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Matt Campbell recognizes the tall task before him.
Months after union discord put Dublin Unified School District in headlines across the Bay Area and statewide, the first-year superintendent has been working to mend fences and move forward in a positive manner for students, staff, families and other community stakeholders.
“I am an optimist; although, I’m not blind to the fact that it was difficult. It was extremely challenging,” Campbell told me in a sitdown interview last week. “I also am somewhat of a realist, meaning when I was appointed by the board – even though I took over in July – I knew that there needed to be some sort of groundwork to be done to either try to repair relations and/or try to have a better understanding of what was happening.”
Campbell, who was being promoted to the lead chair after serving as assistant superintendent of educational services, said he spent time in the spring at each school in DUSD to get boots on the ground, be available to staff and administrators, and set the right tone heading into the 2026-27 term. “It was excellent. I loved it,” he added.
As the district attempts to turn the corner after last year’s teacher strike, these early weeks of the school year have had it all: the opening of a new campus, the death of a student, four new principals on the job, empty desks and offices after staff reductions, construction continuing at Dublin Elementary and Emerald High, no eligible candidates for the Trustee Area 2 election … and bargaining begins next week.
A Tri-Valley native, Campbell first made a name for himself publicly in 2000 when he was elected to the Pleasanton City Council while working as a 30-something teacher at his alma mater, Amador Valley High School – ultimately serving for one term on the dais. His educational career took him to multiple stops in the East Bay before he returned to Dublin Unified in 2019 as assistant superintendent.
“I love working in Dublin. I think it’s such a great community. My first teaching job was in Dublin, way back in the day, 30 years ago. So I’m thrilled to be back in the place where I started. And I just have so much fondness for the community, the teachers, the students,” he told me.
“It’s a great place to send your kids to school,” he added. “I think that we do an exceptional job of providing a really good education. And I think that we do a really nice job of looking out for all of our students.”
Anointed by the Board of Trustees last February as the superintendent-in-waiting, Campbell took over as the face of the district’s negotiating team as the heated conditions became toxic between then-superintendent Chris Funk and the Dublin Teachers Association.
Campbell was at the table as the two sides finally forged an agreement after a four-day strike in March that tested the resolve of almost the entire Dublin community.
“We, the district office leadership, have made further attempts, and rightly so, engaged in conversations differently with our union partners, with an understanding that we are in this together, with an understanding that we all want what’s best for students,” he told me about the mindset moving forward. “And I do feel like the tone and the tenor has shifted, at least to this point.”
A day after our conversation, a DTA salvo hit social media ahead of bargaining next week.
“If you don’t care about small class size, the best resources for students, responsible caseloads for special educators and counselors, mental wellness … scroll on,” the union urged its Facebook followers. “If you want the best for Dublin students: show up! Sept 14 for bargaining and Sept 19 for canvassing.”
It remains to be seen whether employee negotiations will dominate the headlines for DUSD in 2026-27 – which is the only year for which Campbell is currently under contract.
There has certainly been a variety of news for the district since summer break.
The exasperation of a hollowed out headquarters and elsewhere in the district from staff reductions, even though much of the work and demand doesn’t go away with the budget cuts. I experienced those impacts as soon as I walked into the front door for my interview Sept. 3, as a computer and phone with a do-it-yourself menu greeted me instead of a receptionist. I can share that previously laid-off public information officer Chip Dehnert is back part-time.
The exhilaration felt by four new principals: Michael D’Ambrosio at Amador Elementary, Kathrynn Kang at Frederiksen Elementary, Jonna Palmer at Cottonwood Creek TK-8 and Mario Hurtado (a former Pleasanton Teacher of the Year) at Green Elementary.
The jubilation of opening the brand-new Shamrock Hills TK-8 School to students on Aug. 11, a $102.5 million campus on Horizon Parkway that will serve more than 1,000 kids at full capacity.
The deflation of learning an Emerald High student died during the first week of school – and the heartbreak of knowing there have now been four student deaths for Emerald in only two-plus years of existence. I don’t have any specifics to report, but the total alone is alarming.
And the confusion caused by Holden Lomeli, who was the only candidate to file for the Trustee Area 2 election and actually qualified for the ballot despite the fact he apparently does not live in Dublin.
We’ll get into some of these topics – and many more – during our DUSD Board of Trustees candidate forum next Wednesday (Sept. 16) from 6-7:30 p.m. in the boardroom at district headquarters, 7471 Larkdale Ave. No word yet if Campbell will be watching in the audience.
Editor’s note: Jeremy Walsh is the associate publisher and editorial director for the Embarcadero Media Foundation’s East Bay Division. His “What A Week” column is a recurring feature in the Pleasanton Weekly, Livermore Vine and DanvilleSanRamon.com.
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