Meet Dr. Alex Cherniss

Dr. Alex Cherniss Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District

Dr. Alex Cherniss is the Superintendent of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District (PYLUSD). He began his leadership role with the district on May 1, 2023. With a career in public education spanning more than 24 years, Dr. Cherniss has dedicated his career to helping kids succeed and amplifying student voices. He is committed to expanding parent and community engagement in PYLUSD while working with teachers, principals, and support staff to improve student achievement districtwide.

Dr. Cherniss’ career includes both teaching and administrative experience. He was previously the superintendent of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District for five years. Throughout his tenure, Palos Verdes Peninsula was the number one academic-achieving school district in California and experienced little to no student learning gaps as measured by state testing data as a result of the pandemic.

Before leading Palos Verdes Peninsula, Dr. Cherniss was the superintendent of San Marino Unified School District and the chief financial officer for the Los Angeles County Office of Education, where he certified the budgets of 80 school districts totaling over $14 billion. Dr. Cherniss rose through the ranks in the Beverly Hills Unified School District from middle school math teacher to K-8 principal to human resources director and assistant superintendent of business services.

Dr. Cherniss is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara and earned his Ed.D. degree from USC Rossier School of Education, where he has served as an adjunct professor teaching a doctoral class in school economics.

Away from work, Dr. Cherniss and his wife Liz reside in Los Alamitos, where he attended K-12 public schools, and where their three young children—Finn, Leo, and Harper—currently attend elementary school.

Dr. Alex Cherniss Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools
[email protected]