Good afternoon Millbrae families and team,
Welcome Back to the 2023-2024 school year! It has been wonderful to visit our school sites and see and hear our halls filled with our children – the very best part of Millbrae! Our Millbrae team is back like never before, energized, revitalized and jumping in to assist one another in the spirit of teamwork and collaboration.
I am certain you are aware of the extreme hiring shortage in the field of education, and Millbrae is not immune from this challenge. While we continue to have open positions across our district I can assure you we are doing everything possible to recruit fully qualified candidates for each of our openings.
One of the greatest honors of my life has been the opportunity to serve as a Superintendent in our beautiful state for over seven years. My three years in Millbrae have been immensely valuable, and it is here I have served some of the most talented teams, kind and intelligent children, and a committed and resourceful community. After thoughtful consideration, my family and I have made the decision that I will retire from the Superintendency beginning October of this year. I am grateful to our Board of Trustees for the trust they placed in me over three years ago to lead our district. I am thankful to our Cabinet team – they are truly the best I have ever had the honor of working alongside. Our principals are second to none and our teachers and classified team our top-notch professionals and people. I would like to thank our union partners for your willingness and desire to lean-in for the children of Millbrae - your collaboration, discussions and humor will be missed. Thank you to MEF for your unyielding love for Millbrae – you are evidence of what kindness, willingness and vision can do for an organization. To our PTA/PTOs – thank you for your deep care and concern for your schools and for the beautiful people inside each of them.
During the time in which our Board of Trustees conducts a search for a new Superintendent, I am pleased to share with you that Dr. Kevin Skelly will serve as Interim Superintendent beginning October 2, 2023.
Kevin Skelly retired as Superintendent of the San Mateo Union High School District in June, 2022 after serving in that role for seven years. Prior to that, he was Superintendent of the Palo Alto Unified School District, a post he held from July, 2007 to June, 2014. He came to Palo Alto after serving as an Associate Superintendent of Learning Support Services for the Poway Unified School District, a district of 35,000 students in San Diego County. Prior to Poway, Skelly served eleven years as the Principal of Saratoga High School in Saratoga, CA. His passion for education and children began with his work after college with talented students from low-income neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., and shoe-shine boys in Quito, Ecuador. Skelly received his BA in Economics from Harvard and his Ph.D. in Education Management and Policy from UC, Berkeley. He and his wife Carrie live in San Mateo and have four grown children and four grandchildren.
I am confident you will join me in welcoming Kevin to Millbrae - his experience and expertise will be felt greatly during this time of transition.
Thank you, Millbrae, for allowing me to serve in this beautiful community.
Gratefully,
Debbie
