Happy New School Year!

Dear PUSD community, 

We cannot wait to welcome you back for another school year. It is an honor to serve you as Interim Superintendent as we lay the foundation together for a new beginning and school year for our students, Team PUSD, families, and community. 

As a parent and PUSD alumnus, I understand the build up at home for the first day of school – whether your student is returning, transitioning to a new school or brand new - it’s a big deal. Please know that each member of our team is working collaboratively to ensure that every student walks onto campus on the first day of school feeling safe, a sense of belonging and pride in themselves and their community. Your students are in great hands. 

I look forward to dedicating the first few weeks (and a great deal of time moving forward) visiting our schools to meet students, families and staff. It is a privilege to return to the place that I consider home and the place I began my career in education – Pleasanton!  I can’t wait to see our families at Back to School nights. 

I want to make sure that you are aware of some reorganization that took place over the Summer to begin sharpening our pencil to look for efficiencies. Our Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning position was dissolved and as a result, Deputy Superintendent Ed Diolazo is now heading up our new Educational Services division. We are fortunate to have an amazing team of leaders who are committed to listening and finding solutions to the budgetary challenges facing school districts across the nation. Watch for more information in the coming weeks that will help with understanding how school funding works, and ways it doesn’t, so we can make the best decisions moving forward for our students. 

To help kick the year off right, we asked some of our friends to help us capture the shared excitement as we reopen our schools and our campuses come to life.  Onward!