Edwards-Knox Central School District
District agenda lists an appointment for elementary principal
Edwards-Knox scheduled an appointment for an elementary school principal at its October 14 special meeting.
Read the full storyNational school leadership — school board news
Saturday, October 24, 2026
We bring transparency to school decisions nationwide by tracking school board meetings, district documents, and public data. We use AI tools, rigorously evaluated for accuracy, to search for risks.
The policy desk
What’s moving in phones
The debate over phones, screens and the school day.
The policy desk
What’s moving in AI
How artificial intelligence is changing classrooms and school rules.
The policy desk
What’s moving in student voice
Students speaking up, organizing and helping shape their schools.
The news desk
Latest national stories
Anchor Bay High School adds an assistant principal
The board approved moving an existing district employee into a new assistant principal position at Anchor Bay High School, bringing the school's assistant principals from four to five. Administrators said the additional building-level administrator supports the school's career-pathway structure, with an administrator assigned to each wing.
Edison Township Public Schools
John Adams has a new principal
Board members congratulated John Adams’s new principal during the Sept. 29 meeting. The transcript does not name the principal or give an effective date.
Ridgewood Public School District
Superintendent is up for a new five-year contract through 2031
The September 28, 2026 board agenda sets a public hearing on renegotiating Superintendent Dr. Mark Schwarz's employment contract and a resolution to reappoint him for five years, from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2031. His current contract was not due to expire until June 30, 2028. The Bergen County executive superintendent approved the proposed renewal on September 9, 2026, and the board gave public notice on August 27 and September 2.
Natick committee approved Superintendent Bash’s next contract
The School Committee unanimously approved Superintendent Bash’s successor contract, with the redline changes presented at its September 28 meeting. The chair described it as her next contract and said the district would have her “for a long time,” though the captions do not give its term or the specific changes.
Proposed teacher salary-placement change in grievance settlement
The Sept. 28 work-session agenda proposes settling an Hilliard Education Association grievance by counting qualifying chartered or nonpublic-school teaching experience toward salary placement without requiring the prior school to have contributed to a state retirement system. For eligible teachers hired from the 2022–23 school year through Sept. 22, 2026, it proposes up to two years of service credit effective Jan. 1, 2027; certain earlier hires could share a stipend pool capped at $20,000.
Pleasanton Unified School District
Board appoints Eddie DeLazo as superintendent effective January 2027
The board approved Deputy Superintendent Eddie DeLazo’s multi-year employment agreement, appointing him superintendent effective January 1, 2027. The agreement sets a $321,000 annual base salary and a $500 monthly automobile allowance.
Dothan introduces new principals at Beverly Intermediate and Morris Slingluff
The district introduced two new school leaders: Andrea Su, principal of Beverly Intermediate School, and Dr. Victoria Washington, principal of Morris Slingluff Elementary School. Washington recently joined Dothan City Schools from the Alabama State Department of Education’s Office of School Improvement.
Superintendent's contract reopened at a public hearing
The board published a formal notice that it would hold a public hearing and 'take formal action to amend, alter, or renegotiate' the contract of Superintendent of Schools John J. Niesz at its regular meeting on September 22, 2026 at 6:00 pm in the Alexander X. O'Connor Auditorium at Bayonne High School. The notice, issued on August 20, 2026 under New Jersey's School District Accountability Act, invited the public to give oral or written comments on the terms, allocation and structure of the proposed amendment before the board voted, and said the proposed amendment was available for inspection at the board office and on the district website for at least ten days beforehand.
More from the news desk
Superintendent signs a five-year contract through 2031
At its September 22, 2026 meeting the board held a public hearing and roll-call vote on a new employment contract for Superintendent Dr. Michael LaSusa. The contract, dated September 22, 2026, runs from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2031 and pays $315,000 in 2026-2027, rising three percent a year to $354,535 in 2030-2031. It still needs approval from the Mercer County Executive County Superintendent before it takes effect.
Roscommon High School assistant principal/athletic director resigns
The board approved the resignation of Joey Bigford, Roscommon High School’s assistant principal and athletic director. His departure is effective January 2, 2027; the minutes do not identify a successor.
Alum Rock Union Elementary School District
Russo/McEntee Academy principal resigns
The district’s updated certificated-resignations list records Emeric Bisbee’s resignation from the principal position at Russo/McEntee Academy, effective September 21, 2026.
Chino Valley Unified School District
Lisa Garcia appointed assistant principal at Townsend Junior High
The board appointed Lisa Garcia as assistant principal at Townsend Junior High School, effective September 21, 2026. The appointment was approved unanimously in closed session and reported publicly at the September 17 meeting.
North Hardin hires Amy Mattingly as assistant principal
Hardin County Schools hired Amy Mattingly as assistant principal at North Hardin, effective Aug. 26, 2026. The district’s Sept. 17 certified-hiring record lists the appointment.
