More details are emerging about the shock firing of the Santa Clara County school superintendent

More details have emerged surrounding the shocking firing of Santa Clara County School Superintendent Mary Dewan.

The decision to fire Dewan came in a closed meeting of the Santa Clara County Office of Education Board of Trustees just hours after an investigation into a board member’s complaints against her determined the allegations were unfounded, according to documents obtained by this news organization emerges.

Dewan — who was appointed by the board to serve a term that runs through June 2026 — was removed from her position “without cause” in a 4-2 vote in the early hours of Oct. 3. Board chairwoman Maimona Afzal Berta and members Joseph Di Salvo, Grace Mah and Don Rocha voted in favor of Dewan’s termination, while members Victoria Chon and Tara Sreekrishnan voted against the termination. Board member Raeena Lari abstained from voting.

The board has declined to elaborate on the reasons for Dewan’s removal, but Dewan said in a lawsuit filed last week that she was fired without any reason or explanation.

Now two recent investigative reports have surfaced that provide additional details pointing to a fight between board members and the superintendent, multiple allegations of misconduct by board member Grace Mah and widespread fears of retaliation — including retaliation against Dewan.

Mah did not immediately respond to this news organization’s request for comment. Dewan and her attorney, Steven Ellenberg, declined to comment on the investigation.

According to the investigative report, a copy of which was obtained by this news organization, an investigation into workplace concerns at the county Board of Education was recently launched after Dewan received multiple complaints about the board’s conduct. The investigation was conducted in May by the Oppenheimer Investigations Group, which conducts impartial workplace and school investigations, and concluded on October 11.

The investigation found that county employees felt demoralized and exhausted “by the constant harassment” of Dewan.

“Staff fears that the board may terminate the principal’s employment and fears the impact this would have on the lives and jobs of many Santa Clara County Office of Education employees,” the investigation states. “Their fears came true last week when the board actually voted to terminate the superintendent’s contract without cause.”

That investigation also found “excessive control” of district employees by the board, which led to “anxiety, burnout and an unhealthy work environment.”

Board member Mah was mentioned several times in the investigation, particularly for her “willful violation” of open meeting policies and laws under the Brown Act.

The investigative report found that Mah said in a May 2023 email that “lawyers said they had never heard of anyone going to prison for violating the Brown Act,” and later said at a board meeting: “If I don’t go to jail for it. If I violate the Brown Act, I don’t care if I violate the law.”

Mah was also found to have violated board policy by using a personal email address for official business instead of her board email account, despite a cease-and-desist letter from the former board chair.

A separate investigative report with findings dated Oct. 2 – shortly before Dewan’s firing – was prepared by Steve Hummel, an investigator at consulting firm Paradox Technology.

Hummel said in an interview with this news organization that his investigation focused primarily on Mah’s complaints about the allegations against her, which she said were “an attempt to discredit her in the upcoming election.”

But Hummel said his findings revealed that Mah himself violated regulations and bylaws, used a private email address for board business and improperly interfered with personnel complaints.

“I don’t know the political situation about what happened before or after. I’ve been doing this for 40 years, I just look at things and call them like I see them,” Hummel said. “I can tell you that Grace Mah seems to be going above and beyond as if she wanted to be the superintendent. She seems interested in fixing things she feels are wrong with the operations, which is not normally the job of a trustee.”

A source familiar with both investigations, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media, said the drama began after the county’s former Head Start director Antonio Fuentes was placed on leave in the spring. The source said Mah, who was close to Fuentes, was upset about his firing and took part in a public petition for his reinstatement. Hummel’s investigation also found that Mah had posted a public petition on social media calling for an “operational decision” to be overturned.

Hummel said he is currently aware of additional investigations involving the district school board, but declined further comment.

“If you look from the outside and think, ‘My goodness, there’s something else going on,’ then you’d be right,” said Hummel. “That wasn’t the beginning and the end of the whole thing. This seems to have been going on for a while.”

Dewan’s termination outraged community members, some board members and state lawmakers.

Board member Sreekrishnan has called for a civil grand jury investigation into the board’s “leadership and mismanagement.”

A group of six state representatives and senators sent a letter to board members Monday opposing the decision to fire Dewan.