Shounak Dharap recall, Palo Alto Unified School District, California (2025)

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Palo Alto Unified School District recall
Officeholders
Shounak Dharap
Recall status
Did not go to a vote
Signature requirement
7,635 signatures in 160 days
See also
Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2025 Recalls in California California recall laws School board recalls Recall reports

An effort to recall Shounak Dharap from his position on the Palo Alto Unified School District Board of Education in California did not go to a vote in 2025. The Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters rejected the petition after recall supporters did not collect enough signatures on the notice of intent to recall.

The recall effort started after the board voted 3-2 on January 21, 2025, to eliminate honors biology for freshman students and on January 23, 2025, to require an ethnic studies class be taken as a graduation requirement. Dharap voted in favor of both resolutions.

Dharap was serving as vice president of the five-member board at the time the recall effort started.

Recall supporters

The notice of intent to recall Dharap included the following reasons for recall:

“

Shounak Dharap should be recalled due to his failure to prioritize academic quality, student safety, and responsible governance. Rather than focusing on strong school oversight, Shounak has engaged in behavior that divided our community, harmed PAUSD students including Undermined excellence and merit: Removed honors courses, discouraged academic achievement in core subjects, and expanded administrative costs. Failed to provide responsible oversight of curriculum: Allowed politically motivated changes to take precedence over a rigorous, well-balanced education. Blocked transparency: Obstructed lawful public records requests from parents, residents, and taxpayers. Neglected student safety: Repeatedly ignored parental and student safety concerns at Hoover Elementary. Dismissed concerns about declining enrollment: Ignored the steady decline in student enrollment, despite it signaling dissatisfaction with PAUSD and a shift toward alternative education options. Contributed to declining enrollment: Suggested that families seeking stronger academic opportunities look outside PAUSD, rather than working to improve academic rigor within the district. Created division and hostility: His actions and rhetoric have contributed to a climate of animosity, rather than fostering an inclusive and supportive school community.

”

Recall opponents

Dharap said a recall election would be a waste of money for the district. He said that the district was ranked as one of the best in the country, that test scores were up, and that students were more prepared for life after high school graduation. “It’s a record to be proud of,” Dharap said.

“Initiatives that support our most struggling students are characterized as attacking achievement, and that’s just not true,” Dharap said. “The district is and always has been, committed to high achievement for its students.”

Dharap said the reasons for recall listed in the notice of intent were more about the district's direction than his individual role. “I think there’s a real anger toward me for being able to convince my colleagues to vote in my way,” Dharap said.

The school district refuted the third claim about blocked transparency on the notice of intent to recall. Lynette White, a spokesperson for the district, said that school board members did not have control over public records requests as they were managed by the district’s legal and compliance team.

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing recall in California

No specific grounds are required for recall in California. The recall process starts with a notice of intention to recall. The notice must be served to the officer whose recall is being sought as well as published in a newspaper of general circulation. The notice must then be filed with the relevant election office. Once the notice has been deemed sufficient by the election office, a petition must also be filed and approved by the election office. Once the petition is approved, it can be circulated. To get a recall on the ballot, supporters must collect signatures from registered voters in the jurisdiction. The number of signatures required is between 10% and 30% of registered voters in the jurisdiction, depending on the size of the jurisdiction. Jurisdictions with 1,000 registered voters or fewer require 30%, and jurisdictions with 100,000 or more registered voters require 10%. Charter cities can also set their own signature threshold. The amount of time allowed for the circulation of recall petitions also varies by the number of registered voters in a jurisdiction, between 40 and 160 days. Jurisdictions with fewer than 1,000 registered voters allow 40 days, and jurisdictions with more than 50,000 registered voters allow 160 days.

To get the recall against Dharap on the ballot, supporters would have had to collect 7,635 signatures in 160 days.

2025 recall efforts

See also: School board recalls

Ballotpedia has tracked 10 school board recall efforts against 17 board members in 2025. Recall elections against two board members are being held on May 20, 2025.

The chart below details the status of 2025 recall efforts by individual school board member.