Dr. Splane grew up as a military brat, the last of nine children to a Mexican mother and African-American father, near Fort Ord, California. He grew up as an athlete attending nearby Seaside High School, focusing less on school and more on where the next party was. Friends and acquaintances of his did the same but ended up having less than desirable life outcomes down the road; some of them become addicted to drugs, others sold them, and even others in prison or killed.

Dr. Splane obtained a degree in Clinical and Counseling Psychology from San Jose state, a Masters of Arts in Education from University of California, Berkeley, and remained at Berkeley until completing his Doctorate degree in Educational Psychology. Now in his twenty-fourth year in education, Dr. Splane has served as a school psychologist, director of student services and special education, middle school assistant principal, middle school principal, and currently is the Director of Curriculum, Instruction & School Culture for the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District.

As a leader, Dr. Splane adheres to the following core values: 1) a commitment to educational equity and student achievement, 2) nurturing a healthy school culture, 3) being focused on student outcomes and flexible on the journey to get there. He has been awarded the Santa Clara County Office of Education Principal Arts Leadership Award (2019), ACSA Region 8 Middle Grades Principal of the Year, (2020), and CALSA Region 1 Site Administrator of the Year, (2020). Dr. Splane’s areas of focus for staff development include growth-mindset, equity, special education, culture and climate, team development, mental health & wellness, and student behavior systems.