Dublin Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Hanke Announces Retirement

January 26, 2016

Superintendent Dr. Stephen Hanke

DUBLIN, CA — Dr. Stephen Hanke, who has served as Superintendent of the Dublin Unified School District for the past 10 years, announced his retirement Tuesday night at the Board of Trustees meeting.

Hanke’s retirement from the position will be effective June 30, 2016.

The Board of Trustees will immediately begin the process of preparing the search for Dr. Hanke’s “I have had the wonderful opportunity to serve the Dublin community for the past 10 years, and am especially proud to be a part of an amazing team of leaders and teachers who have worked very hard to build our school district into what it is today, a highly sought-after, strong organization focused on what really matters, student learning,” Dr. Hanke said. “This decision is a difficult one for me to make and has been on my mind for a time. After much discussion with my family, we have decided the time is right to take this step.”

Dr. Hanke’s stewardship of the Dublin Unified School District, which began in July 2006, has led the district to unprecedented levels of achievement and success: Dublin saw its Academic Performance Index climb every year during his tenure to an all-time high of 904 in 2013, the last year the API was measured by the state. Six schools have been named California Distinguished Schools since 2006. Dougherty Elementary became the district’s first National Blue Ribbon School. Dublin, under the leadership of Dublin Partners In Education, began the STEM Enrichment Academy Program, which will serve approximately 500 students in its third year this summer.

He has successfully shepherded the district to define its core values, using the Vision 20/20 Strategic Plan as its guide; moved the district through its work as a Professional Learning Community and through significant changes brought by the implementation of the Common Core State Standards and Smarter Balanced Assessments. Dublin was among the highest-scoring school districts in Alameda County when the first SBAC scores were released last fall.

Dublin, under his leadership, has been a regional leader in putting technology in classrooms, has maintained financial stability through difficult financial times, fostered lasting, productive partnerships in the community and laid the groundwork for an ever-expanding offering of programs and opportunities for all students.

Dr. Hanke has also led Dublin Unified through a period of rapid growth and expansion, including 40 modernization projects district wide; the addition of three elementary schools (Green, Kolb and Amador), Fallon Middle School and the $120 million expansion of Dublin High School into one of the top high school facilities in the state.

Dan Cunningham

“Dr. Hanke has done a tremendous job over the last 10 years transforming the culture of our district,” Board President Dan Cunningham said. “He has been instrumental in the success of our schools. During his tenure, DUSD has experienced increasing student success, evidenced by a decade of rising test scores. Because of his leadership our students are better prepared for college and career. Most importantly, Steve has helped change the culture of the district in to one of continual improvement, a true Professional Learning Community where the focus is on the success of all our students. We wish Steve the best in his retirement.”

Prior to his tenure in Dublin, Dr. Hanke served as a teacher, principal, assistant superintendent in four school districts, including six years as the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources in the Las Virgenes Unified School District.