School No. 6 gets interim principal Stefanie Marie Marino
The Elizabeth board appointed Stefanie Marie Marino interim principal of School No. 6. The appointment was included among the resolutions approved with the full agenda at the Sept. 17 meeting.
Vice principal Jelsie I. Basso transferred to School No. 4 Annex
The board approved transferring Vice Principal Jelsie I. Basso to School No. 4 Annex. The minutes name her destination but do not identify her previous post or state when the transfer takes effect.
Winters Joint Unified School District
Winters High School appoints Raena Lavelle as interim principal
The board unanimously approved Raena Lavelle’s appointment as interim principal of Winters High School for the 2026–27 school year. The superintendent had announced the transition from Justin Young at the September 3 meeting.
Oak Grove reports 20 position cuts and fewer middle-school electives
The superintendent said the district cut 20 positions over the past two years, including six at the middle school last year. He said the cuts left fewer middle-school electives and made scheduling harder, while the district expects state funding to stay roughly flat and insurance costs to rise.
Board approves labor agreements with changes to inclusion staffing support
The board approved a two-year Highline Education Association agreement through August 31, 2028, and a three-year Teamsters Local 763 Tier 3 agreement through August 31, 2029. Human Resources said the agreements include a three-factor model for inclusion staffing—general-education space, individual student needs and school equity/context—plus behavioral-support commitments and staff training.
Edwards-Knox Central School District
District names new superintendent for October
The board appointed Jessica Sullivan as superintendent starting October 1, 2026, and changed Erin Woods's retirement date to September 30.
Washington Township School District (Gloucester County)
Board votes 5-4 not to renew the superintendent's contract
On September 15, 2026 the board added an item to its agenda and then voted, five to four, not to renew Superintendent Dr. Eric Hibbs's contract, and to send him formal notice of the non-renewal under the state law that governs superintendent contracts. Because most board members are legally conflicted out of anything to do with the superintendent, the board first had to invoke the Doctrine of Necessity - a rule that lets a conflicted board act when there is no other way to get a decision made - limited to the superintendent items on that night's agenda.
Des Moines Independent Community School District
DMPS appoints Matt Smith as superintendent
The Des Moines Public Schools board approved Matt Smith’s superintendent contract and appointed him as the district’s next superintendent in a 7–0 vote on Sept. 15, 2026.
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
New three-year teachers' union contract raises pay, boosts health benefits, and adds retirement payout
The Board of Education's meeting packet includes a new FY26-28 Collective Bargaining Agreement between the district and the Kenai Peninsula Education Association (KPEA), covering all certificated teachers districtwide. Key changes include a potential 1-2% salary schedule increase tied to state funding levels, a $1,000 one-time payment to eligible employees in September 2026, new January 2027 health plan changes (60% out-of-network reimbursement, 80% dental basic care, no fourth-quarter HRA deductible rollover), a new sick-leave cash-out benefit for 20-year veteran employees unable to use TRS Tier III, and new provisions for classified-to-certificated salary credit and special education workload support (paid Saturdays for IEP documentation).
South Colonie Central School District
Sand Creek Middle School gets an interim principal on Oct. 1
The Sept. 15, 2026 personnel list names Rachel Fazioli, an associate principal at Sand Creek, as interim principal there effective Oct. 1, 2026. The same list moves Michael Marohn, who was listed at Sand Creek in July, to a 12-month administrator job at Lisha Kill Middle School in student support services. The board approved the list 9 to 0.
San Ramon Valley Unified School District
Board to consider CSEA agreements tied to layoff materials
The San Ramon Valley Unified Board agenda schedules consideration of successor agreements with California School Employees Association Units II and III for July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028. The agenda labels the supporting materials “Layoff Unit II” and “Layoff Unit III”; it does not establish that layoffs were approved or state how many positions could be affected.
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
Administrators union splits from shared district health plan, gets new benefit terms
A Memorandum of Agreement between the district and the Kenai Peninsula Administrators Association (KPAA) separates administrators' health care bargaining from the KPEA/KPESA joint plan and changes several health-plan terms effective October 1, 2026, including reduced dental coverage (80%), removal of a fourth-quarter deductible rollover, a new 60% reimbursement cap for out-of-network physician visits, and a one-time $1,000 payment to eligible employees.
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
Board considers new 3-year contract with support-staff union (KPESA)
The board packet includes a proposed FY26-28 collective bargaining agreement between the district and the Kenai Peninsula Educational Support Association (KPESA), covering wages, health benefits, leave, reduction-in-force procedures, and working conditions for support staff (aides, custodians, secretaries, nurses' assistants, and similar positions) through 2028.
Board holds due process hearing to consider firing three support employees in a reduction-in-force
The September 14, 2026 agenda schedules a formal due-process hearing on the superintendent's recommendation to reduce force and terminate three support employees, Devin Sanders, Sarah Escoe, and Trisha Snyder, including presentation of evidence, cross-examination, and a board vote on whether to approve the terminations.
