At a recent meeting the Dublin Unified School District Board of Trustees saw several major changes in leadership, with newly elected trustees and the next board president and vice president sworn in, along with the departure of one of its most prominent officials.

On Dec. 13, district staff certified the onboarding of trustees after the election and honored outgoing Trustee Megan Rouse for her nine years of service to the school system.

During the annual reorganization meeting, new president and vice president were chosen to serve for the 2023 year: Trustee Gabi Blackman, who first joined the school board in 2019, was selected by her peers to serve as president and Trustee Kristin Pelham, who was originally elected to the board in 2020, will serve a second turn as vice president.

Officials to win office after the Nov. 8 general election also took the oath of office, solidifying their new terms as DUSD board members. The three members being Dan Cherrier, William Kuo and Kristin Speck.

Cherrier and Speck are to serve four-year terms. Kuo, however, will be serving a shortened term of two years. He initially was appointed to the board in May 2021 to fill the vacancy left by his late wife, Catherine Kuo -- this shortened term will return Trustee Area 3 to its normal four-year election cycle in 2024.

Cherrier has been with the board since 2016 when he was elected at-large. In 2018 when DUSD switched to district-based elections, he was then voted to oversee Area 5. For three consecutive years, 2020, 2021 and 2022, Cherrier served as board president.

Speck, a newcomer to the board, earned her position for Area 2 after being unchallenged in the general election.

In addition to welcoming recently elected leadership, school staff recognized one trustee who will not be returning to serve on the board.

After almost a decade on the Dublin school board, Rouse opted to step away from her position after this term rather than seek reelection.

According to school district communications representative, Chip Dehnert, Rouse joined the board in 2013 when the Dublin population was not more that 52,000 and the DUSD student body was below 9,000. Those numbers have since increased to 73,000 and 13,000, respectively.

Dehnert told the Weekly of several of DUSD's accomplishments over the years of Rouse's service. These include modernization initiatives at Dublin High and Wells Middle schools, the opening of Amador Elementary School and breaking ground on the new Emerald High School construction site.

"Very few school districts have experienced the tremendous growth and associated challenges that Dublin has over the last decade. One constant who has helped Dublin successfully navigate these challenging times has been Trustee Rouse," DUSD Superintendent Chris Funk said.

Rouse specifically played crucial roles in the passing of facilities bond Measures C, H and J, as well as parcel tax Measures B and E, according to district officials.

In her role, Dehnert said Rouse sought to increase the number of school counselors and improve healthcare benefits for teachers and district staff.

"The students, staff, and community of Dublin owe her a great deal of gratitude. I would like to thank her on behalf of a grateful community," Funk added.