A recall petition is being circulated against me. The Notice of Intention to Circulate Recall Petition was filed with the San Mateo County Elections Office on June 18, 2026. Below, each claim in the petition’s statement of grounds is quoted in full, exactly as filed, with my response. I hope you will read this, then decline to sign.
The complete statement of grounds, reproduced in one place exactly as filed, is on a separate page: read the full text of the recall petition.
The petition opens by stating that trustees must “provide oversight, set direction, and hold the superintendent accountable.” I agree. That is the job, and my record meets it.
On oversight of the superintendent
From the petition“Trustee Ginn has failed to provide effective oversight of the Superintendent, including a lack of accountability for decisions that have adversely affected students, staff, and community trust.”
The petition does not identify any specific decision. On most matters before the board, the trustees are in alignment on the district’s direction. Where I have disagreed, on honors courses and the Ethnic Studies graduation requirement, I have said so on the record and voted accordingly. If the proponents can identify a specific decision they have concerns about, I welcome the opportunity to address it.
On the closure of TIDE Academy
From the petition“Trustee Ginn supported and participated in the process leading to the closure of TIDE Academy, which we believe did not comply with required public deliberation laws, including applicable open meeting requirements.”
The petition does not identify any specific action or inaction by me that would constitute a violation. The board voted 5 to 0 on February 4, 2026 to close TIDE Academy. All deliberations on the closure were held in open session, as legally required for school closures under the California Education Code. The process included five public board meetings, two community meetings, four Q and A sessions, and more than 100 public testimonies.
Read more about TIDE AcademyOn the bond that funded TIDE
From the petition“In addition, local taxpayers approved and allocated funds for the development of TIDE Academy, and Trustee Ginn has failed to uphold the intent of that investment.”
The premise is inaccurate. Voters did not allocate funds for TIDE Academy. They approved Measure A, a bond authorization. The board at the time chose to use part of that authorization to fund capacity expansion at every existing district high school, the purchase of two parcels of land, and the construction of the TIDE Academy building. Bond funds pay for buildings; the ongoing cost of operating a school is funded separately, and most of that is staff salaries and benefits. The Measure A authorization did not commit the district to operate any particular school for any particular length of time. The TIDE building remains a district asset.
Read more about Measure A and TIDEOn litigation
From the petition“Under his tenure, the district has faced ongoing litigations that reflect a failure to establish and enforce effective policies and sound governance practices.”
The petition does not identify any specific case. School districts of this size are routinely subject to litigation arising from individual circumstances and the structural conditions of public education law. None of the cases that could be referenced involve actions or inactions by me as a trustee.
On representing the community
From the petition“Trustee Ginn has not fulfilled his responsibility to represent the interests and priorities of the community.”
The record shows the opposite. On April 22, 2026, I made the motion to restore honors courses at the district’s four large high schools, so students at Menlo-Atherton, Sequoia, and Woodside would have the same opportunities as students at Carlmont. Trustee Sathvik Nori seconded it; the motion was defeated 3 to 2. More than 1,000 community members have signed a petition asking the board to restore honors courses, and I agree with them. Ethnic Studies is currently a graduation requirement at the district; I was one of two votes against it, and I continue to support it as an elective that students can choose, rather than a requirement every student must complete to graduate, out of concern for the course choices available to every Area C family. Voters in Area C reelected me, unopposed, in 2024.
Read more about honors coursesRead more about Ethnic Studies
Please decline to sign. If you have read this and you do not believe a recall election is justified, please decline to sign the recall petition.
If you have already signed and what you have read here changes your mind, you can revoke your signature by contacting the San Mateo County Elections Office at registrar@smcacre.gov or (650) 312-5222.