Schools Chief Resigns by Phone From Iowa : Education: Although Cesare Caldarelli Jr. accepted a new job last week, he didn’t notify the Ventura district until he was on the road.

After slipping quietly out of town in a U-Haul rental truck over the weekend, Ventura schools Supt. Cesare Caldarelli Jr. finally quit on Tuesday by dictating his letter of resignation by phone from a Burger King in Iowa.

The board of the Ventura Unified School District moved quickly Tuesday night to appoint Joseph Spirito as interim superintendent. Spirito has served as assistant superintendent of educational services for the past five years.

Although Caldarelli accepted the job of superintendent of the Bensenville Elementary School District in suburban Chicago last week, he never officially notified Ventura school officials that he was leaving.

School board President Terence Kilbride said he became concerned Monday because district officials had still not heard from Caldarelli. He said board members wanted to know what he planned to do before their meeting Tuesday night.

Kilbride said he eventually spoke to Caldarelli’s wife and learned that the superintendent had left Saturday for Chicago, driving a U-Haul rental truck packed with the couple’s possessions.

“I asked her if she could have him call the district,” Kilbride said. He said Caldarelli contacted the district office early Tuesday.

“Last I heard, he was in Iowa,” Kilbride said. “He stopped at a Burger King and dictated his resignation letter over the phone.”

Other board members and school officials said they were pleased that Caldarelli had finally notified the district of his departure, but thought it was strange how he went about it.

“I can’t read the man,” board member Diane Harriman said. “This whole thing has been so bizarre. I’m just glad he finally resigned.”

Ventura teachers cast a no-confidence vote against Caldarelli two years ago after he removed a clause in their contract that guaranteed that they would not take a pay cut and added another that required them to take greater financial responsibility for retirement benefits for new teachers.

Caldarelli also drew criticism from teachers for what they said was a dictatorial management style. In April, the school board voted 3-2 not to extend his contract.

John Gennaro, president of the Ventura Unified Education Assn., said he also was surprised at Caldarelli’s behavior.

“This does seem rather unusual to me,” Gennaro said. “Perhaps in his own way he was trying to make a statement too. Who knows?”

Caldarelli, who was hired by the district in 1988 and earned more than $100,000 a year in salary and benefits, began looking for other job prospects after the board voted against extending his contract. He is scheduled to assume the top job at the 2,000-student Bensenville district on Sept. 1. He will be paid $94,000 a year, Bensenville officials have said.

Meanwhile, Ventura board officials said they will probably wait a few months to make a decision on whether to hire a consultant to help find a new superintendent to head the 15,000-student district. Classes are scheduled to resume Sept. 8.

Another option, they said, would be to have Spirito serve as acting superintendent for the entire 1992-93 school year. This would save the district $100,000.

The board announced Spirito’s interim appointment after meeting in closed session. Board President Kilbride said if Spirito performs well, it is possible he could be named as Caldarelli’s permanent replacement.

“If it turns out he has what it takes to be an education leader, the job could very well be his,” Kilbride said.

Kilbride said it would be difficult to find a new superintendent because of the district’s financial troubles.