The Dublin Unified School District Board of Trustees approved an employment contract for Daniel Moirao, E.D., to serve as acting superintendent in a unanimous vote Tuesday evening.

Moirao, who has a long career in public education and private consulting, including time with DUSD, started his temporary role on Wednesday. He succeeds former superintendent Dave Marken, Ed.D., whose resignation was officially accepted by the board on June 30 — though Marken’s contract now runs until Aug. 22, but he is taking time off in the meantime and available only for consultation as needed.

Moirao will be serving as acting superintendent until Aug. 26, at which point he will likely be appointed interim superintendent in wake of Marken’s official departure date, according to DUSD officials.

“Under the best of circumstances, transitioning from one school year to the next is a challenge, but we all know these are not the best of circumstances,” Moirao said in a statement Tuesday. “COVID-19 has districts across the country working at full speed on plans to open the 2020-21 school year.”

“To do so during a leadership transition is a challenge, but I’m confident that it’s a challenge our staff, community, and students will overcome. I am here to make sure we enter the school year with the best plan possible, and we will be working as hard as possible to make that happen,” he continued.

Moirao, who previously served as interim assistant superintendent of educational services at DUSD in fall 2018, is a lifelong educator who founded Dr. Dan Presents in 2008, an organization “where he works with professionals and the communities they serve to disrupt equality to achieve equity for all students,” according to a DUSD press release.

He also worked as superintendent of the Hayward Unified School District earlier in his career, and before that as assistant superintendent in the South Monterey County High School District and in King City Joint Union High School District. His prior faculty positions included adjunct faculty professor for St. Mary’s College and the University of Southern California — the latter from which he holds a doctorate in planning, policy and administration.

Moirao’s contract with DUSD reflects a commitment to working every weekday from July 8 through Aug. 26, with a salary of $1,300 per day.

Upon being asked by the board to fill the position, Moirao stated that “Dublin is one of the best school districts in the Bay Area, if not the state, and I feel honored to be asked to take on this leadership role. The opportunity to help this district grow is one I eagerly accept.”

Board president Dan Cherrier also expressed enthusiasm with the appointment.

“Dr. Moirao is an exceptional leader, one the board has full confidence in,” Cherrier said. “His decades of experience as an educator and as a person fighting for equity will be a great benefit to the district. Having recently served in a leadership role in our district and having a personal connection to our community, helps to ensure we are in good hands.”

As Moraio takes the helm in the district and they work to solidify plans for reopening schools in the fall, the long-term search for a permanent superintendent continues. The board selected Hazard Young Attea Associates to assist in the search in April 2019, following the sudden departure of then-superintendent Leslie Boozer, Ed.D.

In June 2019, the firm identified their goal of securing a new long-term DUSD superintendent by spring 2021. Marken was hired to serve as interim superintendent from April 2019 through spring 2021, but his decision last month to resign cut his time short.

This article was first published by the Pleasanton Weekly. To read the original story presentation, click through this link.