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Hayward schools Superintendent Jason Reimann, who held high-profile roles in the San Ramon Valley earlier in his education career, submitted his resignation amid an ongoing investigation into an unspecified incident, the district’s school board president announced this week.
Reimann – who faced severe budget woes and multiple controversies in his second year helming the Hayward Unified School District – will remain on the administrative leave he has been on since last week and not working until his resignation officially takes effect May 3, according to HUSD officials.
“Citing personal reasons, Superintendent Jason Reimann submitted his resignation today to the Board of Education,” Board President Peter Bufete said in a statement Monday (March 3). “Dr. Reimann had been placed on leave pending an investigation into a recent alleged incident. In light of his resignation, the investigation has ceased.”
Attempts to reach Reimann for comment had been unsuccessful as of Friday afternoon.
Reimann was no stranger to Tri-Valley students and educators and students during his 20-year-plus career. He served as the second-ever principal of Dougherty Valley High School in San Ramon from 2011 until 2013, when he was promoted to director of instructional services at the San Ramon Valley Unified School District.Â
During his final year in the district office, Reimann found himself named in the First Amendment lawsuit that made national headlines and ultimately resulted in a $665,000 settlement and apology from the district to a high school student who had been disciplined over a student body election campaign video positioned as a James Bond-style parody that some criticized as Islamaphobic.
Reimann departed SRVUSD in 2017 to become assistant superintendent of educational services at the Castro Valley Unified School District in the executive cabinet of former Pleasanton Unified superintendent Parvin Ahmadi.Â
He made the leap to the superintendent’s chair in Hayward after being hired by the school board in a 4-1 vote in June 2023.
“Every Hayward student deserves excellent academic opportunities and social emotional support to be prepared for success within and beyond school,” Reimann said in a press release at the time of his hiring. “With such a diverse community, dedicated teachers and brilliant students, the years ahead hold tremendous opportunities for success.”
Bufete added about Reimann in 2023, “Dr. Reimann comes to us with a proven commitment to equity and a track record of success in building successful academic programs for all students. He also impressed upon us his expertise around organizational theory, understanding of the fiscal challenges ahead, and his dedication to a collaborative leadership approach.”
Hayward remains in tough financial times nearly two years later. Its $405.2 million budget for the current school year received a negative certification by the California Department of Education – with state officials deeming HUSD is not projected to meet its fiscal obligations for 2024-25 and 2025-26 as of its first interim budget report.
On an individual level for Reimann, the East Bay Times reported that he was arrested last August on suspicion of DUI and criminal speeding but that incident was not the subject of the February investigation. Reimann also found himself in regional headlines last year after the district canceled its consultant agreement with Woke Kindergarten, a three-year contract HUSD signed before Reimann’s tenure.
Associate superintendent for student and family services Chien Wu-Fernandez is now acting superintendent in light of Reimann’s leave. Wu-Fernandez previously served as Hayward’s interim superintendent for the 2022-23 academic year before Reimann was hired.