Board schedules executive session on superintendent's employment amid community concerns
The board has placed an item on the September 14, 2026 agenda for a proposed executive session to discuss the superintendent's employment, evaluation, duties, performance, and board policy compliance, explicitly tied to recent administrative communications, community concerns, and district operations.
Lone Jack scheduled a superintendent search launch for Sept. 16
The board heard that the district's superintendent search was scheduled to go live on September 16, with a three-month timeline presented at the meeting. Jeanette Cowherd, a Kansas City region liaison, was identified as the search coordinator and facilitator.
Millburn Township Public Schools
Jaclyn Basso introduced as assistant principal for South Mountain and Washington
Millburn introduced Jaclyn Basso as the new assistant principal serving both South Mountain School and Washington School.
Longwood Central School District
New principals lead Longwood High School and Ridge Elementary
Dr. Christopher Foster, who was principal of Ridge Elementary, now leads Longwood High School. Brian Walker, who was principal of Port Jefferson Middle School, is the new principal of Ridge Elementary.
Park Hill superintendent plans to retire at the end of the school year
Park Hill Superintendent Dr. Cameron announced plans to retire at the end of the school year. The board discussed the announcement on September 10 and began a search for a successor, with the search process intended to start that fall.
Sausalito Marin City School District
Board appoints Steven Richardson as interim superintendent
The Board unanimously approved Dr. Steven Richardson as interim superintendent, effective October 1, 2026. The Board also approved his employment agreement, completing a leadership change after its earlier selection of Valerie Pitts for the interim role.
Board authorizes RFP for superintendent search support
The board approved issuing a request for proposals for superintendent search firm or individual services, on a 4–0 vote. The action authorizes soliciting search-support proposals; the minutes do not identify a provider or selection.
Four new administrators introduced at Issaquah elementary schools
The district introduced Hallie Mills as principal of Cascade Ridge Elementary and new assistant principals at Creekside, Issaquah Valley and Sunny Hills elementaries. The board minutes identify Steven Vradenburg, Alicia Epler and Lori Shimizu in those assistant-principal roles.
Board plans to consider superintendent evaluation tool
The September 10 agenda proposes consideration of the Tennessee School Boards Association superintendent evaluation instrument. The board has not yet acted on it.
Oakland Unified School District
OUSD contracts for IEP-mandated mental-health support for 400-plus students
OUSD approved a three-year agreement with Invo Healthcare to provide seven full-time mental-health clinicians, seven behavioral-health technicians, a therapeutic behavior-support provider and a program supervisor for students with IEP-mandated services. The district says more than 400 students have mental-health services in their IEPs and its own staffing cannot provide the intensive support targeted by this agreement.
Winslow Township School District
A year with an interim superintendent, and a search only starting now
Winslow has been run by an interim superintendent since September 2025. The board advertised special meetings on August 21 and 22, 2025 to interview candidates for the post, cancelled the second, and on September 4, 2025 met to send the interim superintendent's contract to the county for approval. Mark Pease has appeared on every agenda since as interim superintendent, on a contract from September 16, 2025 to June 30, 2026 at a base salary of $200,000 with no allowances or stipends, later extended for 2026-27. Superintendent H. Major Poteat stayed under contract at a base salary of $280,194 through June 2027, so the district carried two superintendent salaries at once; his retirement, effective September 1, 2026, was approved on March 25, 2026 with the board president abstaining, and the same motion placed an unnamed employee on paid administrative leave from April 13 to August 31, 2026. On September 9, 2026 the board finally voted 8 to 0 to hire the state school boards association to run a search, at a cost not exceeding $8,000, with the vice president saying it would begin on October 1, 2026.
Oakland Unified School District
OUSD agenda lists principal changes at Madison Park Academy and Montclair Elementary
OUSD’s Sept. 9 personnel report lists Bianca Lorenz’s move from assistant principal to high-school principal at Madison Park Academy, effective July 1, and Shawn Stibbins’s appointment as a large elementary-school principal at Montclair Elementary, effective July 28. It also lists Montclair principal Angela Webster’s separation effective July 15, documenting a leadership transition at that school.
Vice Principal Ricardo Galicia given new assignment and revised contract
The board's September 9, 2026 agenda and packet include approval of a new assignment and a revised contract for Vice Principal Ricardo Galicia, indicating a change to his role at the district.
Board schedules closed-session superintendent performance evaluation
The September 9, 2026 board agenda includes a closed-session item for 'Public Employee Performance Evaluation / Title: Superintendent' pursuant to Government Code Section 54957.
Council Bluffs Community School District
New Superintendent Dr. Ramey begins tenure at Council Bluffs Schools
At the July 28, 2026 board meeting, new Superintendent Dr. Ramey was introduced to the board and public, succeeding Dr. Morrell, and gave opening remarks about continuing the district's work.
Closer to home
Fifty states. Local decisions.
Find the stories shaping public education in your state.