"It's with excitement and joy," he wrote, that he announces that "this will be my last year as MPCSD's Superintendent."

That is the strangest job departure announcement I've ever read. Overjoyed that he no longer has to work as MPCSD's Superintendent. Makes you wonder what sort of efforts he put into the job.

The "excitement and joy" will be coming from those who've suffered through his term as superintendent. And the departure will be coming about 5 years too late.

"Makes you wonder what sort of efforts he put into the job."

ya think? We were warned about this guy.

He had a checkered past, and yet MPCSD hired him anyway -- that doesn't say much about either him or the school board. Maybe next time the board will do a better job hiring the right individual.

Can't say that I'm sorry to see him go.

What makes anyone think that the Board will do a better job next time?

They put those ridiculous, ill-fated tax measures on the ballot.

Parents and teachers should be more worried about THE NEXT Superintendent. This ordeal is mercifully over - the next one is more important.

The Board clearly blew it on this selection, despite tons of warnings. Menlo Park voters should pay more attention to the process for Ghysels replacement.

1: While I'd call MPCSD a relatively easy school district to manage (most kids have every advantage, parents that work hard to help their kids excel, high donation rates, etc), managing an already well-run "ship" does deserve some credit, and MPCSD is clearly a generally well-run "ship", so I'm happy to wish him well in his future endeavors and give him credit for helping keep an excellent district excellent.

2: That said, the skeptical part of me does wonder about the timing. It may be a coincidence, but announcing his departure months after the defeat of the parcel taxes is a questionable look. Looking at the financial fiasco in Palo Alto Unified as an example of what happens when a district has too much new revenue, the MPCSD community was very wise to vote down adding parcel taxes #4 and #5.

But there's no question that in the short term, MPCSD management will have to actually manage, and make wise financial choices.

He left...possibly coincidentally, possibly not...at the exact time when he'd need to make those wise choices. The cynic in me wonders if he's leaving before those choices have to be made, and to milk his supervision of an easy, high-scoring district for all its worth.

A wise School Board would place a single parcel tax on the ballot in the Spring which replaces all of the existing parcels taxes and which would expire in 6 or so years.

If sized appropriately and presented with full transparency I believe that such a parcel tax would pass.

The new Superintendent would then come into a stable funding situation and have the opportunity to focus on quality education.

MPCSD needs a new board of trustees also.