Dublin School District Official to Become Superintendent of Newark Unified School District

Dave Marken, assistant superintendent of the , said Monday that he has accepted the job of superintendent of the Newark Unified School District.

Marken will , who announced his resignation in mid-April. 

"I am looking forward to building a strong administration and leadership team and doing great things in Newark," he said.

Marken has been with the Dublin district for nearly 14 years in various roles, including assistant principal and principal of  School. 

During that time, he's seen students return as staff members.

"When you're anywhere for any length of time we have people who are now working in this organization who were students when I was at the high school," he said. 

Marken was selected from a group of five finalists who were interviewed by Newark Unified’s Board of Education during a closed meeting on June 18. He was recruited to apply for the position and was offered the position the same day as his interview.

Newark school officials haven't released an official announcement about Marken's hiring, but it's likely to be discussed at the school board's regular meeting Tuesday.

Newark Unified serves about 6,700 students while Dublin has about 6,300 pupils. Like Dublin, it also has only one high school.

According to Marken, he will wrap up his final days in Dublin by the end of June. 

He said that while he is excited about the new opportunity, it won't be easy to leave.

"You can't spend the years and time with the kids, the parents and community to not leave a huge part of your heart here," said Marken.

Nika Megino contributed to this report.