By Jon Chown
WATSONVILLE — Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent Heather Contreras is leaving the district at the end of June after being selected as the next superintendent of San Luis Coastal Unified School District.
The San Luis Coastal Board of Trustees approved her contract Oct. 6. Contreras will remain at PVUSD through June 30, giving the district nearly nine months to choose her replacement.
Heather Contreras
Her departure comes as PVUSD faces falling enrollment, future budget deficits, possible school closures and frequent infighting among its board of trustees.
“Serving the students, families, and staff of Pajaro Valley has been one of the great privileges of my career,” Contreras said. “This is a community with deep roots, extraordinary resilience, and a real commitment to its children.”
Contreras cited rising test scores as one of the district’s accomplishments during her tenure.
Preliminary results from the 2025-26 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress showed districtwide gains of 2.4 percentage points in English language arts and 0.9 points in mathematics.
Some schools recorded much larger improvements. Aptos High School gained 11.6 points in English and 4.5 points in math, while Pajaro Valley High School improved by 11 points in English and 5.6 points in math.
PVUSD also joined the California State University Direct Admissions Program for the first time. The district submitted verified records for 1,207 graduating seniors, with more than 68% either fully eligible for direct admission or close to meeting the requirements.
The district and the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers had also recently reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement after 11 months of negotiations.
Despite all of that, Contreras’ leaves PVUSD with big challenges ahead.
A district report projects enrollment will fall from 15,690 students in 2025 to 12,604 by 2032, a decline of more than 3,000 students, or nearly 20%. The losses are expected across elementary, middle and high schools.
PVUSD has formed a Sustainable Schools Advisory committee to consider school consolidations, closures, boundary changes and other ways to operate with fewer students. Its recommendations are due to the school board in November.
The district is also facing growing financial pressure. Its 2026-27 budget projects about $364.4 million in General Fund revenue and $374.4 million in spending. District officials have warned that PVUSD must find about $20 million in either additional cuts or more revenue by 2028-29 to maintain required reserves. If the required reserves are not maintained, the district would likely go into receivership. A state-appointed auditor, paid by the district, would then run the PVUSD’s affairs and make budget cuts as they saw fit.
The financial situation and ensuing cuts have created a lot of tension during Contreras’ tenure. Trustee Gabriel Medina has urged the administration to use the reserves to avoid cutting student services and employee positions. He said during a meeting last November that if the district ran out of money, the county or state would fill any budget gaps.
“You are wrong,” Chief Business Officer Gerardo Castillo told him. Castillo announced his resignation in June and is now chief business officer for Sacramento City Unified School District.
The infighting among trustees has complicated a lot of the district’s business. In September, a dispute over the amount of information in a required Proposition 28 arts funding report, combined with trustee absences, forced the board to schedule a special meeting on the day of a state deadline to avoid having to repay millions of dollars in grant money.
Medina has said many times during board meetings that he will have the votes on the board to have Contreras fired after November’s election. Contreras said she remains committed to leading PVUSD through the school year and preparing the district for its next superintendent.
“I’m fully committed to finishing this school year strong and ensuring a smooth transition for the next superintendent who has the opportunity to continue leading this district, and our students, into the future,” she said.
Medina did not respond to a request for comment.
PVUSD Board President Carol Turley congratulated Contreras and thanked her for her leadership.
“Her decision to serve through the end of the school year gives our district the time and stability to conduct a thoughtful, inclusive search for our next superintendent,” Turley said. “We’re grateful for her continued leadership as we plan for the future.”
The PVUSD board expects to begin the search in the coming weeks. The district said students, families, employees and community members will have opportunities to provide input.