After several months of looking, the Moreno Valley school board has hired Alejandro Ruvalcaba to become its superintendent starting Monday, July 1.
In June, the board voted 4-1 to appoint Ruvalcaba and 5-0 to approve his contract, Anahi Velasco, spokesperson for the Moreno Valley Unified School District wrote in a Friday, June 28, email. Board member Susan Smith voted against the appointment.
The board approved an initial annual salary of $356,000 with a 4% pay increase following performance evaluations with a cap of $433,128.
The decision comes after a nationwide search and review of 36 candidates, a May 31 news release states.
“Together with the dedicated educators, staff, and supportive community of Moreno Valley, I look forward to building on the district’s successes and working collaboratively to ensure that all students receive a high-quality education that prepares them for future opportunities,” Ruvalcaba said in the news release.
Ruvalcaba previously served as superintendent of the Rosemead School District, where he was hired in December 2018 and worked until taking his new post in Riverside County.
Prior to that, he was the assistant superintendent of human resources and assistant superintendent of secondary education in the Upland Unified School District.
Ruvalcaba also was a middle school and high school principal in the West Covina Unified School District and the Pasadena Unified School District. He taught all middle school grades and specialized in English language development.
“Dr. Ruvalcaba has a proven track record of supporting students and increasing student achievement. His leadership is collaborative, he is someone who will help unite our community behind the work of our staff in meeting the needs of all of our students,” Brandy Clark, president of the Moreno Valley school board, said in the release.
Moreno Valley’s previous superintendent, Martinrex Kedziora, was fired by the board in September 2023 after three hours of closed-door deliberations.
The district did not say why Kedziora was dismissed, citing state privacy and confidentiality laws. But the decision to remove Kedziora came a week after the attorney representing the family of Diego Stolz, a Landmark Middle School boy killed by two bullies, announced that Moreno Valley Unified’s lawyers and its insurers had agreed to a $27 million settlement to resolve a wrongful death lawsuit from Stolz’s family.
Chief Human Resources Officer Robert Verdi was interim superintendent during the search and has returned to his role.