Coachella Valley Unified School District Appoints New Superintendent Luis Valentino

Ceci Partridge

The Coachella Valley Unified School District hired a new superintendent Thursday night during the board meeting.

In a 6-1 vote, a motion passed to approve a contract with Dr. Luis Valentino as the new superintendent.

The contract is a 4-year agreement with a salary of $260,000 per year with several other benefits.

Board President Joey Acuna Jr. stated, “The board is happy to welcome Dr. Valentino to the CVUSD family! We look forward to working with him to lead our district and providing our students, staff and community a progressive path into the future.”

Dr. Luis Valentino has 30 years of experience serving school districts and is bilingual. Throughout his career, Dr. Valentino has fought to address the marginalization of historically underserved students and their communities and has been an advocate for equity.

“I am excited and honored for the opportunity to serve the Coachella Valley Unified School District.  I look forward to meeting and collaborating with students, staff, and community, as we embark on a shared journey to realizing our vision so that every CVUSD graduate will possess the skills and personal motivation needed to achieve their personal dream,” said Dr. Valentino.

Dr. Valentino will be leaving Portland Public Schools where he serves as the Chief Academic Officer. He was previously a Superintendent with the Albuquerque Public Schools where a series of scandals surrounded a hire he made to the administrative staff.

A brief mention of the incident is shared from a CVUSD press release, “Dr. Valentino did share information with the Board about his departure from the Albuquerque Public Schools. Dr. Valentino took full responsibility as the Superintendent and stepped away voluntarily which he felt, at the time, was in the best interests of the Albuquerque Public Schools system and the community. We believe he will be a great fit at CVUSD and we give him our full support.”

Dr. Valentino was an educator at UCLA, USC, and Cal State, Los Angeles. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin in Radio, Television, Film, a Master’s degree in Administration from Pepperdine University, and a Master’s in Education Technology from Cal State, Los Angeles. He also holds a Doctorate of Education from UCLA and has completed an Advanced Leadership program at Harvard University.

Dr. Valentino is married to his wife Libby, and has two children, Audrey and Anthony.  According to the CVUSD press release the Valentino family has lived in the Coachella Valley for the past three and a half years.

Dr. Valentino will officially start in the new role on July 1, 2021.

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