Dr. Dave Marken Approved As DUSD Superintendent Effective July 1

DUBLIN, CA — During the regularly scheduled Dublin Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday night, Dr. Dave Marken was unanimously approved as the district’s new superintendent effective July 1. He will serve in the post through June 30, 2021 with an annual salary of $330,000. Since April 15, Marken has served as interim superintendent while the district attempted to fill the vacancy created as a result of Dr. Leslie Boozer’s departure; her last day as DUSD superintendent was March 26.

Sixty-four-year-old Marken, who was approaching his third year of retirement, said the only district that could bring him back to full-time work was Dublin.

“Before I received a call from Dublin to step in as interim superintendent, I vowed I would not come out of retirement,” Marken said. “Of course, Dublin has played such a significant role in my career that it was always the exception to the rule. Being here for the last few months has rekindled my passion for this town and solidified my desire to see this district reach its potential and to help address some of the immediate issues it faces.”

Marken previously worked in the DUSD for 13 years, serving as the assistant principal and principal at Dublin High School, the senior director of secondary education and student services, and then as the assistant superintendent of educational services and human resources. Following his time in Dublin, Marken accepted the role of superintendent of schools at the Newark Unified School District, where he retired after serving in that position for five years.

The search for a long-term DUSD superintendent continues, and Marken said the Board of Trustees is in a good position to spend time finding just the right candidate. Hazard Young Attea Associates has been hired to assist in the search, with the goal of hiring that person by spring 2021.

Marken told Patch that among his short-term goals as superintendent are relocating from Lodi to Dublin; and handing over the reigns at Equal Opportunity Schools, where he has served as superintendent-in-residence during his retirement.

His long-term goals for DUSD include construction of permanent buildings on campuses that currently have temporary facilities and classrooms, and modernization of some existing buildings—all part of completing the district's facilities masterplan, he said.

“We face many challenges in Dublin, including the need to bring Frederiksen, Murray and Dublin Elementary to the same level of facilities as our newer elementary schools. We need to deliver the engineering and science building at Dublin High School so more students have opportunities in these fields. We need a second comprehensive high school that rivals the experience offered at Dublin High. I challenge the board, administrators, teachers, parents, students, the city and our community to move forward together to help us create the world class educational experience our entire town deserves,” Marken said in a released statement.

In speaking with Patch, Marken praised the Dublin community, noting that during his 13-year tenure with the district every bond measure and parcel tax to benefit the DUSD was approved by voters. Despite some recent leadership issues, he said the DUSD is now on a "positive trajectory" and "back on calm waters."

In his months as interim superintendent, Marken told Patch that he visited as many school sites as possible to hear from all stakeholders. He was looking for "themes," he explained, and walked away with three: trust, transparency and hope. Through open communication, Marken said he wants to ensure that the community trusts the district to always make current and future students its top priority. "We are moving in the right direction," he said.