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After canceling this week’s Pleasanton Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting, where the board was poised to review an employment contract for the district’s new superintendent, Board President Justin Brown informed the public they will have to wait a little longer before finding out who the district’s new leader will be.
“Thank you to all who continue to contribute your voice to this important process,” Brown said in a statement to the community late Monday night. “We remain committed to selecting a leader who will continue to foster excellence, equity, and a strong sense of community in PUSD.”
It’s been over a year since former PUSD Superintendent David Haglund announced his departure from the district — his official last day was last August. Since then, staff and the board have been working with consultants to develop a leadership profile that served as a framework for qualities that the community wants to see in their new superintendent.
After gathering community input to develop that profile, the board then worked with its consultant team to begin the search for candidates.
“Our search firm used the leadership profile shaped by the valuable input from our staff, families, students and community members as approved by the board this past fall,” Brown stated. “The search firm then helped us identify those who most closely aligned with the qualities and priorities identified in the profile.”
According to Brown, the application period for the top district position closed on April 30. Brown said the district was pleased to see a “large pool of candidates.”
Following an initial screening, the board began reviewing applications and selected five finalists to move forward to interviews.
Brown said apart from the trustees, representatives from the California School Employees Association and the Association of Pleasanton Teachers participated in the first round of interviews. According to Brown, this was to ensure “multiple perspectives were included in the process.”
The board then conducted second-round interviews to allow for a “deeper understanding of each candidate’s vision, leadership style, and alignment with our district’s goals and values.”
During the month of May, the board held a total of three special, closed-session board meetings and an additional one on June 1 to discuss the employment of the new superintendent.
The current process differs from the last search that resulted in Haglund’s hiring back in 2017. The board at the time held initial interviews before selecting three final candidates, including Haglund, who were interviewed by a panel of community members, then again individually by the board.
In his communication to the public Monday, Brown explained that deliberations are ongoing.
“Next steps are now being discussed and we are electing to cancel our June 5th meeting to allow adequate time to make the best decision for our students, families and valued Pleasanton staff,” Brown said.
The names of any final candidates have not been made public to the Weekly as of Tuesday afternoon.
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Just please choose someone who has superintendency experience. We are not a starter district—or at least we weren’t.