Two months after Monterey Peninsula Unified School District Superintendent PK Diffenbaugh announced his resignation, he reversed his decision.
“Over the past several weeks, through trusted conversations with close colleagues, teachers and classified staff, community members, and my family, I dug deep and I’ve come to a realization: I’m not ready to leave,” Diffenbaugh wrote in a March 31 letter.
Diffenbaugh has led the district for more than a decade, and on Jan. 30, he announced he would be leaving the district at the end of the 2024-2025 school year.
“I'm just at a place where I need to take a step back and rejuvenate a little bit,” he said at the time.
He has advocated for workforce housing to attract more teachers to the district, and last year, voters passed a $340 million bond measure, which will fund workforce housing.
The district has also led several programs to aid unhoused students and their families as well as a teacher residency program.
“Having him still around, supporting what's needed to continue the momentum for the success of the district is really great,” says MPUSD Trustee Veronica “Ronnie” Miramontes, noting it is rare for a school district to have long-standing superintendents.