HomeCity NewsCherniss Accepts Superintendent Position at  Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District

Cherniss Accepts Superintendent Position at  Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District

Dr. Alex Cherniss informed The Tribune this afternoon that he has accepted the position of Superintendent of Schools for the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District and will be leaving San Marino in approximately one month.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for me and my family, both personally and professionally,” Cherniss said. “I am very proud of our accomplishments over the last four-plus years, and I will treasure the special relationships I’ve made with so many incredible people here. San Marino is a special city and the SMUSD is a extraordinary school district. It has been an honor serving this school board and this community as the superintendent of schools.”

The Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District said it conducted a national search and that its board of education “identified Dr. Cherniss as its clear top candidate through a highly competitive process, for his familiarity with and success in like districts; his demeanor and ethics; knowledge of school business and funding and achievement in high performing districts; and his commitment to the Palos Verdes Peninsula School District for the long term. In the 3,000- student San Marino district, Cherniss has overseen the state’s #1 academic achieving school district throughout his tenure. In 2018, he was a nominee for the Superintendent of the Year in LA County.”

San Marino Board President Shelley Ryan said “We congratulate Dr. Cherniss on being selected as the new Superintendent of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District. Under his leadership, the District continued to provide its students academic excellence but also added innovative programs, like elementary STEM labs and computer coding classes at all levels, as well as collaborative partnerships with local institutions that led to an Honors Humanities course at the Huntington Library and a Caltech Research course. Because of Dr. Cherniss’s ability to think outside of the box and execute his vision, the Barth Athletic Complex became a reality and the Titan Student Wellness Center will be opening soon. Recognizing that the average tenure of a superintendent in California is less than three years, we are grateful to Dr. Cherniss for his four-plus years of outstanding service to the San Marino Unified School District. While the timing of Dr. Cherniss’s departure is not ideal, we are confident that our administrators, teachers and staff will continue to provide the best educational experience to our students during the transition period.”

The San Marino Board of Education will be meeting in closed session on Tuesday, August 28, to discuss the next steps for hiring a new superintendent.

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