Interim head of embattled West Valley district plans to apply for permanent job

The man who is temporarily filling the superintendent’s chair after his controversial predecessor resigned as head of the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District wants to make the job permanent.

Bill Sanderson had served for about two years as superintendent until tensions between him and members of the community over his leadership style culminated in the sudden announcement of his immediate departure from the district less than two months ago. Sanderson was replaced by interim superintendent Heath Rocha, who also continues to serve as assistant superintendent of student services, a job he’s held for about 10 years.

Rocha said he plans to add an agenda item to the Jan. 14 district board meeting outlining the timeline, costs and other details involved with beginning the search for a permanent superintendent. He’s also going to throw his hat in the ring, he said.

The district will likely begin its search for his permanent replacement in the new year.

Rocha was greeted with a warm welcome from parents, teachers and students on his first day as interim superintendent, which begged the question of why he wasn’t a contender for the job when the district began the search process that resulted in Sanderson’s hiring.

Rocha he said he didn’t apply back then because he was waiting for his son and daughter to get a little older before taking on such a time commitment.

“In my mind, knowing what is required to be successful in this job, I was kind of waiting till my kids finished” high school, he said.

If the board agrees to kick off the search process at the Jan. 14 meeting, Rocha said they should be on track to make a hire by April 2025.

Sanderson is on leave for “personal reasons” through the end of the school year, when his resignation will go into effect, board president Misty Davies said. According to emails obtained by this publication, the district will continue to pay Sanderson his $308,448 salary until August 2025.

For the rest of the academic year, Rocha earns his usual salary of $246,662 as assistant superintendent of student services, along with $275 per day he serves as interim superintendent.

Since day one in the latter job, Rocha had positioned himself as a leader whose top priority is community engagement.

“While this change in leadership is sudden, I do see an opportunity for us,” he said at a town hall meeting just after the district announced Sanderson’s departure. “I’m hoping we can reset, and while we may feel divided now, we can slowly heal and rebuild trust through ongoing communication and shared problem solving.”

Though he’s only looking at short-term goals right now as interim superintendent, he said in an interview that he plans to start a student advisory committee to give students more opportunities to speak with him directly, leaving the long-term strategic planning work to the permanent superintendent.

“I think the big one for me is…just taking the time to recognize and celebrate all the amazing things that happen in our district, which happen on a daily basis,” he said. “That’s filled my bucket over the last five weeks.”