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In what seems to some as sudden news right before the end of the school year, the Pleasanton Unified School District confirmed it decided to swap the principals at Valley View and Alisal elementary schools for next year.
Andrea Withers, who has been Valley View’s principal for nearly four years, will be taking the Alisal post at the start of the next 2026-27 school year and current Alisal principal Elias Muniz is moving to Valley View, according to a pair of notices PUSD sent out to each school’s community earlier this month.
Both communities learned of their respective principals leaving them on May 15 and were subsequently invited to meet their new leaders the following week.
As far as the reasoning behind the switch, PUSD’s safety and communications coordinator Susanne Frey didn’t provide much detail other than to say it was based on the needs of the district and the schools.
“As with other administrative assignments and transitions, principal placements are district staffing decisions made based on the needs of the district and individual school communities,” Frey told the Pleasanton Weekly. “Principals are district employees, and leadership assignments may change from time to time in support of district and school needs.”
Withers first came on as Valley View’s principal in late 2022 following the sudden and unexplained departure of then-principal Julie Plaisance. Plaisance had only been on the job for about five months before she resigned, leaving Withers — who was the school’s vice principal at the time — in charge.
During her time as both principal and vice principal, PUSD said Withers not only strengthened the school’s dual language immersion program, but she also led major facilities projects and remained “deeply committed to students, staff, and families through many periods of change and growth”.
“We also want to express appreciation for the many years of dedicated service Andrea Withers has provided to the Valley View community,” the district stated in one of its May 15 notices to the community.
Some of the more recent facility projects Withers was involved in was the school’s transitional kindergarten expansion project in which a new TK playground and Kids Club portables were constructed. Construction of new classrooms at the school is also set to begin soon.
Now, the longtime administrator will be taking over the reins at Alisal, which is also set to see its own modernization project, which aims to renovate the campus for the first time since 1998 using roughly $35 million of remaining Measure I1 bond money.
Over at Valley View, the school community will be seeing a familiar face with Muniz taking over as principal. According to the district, Muniz will be returning to his former school where he previously served as both a dual immersion teacher and assistant principal.
Muniz also served as principal at Hearst Elementary School for six years before taking on the principal position at Alisal Elementary in 2021.
“He is known for building strong relationships with students, families, and staff and for fostering inclusive, student-centered school communities,” according to the district.
In the May 15 notice to the Alisal community, PUSD thanked Muniz for his years of dedicated service.
“Mr. Muniz has built a strong culture of connection, care, and support for students, families, and staff, and his commitment to the Alisal community has had a lasting impact on the school,” the district stated.
