Amid Divisiveness, Temecula Valley USD Gets New Superintendent

TEMECULA, CA — During another contentious Temecula Valley Unified School District board meeting Tuesday night, a new TVUSD superintendent was hired.

In a 3-2 vote, Dr. Gary Woods was tapped to serve in the role at an annual salary of $333,116. He will also receive 24 annual vacation days in addition to holidays, 12 leave days, sick pay, a $500 monthly vehicle allowance and paid expenses incurred on behalf of the district, according to a readout from TVUSD board president Dr. Joseph Komrosky.

Woods' start date is Nov. 27.

TVUSD board members Komrosky, Danny Gonzalez and Jennifer Wiersman voted to hire Woods while members Allison Barclay and Steven Schwartz voted against the pick because they said the selection was rushed through with little information about prospective candidates and without any community involvement.

"It has not been a transparent process," Barclay said.

She also criticized the hiring process for not allowing current TVUSD interim superintendent Dr. Kimberly Velez "the courtesy of an interview."

"It's unheard of," Barclay said.

Schwartz called the hiring process "a sham." He was also taken aback by Monday's last-minute, closed-door special board meeting to discuss the hiring of a new superintendent.

Several public commenters also spoke against the hiring process during Tuesday night's meeting, saying the protocol lacked transparency.

Neither of the two board dissenters would comment on the merits of Woods' experience, which they said was out of respect for him. They also said his resume was not shared with them.

According to Woods' posted resume, his most recent position (since August 2022) has been regional account manager for ABM, a facility solutions provider (janitorial, electrical and lighting, energy solutions, facilities engineering, HVAC & mechanical, landscape and turf, mission critical solutions and parking).

From June 2020 to July 2022, he served in a freelance capacity in education software development, and from Oct. 2020 to Oct. 2021 he also worked as school principal for Villa Esperanza Services, which serves children, adults and seniors with special needs.

He held the position of head of school from July 2015 to June 2020 for American University Preparatory School, a private, for-profit boarding school. The Los Angeles-based facility is the brainchild of Chinese billionaire Wei Huang.

Prior, Woods served for four years as superintendent of schools in the Beverly Hills Unified School District. From July 2007 to June 2011, he was superintendent of schools in the San Marino Unified School District.

He also served from Nov. 2004 to June 2007 as assistant superintendent of schools in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, and for 16 years he worked in the Turlock Unified School District serving at various times as a teacher, principal and human resources director.

Woods is married and the couple share four adult children.

One thing not listed on Woods' resume was his apparent relationship with the search firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates. HYA was hired by the TVUSD to conduct the national search for a superintendent, and the firm was responsible for finding Woods.

In June, HYA announced that Woods was a new "associate" of the firm. According to HYA's website, the executive search firm has more than 135 associates nationwide. HYA associates are privy to consulting work in the education sector, according to the website. Compensation, if any, that Woods received as an HYA associate was not immediately clear.

In a released statement following Tuesday's meeting, Komrosky said, “Dr. Woods is highly qualified for this position and certainly demonstrated through this process a passion for advancing the educational well-being of our community’s children. I cannot wait for the TVUSD community to get to know Dr. Woods and see him in action.”

The selection of Woods comes after the June firing of TVUSD Superintendent Dr. Jodi McClay, which Barclay and Schwartz vehemently opposed. The termination, which was without cause, gave McClay $362,000 in severance and vacation pay. McClay served for 25 years in the district and is now working as assistant superintendent/student programs and services for the Riverside County Office of Education.