Dublin Unified School District Begins Search For Superintendent

DUBLIN, CA — The Dublin Unified School District Board of Trustees hopes to have a new superintendent selected by May 11, ready to work for the coming school year.

The board has begun its search process and plans to work with the community to identify the next superintendent. Daniel Moirao is currently serving as the acting superintendent after former Superintendent Dave Marken abruptly resigned during a board meeting in April, citing discord with the board members.

The board is currently accepting applications for its Community Interview Committee, the district said in a letter to the schools community. The committee will interview candidates after the board has conducted an initial round of interviews and narrowed down the pool of candidates.

The committee will be comprised of 15 people, including six spots that are open to the public. Anyone interested in participating must apply by Jan. 25.

The other spots will be filled by appointment from the trustees, the Dublin Teachers Association, the California School Employees Association and student school board members from Dublin and Valley high schools.

The board will appoint committee members by Feb. 23. The committee will meet for an orientation March 25 and candidate interviews will take place April 22.

The superintendent search comes on the heels of a tumultuous period at DUSD.

Upon DUSD's request, Marken came out of retirement to serve as superintendent of the district's 14 schools and oversee 12,000 students and 550 teachers during a tumultuous time with numerous vacancies.

At the time, officials told Marken they sought his help because they believed in his skills and leadership, Marken told Patch in the wake of his resignation. But as time went on and board elections took place in November, Marken said it became clear that a majority of the board "did not believe what was originally said 15 months ago," and that his abilities were "no longer important and necessary."

"If you find yourself in a situation where your bosses don't trust you and you don't trust your boss, you should no longer work for your boss anymore," Marken said during the meeting.

At the time, Board President Dan Cherrier said the board's working relationship with Marken was a positive one, though there were some disagreements. He declined to elaborate on performance issues mentioned privately during closed sessions of board meetings, but said some disagreements regarding expansion plans did arise during public meetings.

The district said in a statement following his resignation that Marken turned the district around and instilled a sense of hope in the community during a difficult time in which "the district found itself on the brink."

"Our community and staff were unhappy with leadership, our board was down to three members and the community was fractured," DUSD wrote.

"Our ship is again adrift."

Apply for the committee here.