Superintendent of Pajaro Valley Unified School District, Heather Contreras, will leave her position once her contract ends in June. (Amaya Edwards — Santa Cruz Local/CatchLight Local)

WATSONVILLE >> Superintendent Heather Contreras is leaving the Pajaro Valley Unified School District after her contract expires in June. It was announced Monday afternoon that Contreras will be taking up the role of superintendent at San Luis Coastal Unified School District.

The announcement came after Mandy Dawson, executive assistant to the current Superintendent at SLCUSD, sent a message to San Luis Obispo families and the community announcing Contreras’ new role. 

“Following a comprehensive search and input from parents, students, employees, and community members, our Board of Education has selected Dr. Heather Contreras,” the statement read. Contreras will begin her position as new superintendent at San Luis Coastal Unified School District July 1.

Contreras, who began her term as PVUSD superintendent in May 2024, agreed to a three-year contract with the largest school district in Santa Cruz County, with an annual base salary of $242,000 a year, with a 2% raise after one year. 

Contreras and Alejandro Chavez, PVUSD’s public information officer, did not respond to repeated requests for comments.

In her nearly three years in the role, Contreras found herself at the center of many difficult decisions. She came under scrutiny concerning the overall health of the school district, and faced scrutiny from the Board of Trustees and the Pajaro community on many of her decisions.

Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Heather Contreras listens as  community members speak at a PVUSD Board of Trustees meeting in Watsonville on Oct. 22, 2025. (Amaya Edwards — Santa Cruz Local/CatchLight Local)

One decision that upset community members was the hiring of Mark Herbst as deputy superintendent, after many stated that the job position was not made available to the public to review. Those in opposition also took issue with his $228,000 annual salary, saying those funds could have been better used elsewhere in the district.

Other decisions helmed by Contreras in the last year included laying off 130 full-time equivalent staff positions district-wide — jobs in special education, mental health and counseling clinicians — as well as numerous consultant contracts that came under scrutiny. 

Contreras was responsible for the passage of Measure M, the $315 million bond that was approved by voters in 2024 to help fund construction and renovation of projects throughout the district. She also encouraged student involvement in district boards, and was essential in creating the “Core Six” — a group of students who met with her before board meetings to review agendas and provide feedback. 

At the time she took the role, Contreras was the school district’s third superintendent within a three-year span. She’s focused much of her time on trying to fix a $15.3 million shortfall as a result of declining enrollment and the expiration of pandemic-era funding. 

Brandon Diniz, president of the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers, told Santa Cruz Local that he could not comment on pending employment decisions regarding other districts, but that “our focus remains on collaborating with the PVUSD on our members’ working conditions, our students’ learning conditions, and advocating tirelessly that our students be put first.” 

Prior to joining PVUSD, Contreras was an elementary school principal and assistant superintendent at Modesto City Schools, and was hired as PVUSD’s superintendent after Michelle Rodriguez announced her departure in June 2023. 

The SLCUSD Board of Trustees is meeting on Oct. 6 to publicly announce Superintendent Contreras’ new appointment and contract. The search for a new superintendent came after Eric Prater, the longtime leader of San Luis Obispo schools, announced he will be retiring.

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