Working in neighboring Los Banos made educator Sean Richey pretty familiar with Dos Palos.
Coming from a small town just like Dos Palos, Richey recently left his post with the Los Banos Unified School District after seven years to take over as the superintendent of the Dos Palos Oro Loma Joint Unified School District.
“I understand how tight-knit small communities are and how much the schools and school events mean to these communities,” Richey explained. “I was looking for an opportunity to work in a community like Dos Palos and was already familiar with Dos Palos and its school district from my work in Los Banos.”
Richey was born in Southern California and raised in a small town of less than 1,000 people in the Mojave Desert called North Edwards, California.
He attended Boron Jr.-Sr. High School, which is a 7-12 school with about 300 kids. Being in a small school, Richey was involved in a lot of activities. He played football and baseball, and during his senior year, the Boron football squad won the California Small School State Championship.
“I also participated in Academic Decathlon, “Mathletes,” Wood Shop, and I also earned the rank of Eagle Scout,” he added.
Richey received a B.A. in history with a minor in Spanish from Brigham Young University and an M.A. in education and administration from San Jose State University, and a Doctor of Education degree from Stanislaus State.
He began teaching at a school in Mexico City before becoming a history and Spanish instructor in Las Vegas.
After getting married, he started teaching in Santa Clara before moving on to Riverbank in neighboring Stanislaus County, where he spent 13 years as a high school assistant principal, a continuation high school principal, an elementary principal and then a high school principal.
For the past seven years, he served as the chief academic officer with Los Banos and served as the interim superintendent last year.
He was recognized as the ACSA Region 7 Secondary Principal of the Year in 2019 and as the ACSA Region 9 Central Office Administrator of the Year in 2024.
As he takes the helm in Dos Palos, Richey said his immediate goal is to get to know the district and the community.
“I am visiting schools, attending events, talking with everyone to get a sense of what the areas of strength and areas of growth are for the district,” he explained.
“Long-term, the focus will always be on giving students the best educational experience that they can receive. You do that through creating strong systems of support, cultivating a strong, supportive culture, finding and retaining great teachers, administrators and classified employees.
“My goal is to make Dos Palos a leader in education in the Central Valley. I am incredibly excited to be the superintendent of the Dos Palos School District and look forward to getting to know everyone in the district and the community more.”
Richey and his family still live in Riverbank, and of his four children, one is still at home and is a high school junior.
“I like to spend time with my family, watch movies, read books and be bad at golf,” he added.
