quality and innovative education as he drove the Portola Valley district towards. As a parent, it is interesting that Dr. Polito's email to parents was -- in contrast to Portola Valley's statement -- stark and lacked the ability to instill confidence to me as a taxpayer and parent. The district would be served well to look back at the quick and unexpected exits of the previous superintendent and other senior level members last summer. What was the role of the superintendent that Mr. Hanretty reported to during his tenure at Woodside?

It is instructive to read the responses to the exact same story posted on the Palo Alto Weekly Town Forum:

Web Link


On the PA Forum there is a focus on the audit process while on the Almanac Forum the focus is on the individual.

Gee, the fox is really in the hen house here, isn't it? For any audit of the PVSD finances to be truly independent and scrupulous, Superintendent Anne Campbell needs to recuse herself of all oversight and participation in the auditing process. She and Tim Hanretty worked side by side for years and she has a vested outcome in the audits results.

Because of her close working relationship with Mr. Hanretty, the audit should not be conducted by her office as it creates a flagrant conflict of interest. Rather, it should be conducted by the state.

Really Concerned......

Could you please enlighten us as to the "Vested outcome in the audit results" as they relate to Ms. Campbell.

I am sure you must have a considerable amount of information to backup your allegation....


Or perhaps not, maybe your just [portion deleted - please don't attack other posters] that loves to put the last kick in when the opportunity arises.

Mr. Hanretty obviously resigned for his own reasons, feeling it in his own best interests. As for his qualifications for Superintendent, he had none. Since Anne Campbell left, PV has been on a wave against teachers by hiring such unqualified staff. Mr. Hanretty, for example, has no education background other than his report that his parents were teachers. The message of the Board represented by his and other such staff is that teacher expertise and educational professionalism are relatively unimportant in difference to the innate wisdom of PV residents in overseeing the District's operations and educational processes.

We shall see.

Just to be clear, Ms. Campbell's office is NOT handling the investigation. That is being done by the San Mateo DA's office and Ms. Campbell's office, as well as the WESD, are cooperating with the investigation. This was stated in the letter that the WESD superintendent sent out. Ms. Campbell's office is supporting PVSD during this transition when we are down one administration official.

As to qualifications, if you look at the job of superintendent, it's as much about the business management of the district as it is about the instruction of students. Mr. Hanretty's specific job was more about the business managment; Assistant Superintendent Carol Pirano was/is in charge of instruction. Neither of those people are unqualified -- you may not *like* the way they work, but that doesn't make them unqualified (assuming innocence here, of course).

Whatever happened to being innocent until proven guilty? This whole thing was only brought to light in October -- 3 or so whole months of investigation so far and no charges brought yet. If he's guilty, he'll deserve what's happened and more. If not, I feel really sorry for the guy.

I agree with the comment that Anne Campbell should recuse herself from the investigation of Tim Hanretty. There are questions to her role as Superintendent when Mr. Hanretty served with her in the renovations of PVSD.

This is a sad day for Portola Valley and Woodisde.
Hanretty's rsignation raises questions about Anne Campbell and her role in handpicking him as her successor at the PVSD. In july of 2010, Anne Campbell gave Hanretty her complete vote of confidence as she departed for her job as Superintendent of San Mateo County Schools. Our board should mouint a full investigation of the district's practices during her tenure.