With the job of principal still vacant, the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District’s superintendent has accepted a job in the San Joaquin Valley. 

Andrew Schwab’s new contract as superintendent of the Dos Palos-Oro Loma Joint Unified School District received unanimous approval from the board Wednesday night. 

Schwab will start the new job leading schools that sit mostly in southern Merced County on March 25, with the contract set to end three years later.

His annual salary will be $205,000 to lead the district with more than 2,200 students from transitional kindergarten through 12th grade.

“The board and I will be working on a transition plan over the next several weeks and will be sharing information about next steps after the winter break,” Schwab said in a brief message Thursday.

Schwab arrived more than two years ago to lead the high school district, following Scott Cory, a Santa Ynez graduate who served for eight years as superintendent of the high school.

Before the Santa Ynez Valley job, Schwab was with the Union Elementary School District in San Jose, where he served as the associate superintendent of learning and innovation since 2014. 

Since his arrival, the district has seen two principals depart. The 2023-24 school year started with the job still empty, leading to the appointment of an interim principal for at least the first semester.

As winter break began Thursday, the job remained unfilled with ads still posted on at least two websites. 

He began his career in education as a computer technician for the Le Grand Union High School District. He entered the classroom as a high school ROP/CTE teacher in 2008. 

Schwab received his bachelor’s degree in computer information systems from Humboldt State University and his master’s degree in information technology from American Intercontinental University. 

He is pursuing his doctorate degree from the University of Southern California.

He previously served in the U.S. Army and California Army National Guard.