Trustee William Kuo Reflects Upon Serving the Dublin Unified School District Board

With election day 2024 here, voters are facing a myriad of propositions and choices of candidates to fill key positions. Early ballot collection data suggests that voter participation could result in the highest levels ever recorded. However, unless an incumbent is seeking a different or higher office, very little is made of the public servants who have elected to allow their time in office to simply lapse. In Dublin, DUSD Area 3 will have a new representative as Trustee William Kuo has chosen not to run for re-election to serve another term. This is an unusual circumstance – for many reasons. According to Ballotpedia, in the 2022 general election, an average of 94% of incumbents nationwide won their re-election bids. So, the odds would favor making a bid to stay in office. But Mr. Kuo’s journey to his position was uncommon. Some may say that his rise was inadvertent. But his legacy may stand as being one of the most consequential trustees in recent memory.

For perspective, we return to 2019. Due to a vacancy for the Area 3 Trustee spot, a special election was held in the fall. A respected parent volunteer emerged victorious to fulfill the remainder of that term. Catherine Kuo might have been new to elected office, but she was well-known within school circles as a tireless advocate. Subsequently, she was re-elected to a full four-year term the following year. Tragedy struck in March 2021 when Catherine succumbed to injuries suffered due to a vehicular mishap at Fallon Middle School during a food giveaway event. With shock still rippling through the community and a family with every reason to turn away from school matters, something remarkable happened. While still processing the loss of his spouse, William Kuo demonstrated a selfless act. He did so by placing his name for consideration in an appointment process to fill the then-vacant trustee seat. He succeeded over two other candidates and has occupied the position ever since. We recently sat down with Mr. Kuo to seek his perspective on his experiences as a trustee and what it’s meant to be a “tie breaker.”

OneDublin.org:  As you reflect upon your experience, what was your incoming expectation of the trustee role vs. what actually occurred? What were the differences?

William Kuo: “When I first got appointed, I read up as much as possible as to what the role entailed.  They included online publications, CSBA materials, etc. – to get a sense of what a trustee does.  I was exposed to it over the 2019-2020 period when Catherine was on the board so there was some prior exposure.

Since I was appointed during COVID-19, there was news of other school board meetings being contentious due to masking/vaccine issues. So, I got to learn very quickly that the role can become pretty political as well.  However, in Dublin, those were not major issues. Instead for us it was moving forward with the infrastructure/school site construction. This was the main issue to address.

From the get-go, I knew that I would be making difficult decisions because that was where Catherine left off.  After working on having remote school for the 2020-2021 school year, the next major task was hiring a permanent superintendent and then moving onto the topic of a second comprehensive high school. The superintendent process was done by May 2021 and I was not involved with that.  The construction projects that used the bond funds would be difficult not because of what was needed; but because the funds were limited and there were multiple school sites that still needed board votes to complete their funding and final phases of their projects. So, in conclusion, the role pretty much became exactly what I had expected based on what I saw during her meetings and to what my experiences were. I anticipated difficult decisions and many opinions from the public during the discourse of those issues and I got those.  What I did not know at the time was how easy it was to move on once a decision was made. Leading up to a vote, the stress level of picking the best path forward was very consuming but to my surprise, when a decision was made, I never looked back nor doubted that the best decision was made given the information available at the time.”

OneDublin.org: This summer, the school board elected to not move forward with separate geographic bond measures by a 3-2 vote. Speaking for yourself, why do you think that this was the proper choice at this time? Would you forecast that this potential measure may arise in two years?

Kuo: “I felt that there were plenty of ongoing projects in the school district in 2024.  They include Emerald High School phases 2 and 3, the new K-8 school (Shamrock Hills) is breaking ground and Cottonwood Creek School has a middle-school sized gym to put in. Further, there is the Dublin Elementary modernization, the Murray rebuild and the Fredricksen rebuild was being completed. With that, we have about $1B worth of bonds that are still on the books. So, I felt that the voters were not going to be ready for another bond and the voter survey study done by consultants indicated that passage of a bond was not a slam dunk. Given the real possibility of not passing the measure combined with voter fatigue, I felt it should be revisited at a future date. And especially with me stepping down, the next trustee in Area 3 should have a say in it as he/she will have to make decisions on how to use the bond funds.”

