OJAI : Ex-District Official Joins Catholic School
Leo Molitor, a former assistant superintendent of Ojai public schools, has been appointed interim headmaster of Villanova Preparatory School, a private Catholic high school in Ojai.
Molitor, 61, retired as a public school administrator one year ago, but he returned to the educational arena because of his interest in leading a private school where students can practice religion while they learn, he said.
“It’s hard to define, but I think there is a certain experience on a campus that has a spiritual aspect that overlays the academic program,” Molitor said.
A public school educator for 34 years, Molitor was principal of Nordhoff High School in Ojai for nine years and spent the last six years of his career as the district’s assistant superintendent for business services. He previously taught history and biology at the junior high, high school and college levels.
In some ways, all schools are the same, whether public or private, Molitor said, joking, “They say as long as there are tests given, there will be prayers said in any school.”
Under his contract, he will serve one year as Villanova’s headmaster so the prep school can find a permanent replacement.
Molitor has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota and a master’s in history from Loyola University in Los Angeles. He earned a Ph.D. from UC Santa Barbara in educational management.
Molitor was named the state’s Business Administrator of the Year in 1992 by the Assn. of California School Administrators.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
