When thousands of Pajaro Valley Unified School District students return to school on Aug. 14, they will likely meet their teachers, pick up armloads of books and greet friends they haven’t seen in weeks.
What they may not notice is the sizable behind-the-scenes transformation that has taken place at the PVUSD district office among cabinet-level positions.
Historically, the district has employed two assistant superintendents, one who oversaw elementary education while the other was charged with middle and high schools.
But the Assistant Superintendent titles—one of Elementary Education and the other Secondary Education—frequently dissuaded otherwise qualified candidates from applying, said Superintendent Heather Contreras.
“People might see an elementary title, or a secondary title and think, ‘oh, I taught elementary school, and even though I have great leadership skills or an understanding of comprehensive education, I see that elementary title and think, I can only apply for elementary,’” she said.
And the plan worked, attracting a qualified pool of applicants, Contreras said.
Worse, separating the elementary and secondary into two separate entities unnecessarily compartmentalized a system that must work together seamlessly, Contreras said.
“One of the things I really believe in for a school district is that it’s a continuous pre-K–12 system,” she said.
When Contreras started with the district in May, all but one cabinet position was filled with interim employees.
That, she said, was an opportunity to restructure the system.
“It allowed people to be able to see themselves in different positions,” Contreras said. “The old titles were siloing our workers from elementary to secondary.
“I think teaching and learning applies to every human being,” she added. “We tend to learn in the same ways. It’s just the leadership that helps to support people on that journey that seems to matter most.”
Under the new system, the cabinet-level positions are:
• Assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction
• Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services
• Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources
• Director of Technology
• Chief Business Officer
• Director of Technology
• Executive Director of Student Support Services
• Public Information Officer
