Interim Schools Chief Sworn In

In a simple ceremony attended by educators, friends and family, Charles Weis of Moorpark was sworn in as the interim Ventura County superintendent of schools Monday in Camarillo.

Weis, 43, will assume his new duties on Thursday, serving the 11 months remaining in the final term of James F. Cowan, who is retiring after 24 years as the county’s top educator.

Weis said he will seek election to a full four-year term of his own next June.

Weis has served as the county’s assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction since 1990. He was appointed in January by the Board of Education to complete Cowan’s term.

In his new post, Weis will supervise an office that is responsible for monitoring the budgets of the county’s 20 school districts, issuing checks to 16,000 school employees and operating programs for handicapped students, children of migrant workers and children of the Juvenile Court system. County schools have an annual budget of $26 million.

Before joining the county, Weis worked as the director of special services for the Fillmore Unified School District, where he also served as a high school and elementary school principal and assistant superintendent.

From 1974 to 1980, Weis owned an educational consulting firm that specialized in providing psychology services and program planning and evaluation for California school districts. He holds a doctoral degree from UC Santa Barbara, a master’s degree from Cal State Northridge, and a bachelor’s degree from UCLA.

After he was sworn in by County Clerk Richard Dean, Weis said he hoped to tap the resources of area businesses and military bases to assist schools.

“We’re trying to reinvent schools for the 21st Century at a time when funds for research and evaluation are hard to come by,” Weis said. “It’s an awesome job.”