OneDublin.org: Subsequent to your family’s tragedy in 2021, you had the ability and certainly the right to reduce your focus on school district matters. Yet you chose to be considered for the provisional seat to fulfill Catherine’s term. Please explain how and why you elected to take on this challenge.

Kuo: “For the first few nights I would fall asleep with a picture of her staring back at me.  That picture was her campaign mailer.  On it one of the bullet points was: Second Comprehensive High School.  Given the climate at that time, there was uncertainty.  She got involved with the school board and that was one of the main reasons. And I felt that would be her legacy and I needed to fulfill that. I would not be able to look at myself in the mirror if I did not at minimum try. I knew I would be able to raise the kids being that they were older (ages 14 and 11). I knew that me being the main source of income meant the family would be able to continue to live in the community that they grew up in. I spoke with Dan and Gabi regarding the role and the time commitments of a trustee (to gain a better idea of how much time was required) and I knew that it was possible. It would also be mentally difficult to process grief and to make difficult votes; but for her legacy it was an easy decision to make to try to get myself appointed.”

OneDublin.org: You are now choosing to not pursue re-election in the November election for another term. Publicly, you have stated that your experience on the board has been “fulfilling”. Share with us specifically what you found fulfilling about the role. 

Kuo: “The difficult decisions that were made have been fulfilling because they were not easy. The bond fund allocations, DTA & CSEA salary negotiations, grading policy updates and re-drawing of the trustee areas are just a handful of very fateful decisions that were made. As a board and along with staff and administrators, I felt that we are doing fairly good at keeping the district running well. There will always be issues to fix of course; but overall, it’s been fulfilling to be part of an organization that educates our youth and provides meaningful employment to so many folks at the same time.”

OneDublin.org: Recently, misfortune has touched DUSD in the form of personal loss, most notably at Dublin and Murray Elementary Schools. What message of hope and offerings of strength can you offer to these heartbroken communities?

Kuo: “I draw a lot of my strength and comfort from my faith. It was something Catherine left me with as I went over her written notes tucked in her Bible and in her notebooks. It was her speaking to me while not being physically present. I remember back to those early days after her accident and I told my kids to not dwell on the question of “why”. There will never ever be a good answer to that question in this lifetime. I would ponder on it once in a long while, but I won’t dwell too long on it because no answer will be adequate.

It is nearly four years now and I do not have much else to offer. I’m still adjusting. I’m still trying to figure out what my life is pivoting to. When it does get overwhelming, I fall back onto the method of “one day at a time.”

OneDublin.org: As we are days from the fall election, what words of wisdom would you like to offer to candidates that are vying to join the DUSD board?

Kuo: “Tour all the school sites at least one time so you gain an appreciation for how each campus looks and feels. Get as much information as you can for the critical/difficult topics and try to keep an open mind. And vote your conscience.  After the first few weeks, I stopped losing sleep over the votes because I learned to go with my decisions. That tranquil sleep further meant that my conscience is clear. I would also say to respect the professionals that are working for the school district. We trustees are not educators (well most likely not educators) so we can’t possibly know everything there is about everything.”

Though not be design, DUSD Area 3 has circumstantially become the fulcrum point for many decisions by the Board of Trustees. We discussed this geographic anomaly with Trustee Kuo and it sparked a candid response. He did note that it is one of the key elements (and potential stressors) that is inherent with the role given the current composition of the board. That said, it has been our observation that he has conducted himself without fear or favor. Equally impressive has been William’s willingness to place service to the community above self – even during some very vulnerable times. OneDublin.org would like to thank William Kuo for his time and candor throughout our discussion.