After a months-long search to fill the district’s top leadership role, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified’s new superintendent, Kym LeBlanc-Esparza, will come aboard next month.
LeBlanc-Esparza will be the first woman to serve as superintendent in the 151-year history of the districts that merged to form PYLUSD, district spokesperson Lorely Meza noted.
LeBlanc-Esparza has spent more than 30 years in education, working in roles from classroom teacher to superintendent, according to district officials. Most recently, she was deputy superintendent at Jeffco Public Schools in Colorado, the state’s second-largest district, managing 74,000 students, 14,000 employees and a $1.2 billion budget across more than 145 schools.
“I am honored to be here. I am really excited about the work we’re all going to do together. Community is at the very heart of who I am, and I’m really excited to be a leader right alongside all of you and our community,” she said at the school board meeting on Sept. 9.
At Placentia-Yorba Linda, LeBlanc-Esparza will oversee nearly 23,000 students across 34 schools.
“The Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District is humbled and honored to welcome such a well-rounded leader as Dr. Kym,” board president Marilyn Anderson said in a statement. “She brings vision, purpose and empathy, along with a proven track record of success and a wealth of K-12 experience. I am truly thrilled for the leadership she will provide, her unwavering focus on students, and her innovative approach to education.”
LeBlanc-Esparza has also served as superintendent of the Archuleta School District in Colorado and the Newberg School District in Oregon. In Newberg, she improved graduation rates, cut dropout rates in half, expanded mental health services and oversaw a $28 million bond to upgrade facilities and expand STEM and alternative education programs, according to a PYLUSD news release. She has also held leadership positions in several other school districts and taught as an adjunct faculty member at multiple universities.
Her appointment comes after a tumultuous period in the district, with voters overhauling the council dynamics last November and a string of leadership changes in recent years.
Former Superintendent Alex Cherniss, who began his tenure in May 2023, was placed on administrative leave shortly after the election in December along with six other district leaders amid an “internal review.” A month later, Cherniss resigned to become superintendent of the Beverly Hills Unified School District. During his time at Placentia-Yorba Linda, Cherniss backed several new initiatives, including the district’s computer science charter and the Universal Sports Institute, which generated mixed reactions from parents.
LeBlanc-Esparza will officially begin on Oct. 6, with acting Superintendent Allan Mucerino remaining in place until then.