Manhattan Beach Unified Superintendent To Retire At School Year’s End

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — The superintendent of Manhattan Beach Unified School District plans to retire at the end of the 2026 school year, he announced Wednesday.

John Bowes announced his retirement plans at a district board meeting, then subsequently in a Friday email to parents, Manhattan Beach News first reported.

“Thanksgiving is almost upon us, and this season always reminds me how important it is to pause and reflect on all that we have to be grateful for,” Bowes said at the meeting. “I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have served in public education for 36 years, and especially for the privilege of spending the last decade as a superintendent, including the last five here in MBUSD.”

Bowes said his last day with the district will be June 30, about a week after the last day of class.

“I'm very thankful for the students, families, staff and community members who have made this work so meaningful and rewarding,” Bowes said.

School Board President Wysh Weinstein thanked Bowes for his service, saying his announcement puts the “district in a good spot in terms of timing and being able to do a search for the next superintendent to lead us into the next chapter.”

“Over the past five years, Dr. Bowes has done outstanding work on behalf of our Manhattan Beach students, staff, and families,” the Board of Trustees said in an emailed statement to Patch. “We deeply appreciate his decades of service in education, his leadership in MBUSD, and his continued commitment throughout the remainder of this school year.”

In his more than three decades working in education, Bowes has also worked as "a teacher, principal, director, and assistant superintendent," the district’s website says.

Since being appointed superintendent of MBUSD in August 2021, Bowes “has focused District efforts and resources around MBUSD’s five Board goals to maximize the academic success of all students, create a culture of care, develop District infrastructure and facilities, maintain a balanced budget, and communicate clearly,” the website says.