East Side Union High School District superintendent leaving
DUBLIN>> The Dublin Unified School District board has selected Chris Funk as its new superintendent.
Funk currently serves as superintendent of the East Side Union High School District in San Jose, which has 16 high schools with a combined enrollment of about 26,500 students.
The Dublin Unified School District announced his selection Thursday. His appointment is expected to be confirmed when trustees meet Tuesday, with him officially stepping into the job July 1.
Funk will replace Dave Marken, who quit as Dublin superintendent last June — a move that shocked officials within the district, which has about 12,900 students, from preschool through adult education, according to its website.
Marken was asked to come out of retirement by the board in 2019 to become interim superintendent for two years. He announced he was quitting by reading a resignation letter at a school board meeting.
“If you find yourself in a situation where your bosses don’t trust you, and you don’t trust your bosses, then you should no longer work for your bosses anymore,” Marken said at the time, a statement that brought some trustees to tears as it was read.
What Funk will be paid as the top official of the Dublin Unified School District was not available.
But in 2016, his total pay and benefits at East Side Union were about $336,943, according to the website Transparent California, which tracks the salaries and benefits of public employees.
The Dublin school district began a nationwide search in May 2019 for a new superintendent.
“Throughout my career, I have focused on building equitable learning environments for all students in the districts I have served,” Funk said in a release. “While the circumstances change from district to district, there are always opportunities to elevate the experience and level the playing field for all students.”
The selection of Funk came after a nationwide search that began in May 2019. Among those involved in fielding candidates were the Dublin Teachers Association, the union that represents teachers, and the Alameda County Office of Education.
The process also included the formation of a 15-person committee that interviewed candidates and gave feedback to trustees as they looked for finalists.
“The process of selecting a superintendent for a school district with all the complexities found in Dublin is not easy,” Dan Cherrier, president of Dublin’s board of trustees, said in a statement. “Dublin is a unique environment, and the board needed to be confident that the selected candidate has the skills needed to address our current growth challenges while maintaining academic excellence, being vigilant regarding issues of equity and positioning the district for future success. “