Livermore School Board Selects Acting Superintendent

LIVERMORE, CA — The Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees named Assistant Superintendent Michelle Pechette as acting superintendent following the departure of Superintendent Torie Gibson.

Pechette, who was named assistant superintendent for educational services in summer 2024, will assume the superintendent’s responsibilities until an interim superintendent is named, Board President Steven Drouin said in an email to LVJUSD staff. At its Tuesday meeting, the board formed an ad hoc committee comprising Trustees Craig Bueno and Emily Prusso to find and recommend a candidate for interim superintendent.

The move comes after the board and former Superintendent Torie Gibson mutually agreed to part ways on Friday, Feb. 6. Gibson, who also started in the summer of 2024, had a contract lasting until 2029, but she and the board agreed to end it early amidst controversy over budget cuts. As part of the agreement, Gibson will receive a lump-sum severance package equal to 12 months of her base salary, totaling $364,000, and 12 months of health insurance benefits. The agreement allows the district to provide a positive reference for future employers, and includes a mutual release of claims related to the separation.

Michelle Pechette has been a teacher, elementary and middle school principal, and district-level director for early childhood education. Before taking over as LVJUSD assistant superintendent, she served as Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services for the Amador County Unified School District and the Amador County Office of Education.

Pachette received her bachelors in elementary education from Grand Canyon University, and a masters in curriculum and instruction from Concordia University.

SEE ALSO:

• Livermore Superintendent Leaves Abruptly In Mutual Separation Agreement
  
• New Assistant Superintendent Selected In Livermore