Orange Unified Superintendent Stepping Down

Orange Unified School District Superintendent Ernie Gonzalez is stepping down as the district’s top administrator effective Nov. 15, 2024. 

Gonzalez will transition to a “senior administrative role” within OUSD, according to a press release from Nov. 1. 

A longtime district administrator, Gonzalez was named superintendent in 2023 “during a time of significant change for the district,” according to the OUSD press release.

His appointment followed the resignation of Interim Superintendent Edward Velasquez, who was only in the position for about one month. This followed the board majority’s firing of then-Superintendent Gunn Marie Hansen, Ph.D., in January 2023.

That firing inspired a group of teachers and parents to launch a successful recall campaign that lead to the ouster of two OUSD board members in March 2024.

“With his leadership, [Mr. Gonzalez] provided the stability and continuity needed to navigate complex challenges, for which the Board and the community remain deeply grateful,” reads the statement from OUSD.

OUSD said it will announce an interim superintendent soon who will lead the search for a new top administrator. 

Gonzalez will be honored at the OUSD Board of Education’s next meeting on Nov. 14.