Gustine Unified School District Board of Trustees approved the hiring of two individuals as the district’s interim chief business officers on Nov. 12.

The decision comes after former Chief Business Officer Rizvi Mehdi announced his resignation during an Oct. 8 board meeting. Linda Levesque and Carol Longobardi will join GUSD as independent contractors, according to the agenda’s packet. Both individuals will stay with the district from Oct. 20 to June 30, 2026.

Levesque will receive an hourly rate of $150.00 per hour while Longobardi will be compensated $75.00 per hour. Superintendent Bryan Ballenger said both individuals come to GUSD with experience needed for the positions.

“We were able to find two individuals to help us out and serve our interim, Linda Levesque and Carol Longobardi both come with a lot of experience here in Merced County, one as an assistant superintendent of business services and the other as a business manager,” he said.

The Connect reached out Ballenger for additional comment on the hires, but haven’t received a comment at the time of the story’s publication.