Announces Retirement

SUPERINTENDENT POLLY BOVE ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT

Examining her legacy and the replacement process

writer

The year is 2006: Main Street Cupertino was a dirt plot, the current CHS student body was barely in existence, and the MacBook was born. But the year holds a more profound significance; it marked the start of a new era for the Fremont Union High School District.

Superintendent Polly Bove-who has served as Superintendent of FUHSD for 16 years--announced her retirement on January 7, 2022. Bove leaves the district in hopes of bringing new changes to FUHSD while simultaneously allowing for a smooth transfer of power. Her departure, officially occurring in July, enables her successor to have enough time with the current Board of Trustees before elections in November.

Since the start of her career at FUHSD in 1989, Bove pursued many different avenues before unintentionally landing the role of Superintendent. “My previous boss and the board did not get along, and they had a parting of ways,” Bove explained. “And one evening, the board asked me if I would take over as interim. And I had never had the goal of being a superintendent, and I cared about this place a lot. And I just felt like if I can help this place through this tough time, I mean, I ought to [do that].”

Bove served in several departments throughout her educational career, from teaching math and computer science to administration to Special Education and HR. “I’d like to tell you I had a mission, but that isn’t what it was,” Bove said. “It was like being thrilled and enjoying and learning a lot from every opportunity I had, and it was just astounding. Every time I had a new job, it was invigorating and astounding and fun.”

In addition to serving FUHSD for over 30 years, Bove also implemented one of the first student information systems in the district and helped FUHSD through the 2008 recession. According to Bove, the key to these challenges was to find opportunities through them.

“I had the opportunity to say to people, Hold on, [we] can get through this. I believe we can,” Bove recalled. “We could stay the course, and we were, as [far] as I can tell, one of the only districts around anywhere that did that during that terrible time in 2008. But [was] that a challenge, or was that an opportunity? Was [that] an opportunity for us to build more trust?” Bove has served a much longer career than the average. According to a Vanderbilt study conducted in 2006, 45% of superintendents had turned over within three years. Though her long time in office has offered stability and productivity, many staff and students are ready for a change in perspective. Carley Stavis--a CHS English Teacher and Fremont Education Association Site President--noted this need for change.

“I think [you] could make the argument that consistency is good in a lot of ways to [help] people move through all the changes that naturally happen without [having] a disruption on that level,” Stavis said. “At the same time, I think that

[there are] things that anybody who started doing this job 15 years ago needs to re-equip themselves to do now that are different. And I know in my own teaching practice, what I was doing 12 years ago when I started [as] a student teacher is a world away from anything I’m doing now.” For the future of FUHSD, Stavis hopes the district finds a successor that represents the district accurately. According to The School Superintendents Association, 6% of superintendents are people of color--in contrast, all FUHSD schools exceed a 60% minority student population. “...Put a person of color in that role,” Stavis said. “Put someone who is more representative of the real demographics of our campuses and [districts]. Look at the beauty that comes out of the diversity at other levels of our district and the beauty that comes out of the diversity of our student populations, and recognize what “ IT WAS LIKE BEING THRILLED AND ENJOYING AND beauty could be had at that level of power and leadership.” As for Bove, she is hopeful and excited about the changes that will LEARNING A LOT FROM come with her successor. “I don’t EVERY OPPORTUNITY I need to leave it and try to preserve HAD, AND IT WAS JUST it. I’m actually pretty excited about ASTOUNDING ”POLLY BOVE seeing what it could be,” she said. “It’s the way I felt about my son. I didn’t want to decide who he was going to be and I was, and I’m pretty amazed and actually very moved and emotional about who he became. But I got to see that, right? I feel the same way about this place. I think it’s going to be good”