The Office of the Superintendent provides support to the County Office, school districts, schools, community, and other educational agencies.
A Message from the Superintendent
Welcome to the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE).
At SCCOE, we are dedicated to supporting every student, educator, and school community across our region. We believe that education has the power to transform lives, open doors, and build stronger communities. Our commitment is to ensure that every learner is given the tools, opportunities, and support they need to succeed.
Working together, we show what is possible when all students and educators are empowered to achieve their highest potential. Through collaboration, innovation, and a focus on student success, we are creating lasting impact across Santa Clara County.
Thank you for visiting our site and for your commitment to making a difference in the lives of students and families. We are proud to serve this vibrant and dynamic community, and we look forward to all that we will accomplish together.
Superintendent Speaking Engagement Request
If you are interested in inviting the County Superintendent of Schools to speak at your upcoming event, please complete the Speaking Engagement Request Form. Please complete all fields to ensure your request is considered.
Due to the high volume of invitations and potential scheduling conflicts, we may not be able to accommodate all requests. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to learning more about your event.
Bio
As County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. David M. Toston, Sr. is committed to ensuring that public education opens doors of opportunity for every student and strengthens the families and communities it serves. His leadership of the Santa Clara County Office of Education is grounded in a clear moral imperative: Alleviating Pain Through Public Education, and a commitment to creating Opportunity Without Exception.
For Dr. Toston, this work is both professional and deeply personal. He began his career as an eighth-grade language arts teacher and has since served as a school counselor, school psychologist, special education director, county office executive, statewide educational leader, and university professor. Through each role, he has remained guided by the belief that public education is one of society's most powerful instruments for expanding opportunity and changing the trajectory of a young person's life.
Dr. Toston became County Superintendent of Schools in May 2025, bringing more than 25 years of experience across classrooms, student services, special education, county offices of education, higher education, educational policy, and statewide initiatives.
At the heart of his leadership is listening. Dr. Toston believes meaningful progress begins by creating space for students, families, educators, and communities to be heard. As County Superintendent, he has championed a community-driven approach to shaping the SCCOE's vision, goals, and Strategic Plan, while strengthening partnerships with school districts and community organizations in service of students and families.
Central to this work is his conviction that students should not simply experience the educational system, but have a meaningful voice in shaping it. He strives to hear the signal amid the noise, paying particular attention to young people and communities whose voices have too often been overlooked. His vision is for every student to experience belonging, see possibility in their future, and have genuine opportunities to thrive.
Before becoming County Superintendent, Dr. Toston served as Senior Advisor for Strategic Initiatives at the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, where he helped lead statewide efforts supporting school districts and communities. He also led California's statewide Community Engagement Initiative and previously served in executive leadership positions with the El Dorado County Office of Education and Sutter County Superintendent of Schools.
His commitment to public education extends to statewide service, including leadership on the California Advisory Commission on Special Education following appointment by the California State Senate, as well as service on initiatives focused on Black student achievement, special education, family empowerment, and educational equity.
As County Superintendent, Dr. Toston understands that leadership requires both the courage to imagine what is possible and the willingness to confront the realities facing students, families, schools, and communities. His approach brings together vision, strategy, accountability, and partnership around a simple conviction: the circumstances into which a student is born should never determine the limits of that student's future.
Through Opportunity Without Exception, Dr. Toston seeks to help build a public education system in which every student is seen, heard, supported, challenged, and given meaningful opportunities to realize their potential.
Dr. Toston earned a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership from the University of La Verne, where his doctoral research examined the distinction between inclusion and belonging in K-12 education. He also holds a Master of Arts in Educational Psychology from Azusa Pacific University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Pacific Union College.
At the center of Dr. Toston's life is his family. He and his wife are the proud parents of three children, whose lives continually remind him that the work of public education is ultimately about the hopes, dreams, and futures families hold for their children.
Ultimately, Dr. Toston's leadership is rooted in responsibility and hope: the responsibility to confront barriers that limit opportunity and the hope that public education can change lives. For him, Alleviating Pain Through Public Education and Opportunity Without Exception reflect a deeply held belief that every child deserves to belong, to be supported, and to have the opportunity to imagine and realize a future greater than the circumstances they inherited.
