El Segundo Unified School District Superintendent to retire after 10 years of service

Photo byMelissa Moore/Daily Breeze

EL SEGUNDO, CA -- El Segundo Unified School District (ESUSD) Superintendent Melissa Moore will retire from her role this summer. She announced her decision in a press release on Wednesday (Feb. 28).

“This decision, made with joy, anticipation, apprehension and acceptance, marks the end of a noteworthy chapter in my life,” Moore shared. “It has been my distinct honor and privilege to lead this school district for a decade, alongside an extremely talented team of dedicated faculty, staff, teachers, administrators, cabinet, and board members.”

Moore began her tenure as superintendent of ESUSD in 2014. She brought upwards of 20 years of experience in education, which served to transform the district.

Under Moore’s administration, ESUSD established the RULER program, which is an evidence-based solution for integrating social and emotional learning in schools. The central aim of RULER is to help kids recognize, understand, label, express, and regulate their emotions. The Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence created the system based on what they call “hard science” that points to its effectiveness.

When speaking of Moore’s decision to retire, ESUSD Board of Education President Meredith Beachly expressed happiness as well as sadness.

“While the Board and I are happy for Dr. Moore to move into her next chapter in life, we know we will all feel her absence greatly,” Beachly shared. “We are thankful for her decade of dedication to our students and our community, and we deeply appreciate how she has served ESUSD with thoughtful leadership and innovative vision, raising our District up to its highest level of being a great place to learn and work.”

Melissa Moore was named Superintendent of the Year by the Association of California School Administrators (Region 14) in 2018. She promises to work closely with the school board for a smooth transition.

El Segundo Unified School District will begin its search for a new superintendent immediately. Moore’s last day will be June 30, 2024.