San Bruno Park names new superintendent

Duffy comes to the district with nearly 30 years of experience in public education, formerly serving as the superintendent of West Contra Costa Unified School District for five years after serving as associate superintendent of Milpitas Unified School District for three years and regional superintendent and middle school principal for nine years in Oakland Unified School District.

While overseeing operations at West Contra Costa Unified, a district of roughly 32,000 students, Duffy grappled with a ballooning $45 million budget deficit that was resolved with cuts of about $30 million, achieved partly through eliminating positions and borrowing from reserve funds, according to reports from EdSource.

Duffy left the district at the end of the 2020-21 school year, opting to not pursue a contract extension as new leadership came to the district’s Board of Trustees and instead started Kelp Education, a firm aimed at improving operations and programming in educational settings.

Before entering his education career, Duffy earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Wesleyan University, a master’s degree in secondary education and teaching from City University of New York-Herbert H. Lehman College and a master’s of education policy and administration from Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

“I am honored by the opportunity to lead the San Bruno Park School District. It is a great privilege to be able to lead the schools in this community and I am looking forward to staying focused on improvement each and every day,” said Duffy, who lives in Oakland with his children and wife who is also an educator.

The district will pay Duffy $235,000 annually in addition to other benefits for filling the superintendent role. Duffy is the latest official to take up the position after years featuring a revolving door of superintendents and interim leaders, the most recent being Dr. Michael Milliken, the former superintendent of the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District.

Despite broad board support for Duffy’s appointment, Trustee Jennifer Blanco was the lone vote against the move after she cited concerns with what she deemed a rushed outreach process. She also said she would have voted against selecting the firm Leadership Associates to assist in the district’s search for a new superintendent after sharing displeasure with how the firm has handled previous searches.

“The consultants we have, I found them to be a little bit on the lazy side so I wasn’t pleased with the process but yet here we are,” Blanco said.

Trustee Henry Sanchez refuted Blanco’s concerns, arguing the district held a fair and efficient search for a superintendent after listing the position at the beginning of February and holding more than a dozen community outreach events and facilities feedback at all levels.

Shea, speaking during Wednesday’s board meeting, said the public shared a resounding priority for finding a replacement with previous experience as a superintendent during those meetings.

While in his administrative roles, Duffy is credited with helping to open a new dual immersion Mandarin school, overseeing facility improvements, introducing an improved organic nutrition program and expanding music programs, ethnic studies offerings and new career technical education officers, according to the district’s press release. Duffy is also credited with bolstering English Learner reclassification rates and overall academic achievement scores while improving staff retention rates, according to the release.

“[Duffy’s] history of successfully leading and innovating in complex and diverse spaces will be a great fit for San Bruno Park,” Shea said in the release. “His eye toward equity and program design will help lead the district forward in the years to come.”

sierra@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 106