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The Pleasanton Unified School District Board of Trustees has named Interim Superintendent Maurice Ghysels as the top choice for the district’s new permanent leader, following two months of candidate interviews and nearly a full year since former superintendent David Haglund left his post.
Ghysels had previously served as superintendent for the Mountain View Whisman School District from 2005 to 2010. He had resigned as top administrator following a relationship with a school principal.
Board President Justin Brown said in a statement Tuesday that Ghysels, who came out of retirement to lead his hometown district in a temporary capacity in 2024-25, will remain as the top administrator in Pleasanton due to his familiarity with the community and with the school system’s needs.
“Through his steady, inclusive, and visionary leadership during the past year, our Interim Superintendent Dr. Maurice Ghysels has proven himself as the right leader for PUSD,” Brown said in his statement to the Pleasanton Weekly. “He exemplifies the full range of qualities we sought in our search and is well-positioned to guide the district forward with confidence and continuity.”
Ghysels was first appointed to his interim position in July 2024 following Haglund’s departure from PUSD that June.
An Amador Valley High School graduate, Ghysels initially started his career in education at PUSD as a teacher before moving on to become the Mountain View Whisman School District superintendent, the Menlo Park City School District superintendent from 2011 to 2016, and the chief innovations officer in the Ravenswood City School District from 2017 to 2018.
Even though Ghysels retired from public employement in 2018, he later founded the Ghysels Group, which works with school districts on strategic planning, management and leadership change, and organizational development.
When Ghysels first joined PUSD as the interim superintendent, he saw himself as a substitute superintendent because one of his main goals during his one-year tenure was to set the district up with its next permanent superintendent.
And for the past year, he and the district worked hard on setting up listening tours and working with consultants to build a leadership profile for what kind of person the community wanted to see at the helm.
According to a letter of agreement approved by the Board of Trustees on June 27, 2024, the district spent about $14,000 for executive search firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates to conduct that listening phase of the superintendent search.
Then, the board agreed to approve a $30,000 base consulting fee with HYA this past February for the search firm to continue aiding the district with its search for the permanent superintendent, which ended up being Ghysels.
The decision to move forward with Ghysels comes after several weeks of impromptu closed-session special board meetings during the months of May and June related to the superintendent search. The board was previously poised to discuss an employment contract for a permanent leader at the beginning of June before the district canceled the meeting last minute.
“Over the past two months, we interviewed a good cross-section of candidates, looking for a leader with the experience, vision, and skill to maintain PUSD’s excellence in education, support and retain exceptional staff across all roles, foster a positive district culture, effectively manage budget challenges, and advance our bond program,” Brown said. “While many had much to offer, we ultimately concluded that the best choice is one with whom our community is already familiar.”
The board will consider approving a two-year contract to appoint Ghysels to the role as superintendent during Thursday’s meeting.
If approved, the employment agreement stipulates that Ghysels will take over as the permanent superintendent starting July 1 and will continue to serve in that capacity until June 30, 2027.
The contract includes a base annual salary of $345,000 for the 2025–2026 school year. The total cost for his temporary contract was previously estimated at $283,340. According to the June 26 contract, in addition to other increases Ghysels’ salary may be increased each year.
The board can vote to increase his salary each year but the increase in salary “shall not extend the term of this agreement”.
“The Superintendent’s salary is understood by the Parties to be ‘indefinite or uncertain’,” according to the employment agreement. “Therefore, the Board reserves the right to grant the superintendent retroactive salary increases notwithstanding anything in the California Constitution that might be interpreted to the contrary.”
The agreement also allows Ghysels eligibility for “advanced degree stipends consistent with those provided to certificated management employees (1.5% for a Master’s and 2.5% for a Doctorate, based on the final step of the Elementary Principal salary schedule)”.
While Ghysels is not eligible for health benefits paid by the district, he will receive a $500 monthly auto allowance and other benefits given to certificated administrators including sick leave accrual, a district-provided cell phone and “professional organization dues”.
“Thank you to everyone who contributed to this important process,” Brown said. “We remain committed to ensuring the strongest possible leadership for our students, staff, and community.”
See below for the text of a previous article about Mr. Ghysels departure from MVWSD. This was not long ago. I don’t understand how supers just get passed around districts and their past bad behaviour is not disqualifying.
