Monterey County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Deneen Guss Announces She Will Not Seek Re-Election in 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

News Advisory 

Contact: Communications and Public Relations Officer Teri Pimentel, tpimentel@montereycoe.org | 831.784.4245

Monterey, CA – August 26, 2025 – Monterey County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Deneen Guss has announced she will not seek re-election in 2026, as she plans to retire at the conclusion of her term in January 2027. By then, she will have served nearly 40 years in the education community. Elected as County Superintendent in 2018 and re-elected in 2022, Dr. Guss has championed transformative initiatives that have elevated educational opportunities and outcomes for children and families across Monterey County.

Dr. Guss has prioritized building resilient school communities by providing leadership, support, and service to the county’s 24 public school districts and eight charter schools. Some of Dr. Guss’s significant achievements include:

●        Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic: Dr. Guss guided schools through the crisis by supporting communications from state and local officials, providing schools with PPE and COVID tests, organizing vaccine clinics, and facilitating a transition to distance learning. She convened MCOE’s Digital Divide Taskforce that secured approximately $3 million in funding to provide devices and internet access to thousands of students, ensuring equitable access to education during and after the pandemic.

●        School Safety: Dr. Guss spearheaded several safety initiatives and launched the Monterey County Safe and Healthy Schools and Communities Coalition (MCSHSCC). The coalition is a multi-agency collaborative that includes representatives from education, law enforcement, first responders, behavioral health, child welfare, probation, juvenile justice, and other youth-serving agencies and organizations throughout Monterey County. The coalition’s mission is to identify and address the health and safety needs of the county by developing and implementing best practices in emergency preparedness, youth mental health, crisis prevention and response, the use of common protocols, providing training opportunities, and multi-agency collaboration that is supported by a legally sound information-sharing framework.

●        Community Engagement: Dr. Guss launched the All In For Equity Conference in 2018, bringing together educators, students, and community partners to focus on growing inclusive schools and communities to ensure that all students thrive. The conference has become an annual event and has led to collaborative partners coming together to build long-term, equitable systems in support of children, youth, and families. Dr. Guss also launched Inside Education Monterey County, a signature program that enables community members to visit schools, fostering a deeper understanding of educational needs while giving a first-hand look at teaching and learning in the public school system. Additionally, Dr. Guss launched the Monterey County Operation Veteran’s Recognition program, which honors Veterans who served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War and Japanese American citizens who left high school for the purposes of internment in World War II relocation camps.

●        Awards and Recognitions: In 2021, Dr. Guss received the Ruth Vreeland Memorial Public Official of the Year Award and the Association of California School Administrators (Region 10) Superintendent of the Year. In 2024 Dr. Guss was awarded the Dr. William D. Barr Award for Excellence in Educational Leadership and the Blue Zones Right Outlook Award.  In 2025, MCOE was honored with the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce’s Business Excellence Award, a testament to her dedicated staff. During her tenure, MCOE also earned multiple California School Boards Association (CSBA) Golden Bell Awards for innovative programs in alternative education and equity-focused initiatives.

●        Securing Resources: Dr. Guss manages a substantial budget of over $120,000,000, and actively works to secure resources through various funding streams and advocacy to support educational programs and ensure the financial well-being of the schools and students in Monterey County.  Dr. Guss has spearheaded efforts to secure over $30 million in state, federal, and local grants since 2018, funding programs for future-ready learning in the areas of STEM education and multilingual literacy, mental health services, community schools, and educator preparedness pathways, in addition to building the new Salinas Community School.

Dr. Guss credits the success of the Monterey County Office of Education to her passionate and dedicated team members who share her vision of student success and work tirelessly to fulfill the promise of leadership, support, and service to the schools and communities of Monterey County. She also credits her County Board of Education for their outstanding leadership and commitment to our students and families.

For the remainder of her term, Dr. Guss is committed to advancing the MCOE’s strategic priorities, including expanding access to high-quality early learning programs, enhancing mental health and social-emotional support services, strengthening partnerships to address educational inequities, addressing the achievement gaps in literacy and mathematics, supporting the implementation of community schools, continuing advocacy for funding for public education, and working with the County Board of Education to complete the building of a new conference center and offices that will host professional development for county educators. Her vision remains steadfastly child-centered, particularly for students with disabilities and those from historically underserved communities. Dr. Guss stated, “I am looking forward to the next 17 months of my term and am confident that my team and I will be able to complete the important work ahead of us."