{"id":6374,"date":"2026-05-15T11:32:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T11:32:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6374"},"modified":"2026-05-15T11:32:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T11:32:01","slug":"laguna-beach-unified-selects-replacement-for-ousted-superintendent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6374","title":{"rendered":"Laguna Beach Unified selects replacement for ousted superintendent"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Don Austin, a former superintendent of the Palo Alto Unified School District, has been selected to replace outgoing Laguna Beach Unified School District Superintendent Jason Glass.<\/p>\n

Read more Lawyers urge judge to block Trump order that would create eligible voter list, limit mail ballots<\/a><\/p>\n

LBUSD announced earlier this week that, after less than a year in his post, Glass will leave the district on May 31, in a \u201cmutual separation agreement\u201d with the board. Glass was in the first year of a four-year contract with an annual salary of $435,000.<\/p>\n

A board majority of President Sheri Morgan, Howard Hills and Dee Perry voted to part ways with Glass, while board members James Kelly and Joan Malczewski voted in dissent.<\/p>\n

Austin will start on July 1, according to a decision by the LBUSD board, which Morgan announced after a closed session during Thursday night\u2019s board meeting at Thurston Middle School.<\/p>\n

Related: Laguna Beach Unified splits with superintendent after less than a year<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Austin is an outstanding communicator and leader,\u201d Morgan said. \u201cDr. Austin is in high demand as he wraps up his time at Palo Alto. Securing him on July 1 is a win for our district. Dr. Austin\u2019s proven leadership will help us drive significant academic progress, maintain fiscal responsibility and improve governance and planning, especially during these complex times.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the district statement, Austin has more than a decade of superintendent experience and 30 years of public education experience, including five years as the \u201chighly effective principal of Laguna Beach High School.\u201d<\/p>\n

He is also known for strengthening student achievement, supporting mental health services, developing sustainable budgets, building leadership teams and improving district systems, the statement said. According to media reports, Austin resigned from his position at the Palo Alto District in February.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

To support a smooth transition, the board also appointed Manoj Roychowdhury as interim superintendent.<\/p>\n

\u201cManoj is a veteran school district administrator who brings steady leadership, sound judgment and a strong commitment to students, staff, and families,\u201d the district statement said. \u201cWe appreciate his willingness to serve in this role during this transition and are confident that district operations will continue without disruption.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The announcement came out just before the public session of the meeting was to start. The meeting room was full of parents, students and district staff who waited for the results since protesting Glass\u2019s departure earlier in the day.<\/p>\n

The group protesting on Thursday was unhappy with the board majority of Morgan, Hills and Perry, and the May 12 announcement of the \u201cmutual agreement\u201d between Glass and the board to depart the district.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Several students, a teacher and district parents chastised the three for allegedly \u201cpushing\u201d Glass out.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooking at the state of our district, the only credit we can give you is participation,\u201d said Shannon Chastain, a teacher who identified herself as teaching at one of the district\u2019s two elementary schools. \u201cThe recent dismissal of our superintendent wasn\u2019t just a personnel change; it was a dismantling. It is painfully clear that this majority has no idea what it takes to run a school district, let alone one of the highest performing districts in the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have taken a destination district and made it a place people are looking to leave,\u201d she added, comparing recent action of the board majority to the plot of \u201cThe Lorax.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust like the creatures in the story that have to find a new home once the environment becomes toxic, you are forcing out the very people who have made this district flow,\u201d she said. \u201cYou have done a profound disservice to the professionals who work here and the students you serve. Shame on you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another speaker, who said he had put four children through the school system and has two grandsons starting soon, said many residents valued Laguna Beach as a community because of its reputation for having a great school system.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was our pride and joy, and right now that is being devastated,\u201d he said. \u201cI wonder about the word competence. What is competence? When you hire a superintendent with a stellar resume, and you terminate that spirit within 10 months, does that speak to competence? I think there are enough people in this room and in this community to not let this issue lie. We are here for our students, and we are here for our community, and we will not go away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Armed man shot by police at end of pursuit in Beaumont awarded $3.62 million by jury<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Don Austin, a former superintendent of the Palo Alto Unified School District, will begin at the district in July.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6373,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"yoast_head":"\nLaguna Beach Unified selects replacement for ousted superintendent - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6374\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Laguna Beach Unified selects replacement for ousted superintendent - Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Don Austin, a former superintendent of the Palo Alto Unified School District, will begin at the district in July.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6374\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-15T11:32:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6374#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6374\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"headline\":\"Laguna Beach Unified selects replacement for ousted superintendent\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-15T11:32:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6374\"},\"wordCount\":767,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6374#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/945cd4a2c9d0c1c9d9f361a8b0e462a8.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Local News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6374#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6374\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6374\",\"name\":\"Laguna Beach Unified selects replacement for ousted superintendent - 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