Countywide : Superintendent of Schools to Retire

James F. Cowan, Ventura County’s superintendent of schools, has announced that he will retire this summer after 24 years.

Cowan, 61, said he will step down July 1 so he can spend more time with his family and doing the things he loves, such as traveling and fishing.

“I think it’s about time,” said Cowan, whose education career spans 38 years. In addition to his superintendent’s job, he has also worked as a teacher and counselor.

“Thirty-eight long years is enough,” Cowan said. “I want to spend some time with my grandchildren. But I’m going to stay involved in school things. I’m not going to fold up my tent and leave.”

Cowan, who was reelected to his post in 1990, will have 18 months remaining on his four-year term when he retires. The county schools office oversees 450 employees and has an annual operating budget of $26 million.

The superintendent said he will ask the county school board to appoint Assistant Supt. Charles Weis as his replacement. A former Fillmore Unified School District administrator, Weis has served as director of curriculum and instruction in the county superintendent’s office for two years.

The office is responsible for issuing checks to the county’s 16,000 school employees and monitoring budgets for the area’s 20 school districts. Duties also include managing several county school sites and various education programs for handicapped students, children of migrant workers and children in the Juvenile Court system.

Among the accomplishments that Cowan said he is most proud of during his tenure were the building of six special education schools and the acquisition of 20 acres of surplus property at Camarillo Airport now used for classes.

Board members praised Cowan for his leadership.

“He’s done a great job,” said board President Doylenne Johnson. “He is very well thought of by the superintendents of other counties.”

Johnson said the board will hold a special meeting Jan. 26 to discuss choosing Cowan’s successor.