Please keep in mind that Ms. Carmen Ghysels, now this man’s wife, once the two divorces went through, worked for Dr. Rudolph for many years. Good people left our district rather than work with or for her. The Ghysels have used any means necessary to keep moving from district to district collecting over 200K each per annum. Both forswore their marriage vows. What promises could they ever keep to students, parents or teachers? They don’t have a good track record with that. Mountain View, Menlo Park, Tahoe (Carmen Ghysels, briefly, and another position in the north peninsula for the last few years), Each assignment lasts between 1-3 years. Why don’t school boards read articles, lawsuits and comment boards like this one before hiring people? Due diligence is not that hard.
Article follows__________________________________________________________
Ghysels confirms relationship with principal
Avatar photo
by Don Frances
October 26, 2009 5:36 pm
Mountain View Whisman School District Superintendent Maurice Ghysels has acknowledged that he is in a relationship with a district principal, Carmen Mizell.
According to Ghysels, the two of them — who were each married and are in the process of filing for divorces — have been involved for a period of time which Ghysels declined to specify. By last July, he said, their relationship had “evolved to a point where we felt we had to inform the board (of trustees). We wanted to make sure that it was handled professionally, and that everyone was sure there was no conflict of interest.”
Ghysels said he and Mizell, who is principal of Landels Elementary School, individually notified the board about the relationship at that time. District trustees responded by consulting a lawyer regarding a possible conflict of interest.
“We had a closed session with an attorney,” said trustee Ellen Wheeler, adding that she can’t give specifics on personnel matters discussed in closed session.
“I can confirm that they called us individually over the summertime and informed us of this romantic relationship,” she said. “Maurice told us that he was going to ask another supervisor in our district office to be the supervisor of Carmen.”
Ghysels followed up by altering the chain of command so that Mizell no longer answered directly to him.
“I changed the reporting structure from Carmen-to-me to Carmen-to-Mary Lairon,” the district’s associate superintendent, he said.
“Because we have a personal relationship, it makes more sense that (Mizell) reports directly to Mary,” Ghysels said. Now, “Mary evaluates her, Mary supervises her.”
He added that he is “dedicated to maintaining a professional relationship with Carmen at work.”
For several days, rumors and accusations about the relationship have been circulating on the Voice’s Town Square, and some saw a conflict of interest given the fact that Mizell, a former principal at Castro School, was reassigned last year to the higher-performing Landels.
Ghysels said that reassignment, which happened in the early fall of 2008, “wasn’t done in isolation. That was a reorganizational move.”
The move shuffled three educators: Judy Crates went to Castro, Phyllis Rogers left Landels to become director of quality and English language learners, and Mizell went to Landels.
“We played to the strengths of all three administrators. And I think the results speak for themselves,” Ghysels said. “It was a totally agreed-upon move by all three. And it worked.”
When it comes to romantic relationships among district administrators, “There is no written board policy,” said Stephanie Totter, assistant superintendent for administrative services.
Totter said the district takes its cue on personnel matters from the California School Boards Association, which gives “any updates of any board policies that we’re either mandated to have or recommended to have.” But the association has provided no guidance on this issue, she said.
Wheeler noted that the issue was unprecedented for her. “This is the first time it’s come up,” she said.
But she added, “From what Maurice has described to me, and what Carmen has described to me, and what I have observed, I think that they have behaved appropriately and done the right thing by informing us.”
“We’re doing what I think is our due diligence to ensure that they’re behaving professionally on the job,” she said.
Asked about further perceptions of a conflict of interest, Ghysels said he felt the issue had been adequately dealt with.
“That’s why the reporting structure to Mary is important,” he said. “And I’ll have to be particularly diligent.”
“My professional life remains focused on my goals for the students, for the staff, for the community. And my personal life will not affect my professional aims.”
As for the rest, he said, “We have a personal life, and it’s private.”
I never understand why articles like this don’t tell the whole story, “left the district after a relationship with a school principal”….that he married. It’s almost like teachers and administrators have a life outside of school somehow. And both these folks have been great for their respective school districts and schools and I have benefited greatly from their work and leadership. I hope the best for both of them and our district has been better because of their work here.