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The Pleasanton Unified School District Board of Trustees unanimously appointed deputy superintendent Ed Diolazo on Thursday night to serve as the district’s next superintendent.
Diolazo, a longtime PUSD administrator who has spent the last decade working primarily in the district’s student services department, will begin his new role starting Jan. 1.
“Thank you to the board for the trust and confidence you have placed in me,” Diolazo said during the meeting. “I’m deeply honored and humbled by the opportunity to serve as the next superintendent of Pleasanton Unified.”
According to his employment agreement, Diolazo’s contract will last until June 30, 2030. His base salary for the remainder of the 2026-27 school year will be $321,000, “prorated based upon the number of work days remaining in the year.”
Diolazo first joined the district’s executive cabinet in 2017 as the assistant superintendent of Student Support Services, a position he held for five years before he was appointed as the deputy superintendent in 2022. He also graduated from Amador Valley High School, making his superintendent promotion a full circle moment, according to the district.
Prior to joining the district, Diolazo spent 30 years working across the Bay Area as a director of special services in San Lorenzo, a special education consultant with the Alameda County Office of Education and as an instructor in the educational psychology department at California State University, East Bay.
In his current position, Diolazo oversees the district’s educational programs and services, including curriculum and instruction, student services, special education, Tri-Valley SELPA, adult education, and educational options.
During his tenure, PUSD said Diolazo has not only helped strengthen the school district’s systems and maintain its high academic standards, but he also improved students’ access to inclusive programming.
“For the past nine years, I have had the privilege of working alongside PUSD’s students, staff, families and community, and I have seen firsthand what makes this District so special,” Diolazo stated in Thursday’s press release. “There is tremendous strength already here, and I look forward to building on that foundation – listening, leading collaboratively and continuing to work together in service of every PUSD student.”
Diolazo’s nearly 10 years of working at the district — specifically working with so many students, staff and parents — was also the reason why so many educators and employees supported his promotion, including California School Employees Association (CSEA) union chapter president Ryan Kelly, who voiced her support for Diolazo’s appointment Thursday night, and Association of Pleasanton Teachers President Evan Branning.
“APT looks forward to working with Ed Diolazo,” Branning told the Weekly Friday morning. Together, we can work to ensure PUSD puts students and educators first because Pleasanton students deserve the best.”
However, the way Diolazo was appointed was a bit unconventional.
News that current Superintendent Maurice Ghysels submitted his retirement letter broke earlier this week when the district posted Thursday’s school board agenda and updated it to include the three items, including the acceptance of his retirement letter, related to the superintendent announcement.
Before formally accepting the letter, each of the trustees went down the line and thanked Ghysels for his service over the past two years and for leading the district through difficult budget conversations, ongoing construction projects and listening campaigns that were meant to rebuild trust between the district and its stakeholders.
“Dr. Ghysels came out of retirement at a time when PUSD needed experienced, steady leadership and initially expected to help us through a short transition,” school board president Kelly Baehr said in Thursday’s press release. “Instead, Dr. Ghysels gave PUSD more than two years of dedicated service during an exceptionally challenging period.”
Ghysels was first appointed to the superintendent position in July 2024 on an interim basis following the departure of former superintendent David Haglund.
After about a year of undergoing a lengthy superintendent search process, which included listening tours and speaking behind closed doors, the board decided to ask Ghysels – who did not apply for the permanent position – to stay on for two more years.
“He strengthened the District’s financial foundation while protecting students and core educational programs, and helped rebuild trust, strengthen relationships, and foster a more collaborative culture,” Baehr continued. “Through his leadership and dedication, Dr. Ghysels leaves PUSD stronger and better prepared for the future. His legacy will live on in the foundation he helped build, and we are deeply grateful for the time, care, and commitment he gave to our District when our community needed it most.”
His original two-year contract, which the board approved in 2025, was supposed to end in June 2027 but per his contract, he is allowed to submit his intent to retire 90 days beforehand, so as to allow the district with enough time to find a replacement, which is what ended up happening. The board accepted Ghysels’ retirement letter during the same board meeting this Thursday.
During Thursday’s meeting, Baehr explained that the board held three special closed session board meetings over the past several weeks to discuss and consider the appointment of Diolazo.
“In considering PUSD’s next superintendent, the Board focused on what students, staff, families and the broader community need from their next leader,” the district’s press release stated. “As part of that process, the Board considered whether to conduct an external search and ultimately determined that the leader best positioned to lead PUSD forward was already within the District.”
However, Trustee Justin Brown acknowledged that the school board came under heat two years ago when it decided to appoint Ghysels instead of Diolazo, who was former superintendent David Haglund’s first pick as his successor when Haglund left in 2024. Haglund had set up a succession plan that named Diolazo as his successor once Haglund left the district.
“We did that — or at least I did that — because that was the right decision at the time,” Brown said. “We needed a period of transition, we needed to rebuild relationships with our union partner and we needed to make sure that we had a leadership that could continue the bond program and then also help us address the large financial disparities.”
During Thursday’s meeting, however, Brown said the board did not think it was the right time to appoint Diolazo back then, which is why they went with Ghysels. Now, however, Brown and the board collectively said he is ready to take on the job.
“That was the right superintendent at that time,” Brown continued. “Ed is the right superintendent for today’s district and he will take this district forward.”
“Mr. Diolazo is uniquely prepared to lead PUSD at this moment,” Baehr added in Thursday’s press release. “He brings deep knowledge of our students, staff, schools, community, and District priorities. His experience, judgment, and institutional knowledge will provide continuity and steady leadership. The Board looks forward to working closely with Mr. Diolazo and District leadership to build on the progress already underway and advance PUSD’s priorities together.”
Following the acceptance of Ghysels’ retirement letter, the board also reviewed and approved Diolazo’s new superintendent contract.
According to the agreement, Diolazo will receive advance degree stipends, health insurance, a vehicle allowance and several other benefits.
Over the next few months, Ghysels said he will work with Diolazo to ensure a smooth transition. He said he believes the board made the right decision in choosing Diolazo as the district’s next superintendent.
“It’s time, you’re ready,” Ghysels told Diolazo.
Ghysels’ last day with the district will be on Dec. 31.
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