The Culver City Unified School District Board of Education will soon be hiring its third superintendent in two years with the pending retirement of Supt. Patricia Jaffe. With a capital works project at the high school pending, labor negotiating with unions, a controversy involving parent adjuncts and the rapidly approaching budget discussions, having a superintendent in place soon is critical to the district functioning at its highest capacity.
The News questioned some of the school district’s board members on what they would like to see in the next superintendent and while there were some areas of agreement, there were a few stark differences in what they are seeking in CCUSD’ s next leader.
Laura Chardiet, who was elected to the board with Nancy Goldberg in November, says what’s on a candidate’s resume covers only one aspect of what she would like to see in a new superintendent.
“I want someone who is effective,” she said. “Whomever we hire has to bring with them a history of successful outcomes.
Patricia Siever, a professor at West Los Angeles College, has a long laundry list of what she would like for CCUSD’ next leader.
“I would like someone who knows they’re way around Sacramento in regards to our school district,” said Siever, who was elected in 2009. “They would also have to be very well versed in budgets and work well with our school board.”
Jaffe is leaving after a year as superintendent but over four decades with school district. She cited the impending pensions reforms that are underway at the state level for her retirement at a Feb. 15 board meeting.
“I have been advised that this is the year to retire before pension reforms undermine my retirement,” the superintendent the board and the audience.
The announcement caught some by surprise, especially for those who recall former CCUSD Supt. Myra Coté’s equally abrupt decision to resign near the end of the 2010-2011 school year.
Goldberg is looking for a leader who is collaborative and who will be respectful of the skills and qualities of others.
“That’s one of the most important things that I’m interested in,” she said. “We have a lot of good people in Culver City and we need someone who will not try and impose a top-down form of leadership.”
Chardiet said she was saddened because Jaffe was “such an asset to our school district.”
Siever and Chardiet expressed different thoughts on some qualities that they would like in Jaffe’s replacement. “I want someone who has worked in an environment of diversity and someone who believes in diversity,” said Siever, the board’s only African-American member. “(The new superintendent) should be respected by the faculty where they are currently working with too, because they are going to have to negotiate with the teachers and the classified employees unions.
“They will be representing our faculty as well and that’s very important,” the board member continued. “That is something that should not be forgotten when we select a new superintendent.”
Chardiet emphasized bringing in someone who has an interest in expanding technology in Culver City’s schools, knowledge about language immersion and the ability to understand local nuances. “Culver City is a sophisticated little town,” she said. “(A new superintendent) will need to understand where we are try to go as a school district.”
Culver City Federation of Teachers President David Mielke would like his union to be more involved in the discussions on the next superintendent this time. “We have said that we would like to be a part of the selection process in a meaningful way,” he said. “The board will make the final decision, of course.
“But we’re here to help, and we would like to make recommendations that we think would be helpful to the district,” Mielke added. “There has to be strong leadership in order for the district to be a success, and that includes a superintendent who understands that you can’t have a successful school district without great employees.”
Chardiet would also like a candidate who is eager to take over a district like Culver City’s and whether they have run a school district is not as important to her as some of her aforementioned preferences.
While she did not name Coté, who had worked for several years as a school district superintendent and was nearing retirement age when she left Culver City, it was clear that Chardiet would prefer someone closer to the beginning or middle of his or her career than at the end.
“I’d rather hire someone who is on their way up the career ladder that on their way down,” she asserted.
Being able to navigate the political minefields that exist in education would also be a strong asset, according to Siever. “We’re going to need someone with political experience because we may be considering another parcel tax soon, and (convincing the public of its necessity) is an important skill,” she said.
For Siever, someone who has been a superintendent before and will come to Culver City with a track record from running a school district would be a more palatable choice. “We need someone that has done this before,” she said. “We have a lot of important issues and they will need to be addressed very quickly.
“I personally don’t want a SIT- a superintendent in training.”
Chardiet mentioned one thing that after conducting the third search in two years that is also on Goldberg’s mind.
“I want someone who is going to stick around for a while,” she said.
Jaffe’s retirement is officially June 30, and the CCUSD school board has indicated that it would like to have someone in place by July 1.
“I would hope for a commitment of at least three to five years,” Goldberg added.
