On Jan. 30, Monterey Peninsula Unified School District Superintendent PK Diffenbaugh announced he will step down from his position by the end of the 2024-2025 school year.
Diffenbaugh said his work at MPUSD was the highlight of his career. “Together we created a positive school culture focused on student success and well-being even in the face of incredible challenges,” he wrote in a letter to staff.
Diffenbaugh has led the district for more than 10 years, and during one of the most difficult times in recent history: the Covid-19 pandemic.
Diffenbaugh says he’s staying in the area and isn’t moving into a new position.
“I'm just at a place where I need to take a step back and rejuvenate a little bit,” he says.
During his tenure, he advocated for teacher housing to attract more teachers (in 2024, voters passed a $340 million bond measure, part of which will fund teacher housing). He also helped create different programs to aid unhoused students and their families as well as a teacher residency program.
Diffenbaugh faced criticism for using Measure P and I funds to upgrade sports facilities instead of classrooms.
Diffenbaugh says his biggest accomplishment was restoring trust in public education in the Peninsula.
“I don't think the community passes two bonds for over a total of, you know, $550 million, if they don't trust that it's in good hands and it's for the right cause,” he says.
When he took the job in 2014, Diffenbaugh was the seventh superintendent leading MPUSD in the preceding decade.
He says teacher retention should be a priority for the next superintendent.
“I think we've made progress on all those fronts in my tenure, but there's just still a lot of work to be done there,” he adds, noting there are factors, such as housing and healthcare costs, that are outside of the district’s control and will continue to be a challenge in the Peninsula.
MPUSD's board of trustees will meet in the upcoming weeks to discuss the process on choosing a new superintendent.
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