Oxnard Union District Superintendent Resigns

Ian C. Kirkpatrick, the Oxnard Union High School District superintendent who led an unsuccessful campaign last month to build a new $45-million campus, has handed in his resignation.

After a closed-door meeting, the district’s board of trustees announced Kirkpatrick’s resignation Wednesday night. The superintendent did not attend the meeting, and board members refused to discuss the reasons for his departure.

“We committed ourselves not to say anything,” said board member Janet Lindgren.

Kirkpatrick refused comment when asked whether the recent failure of a $45-million bond measure to build a seventh high school prompted his decision to leave. He had pushed for the bond measure to ease overcrowding at the district’s six campuses in Oxnard, Camarillo and El Rio.

After the defeat of the bond measure, Kirkpatrick was criticized for spending $100,000 on the April 14 special election instead of waiting for the June or November elections. Opponents said the money could have been better spent on educational programs.

Lindgren said Thursday that William G. Studt, director of personnel for the school district, will serve as acting superintendent for an undetermined period. She said she doesn’t know when the district will begin looking for a permanent replacement.

Studt said he is convinced that the superintendent’s decision was not related to the outcome of the election.

“I don’t believe it had anything to do with it,” he said.

In a letter to the board, Kirkpatrick cited “philosophical differences” with the five-member panel as his reason for stepping down from his $89,700-a-year post effective June 30.

Kirkpatrick declined Thursday to expand on his reasons for leaving or to say how long he has been contemplating the move. In fact, the only comments that the outgoing superintendent made were about how much he enjoyed his two-year tenure with the district.

“It’s a very good district, a very progressive district,” he said. “I loved the opportunity of working with the staff, the teachers and the administrators. I’m going to miss them.”

Kirkpatrick said he has not decided what he will do now or even if he will stay in Ventura County.

“I love the area, but I guess it just depends on what opportunities present themselves,” said Kirkpatrick, whose wife, Dianne, works as a counselor for the Simi Valley Unified School District.

Studt said Kirkpatrick had a good working relationship with administrators and school employees.

“He’s always been a good guy to work with,” Studt said. “He’s a real personable guy. I never heard of him having any problems working with anybody.”

Indeed, the board issued a statement Wednesday night praising Kirkpatrick’s work and calling him a “consummate professional.” The statement also listed some of the superintendent’s accomplishments, including implementation of the California Test of Basic Skills testing to assess student achievement and the successful negotiation of a three-year contract with the Oxnard Federation of Teachers.

Kirkpatrick, 49, was hired by the district in October, 1991. He previously served as superintendent of the Oakdale Union High School District in Oakdale, near Modesto.

Meanwhile, Studt, who has been with the district since 1986, said he would like to be considered for superintendent.

“Yes, I would,” he said. “I am very interested.”