Jeff A. Pelzel
ESS Consultant
Education Support Services Group
Cell: (310) 995-2620
Jeff Pelzel has more than 25 years of experience in education, the last 20 years being in administration, culminating in a superintendency at Newhall School District. His service also included assistant principal and principal positions and positions as Director of Professional Development and Assistant Superintendent Instructional Services.
Following undergraduate study at Central Washington University, Mr. Pelzel earned a master’s degree in education and his principal credentials from Heritage College. He also attended ACSA’S Superintendent’s Academy and the Business Academy.
Mr. Pelzel is an equity-focused, well-respected, visionary leader. He is adept at building personal connections and instilling a common vision and drive towards accelerated academic achievement. He also possesses a comprehensive knowledge of curriculum development, instructional design, and staff development.
While Superintendent at Newhall School District, Mr. Pelzel revamped District vision, mission, and collective commitments; created a governance handbook; and implemented new teacher and administrator instructional framework. Under his leadership, in 2018, four schools in the District received the Innovate Public Schools Award for efforts supporting Latino students in reading or mathematics. And, in 2019, two more elementary schools received the same award for mathematics. Three elementary schools were recognized as 2019 National Blue Ribbon Schools of Academic Excellence. Newhall School District was featured as a Success Story in the 2019 publication, Mathematics at Work, by Solution Tree. And, all 10 Newhall School District schools and the District were chosen for the California Pivotal Practice Award.
Mr. Pelzel has presented at the AASA National Leadership Summit (2021); the AASA Principal Supervisor Academy (2020); California League of Schools Conference (2017); and the Learning Forward Conference (2014). He published an article titled Eliminating the Achievement Gap in the ACSA Leadership Magazine in 2018, and was the 2018-2019 recipient of the ACSA Region XV Marcus Foster Memorial Award.
He holds membership in the Santa Clarita Valley and State ACSA, the California Association of School Business Officials, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), and the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts.