PLEASANTON, California — Trustees with the Pleasanton Unified School District voted unanimously Thursday night to name Deputy Superintendent Ed Diolazo as the district's next permanent leader. The decision establishes an administrative succession plan ahead of the planned retirement of Superintendent Maurice Ghysels, whose formal resignation notice was accepted during the same board session. Diolazo will officially assume executive duties on January 1, 2027, under an approved multi-year agreement running through June 2030.
Under the agreement ratified by trustees, Diolazo will receive a base salary of $321,000 for the remainder of the 2026-27 school year, prorated to the number of workdays left in the term. Ghysels, who assumed the superintendency in 2024 to oversee district finances, campus facility upgrades, and stakeholder outreach, will conclude his administrative service on December 31. Ghysels indicated that he plans to work alongside Diolazo across the next three months to ensure an orderly administrative handover.
In an official district statement, school board president Kelly Baehr praised Diolazo's background, noting that his familiarity with neighborhood campuses and administrative priorities will offer steady guidance during the leadership transition.
Diolazo brings more than three decades of experience across public school systems in the wider East Bay. An alumnus of Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, he first joined the district's central administration team in 2017 as assistant superintendent overseeing student support programs. In 2022, trustees promoted him to deputy superintendent, charging him with directing educational services, special education programs, curriculum development, and adult schooling. Before his work in Pleasanton, Diolazo served as director of special services for San Lorenzo schools and worked with the Alameda County Office of Education.
Following his appointment, Diolazo expressed gratitude to trustees and emphasized his commitment to collaborative leadership, pointing to his nearly decade-long tenure working with local educators, students, and families as the groundwork for future district initiatives.
