LENNOX : School Superintendent Up for National Award

Supt. Ken Moffett of the Lennox School District, recently named California superintendent of the year, is one of four finalists for the 1994 national superintendent of the year.

Moffett flew to Washington recently for a final round of interviews. The results will be announced at the American Assn. of School Administrators national convention next month.

In his 30 years as an administrator, Moffett has tried to make sure the schools he oversees adapt to an ever-changing population of children.

When he started as superintendent, the district had about 3,000 students--an equal number of whom were white, black and Latino. Today, the core of the district’s 8,800 students are Latino, and many are foreign-born, homeless or from single-parent families, Moffett told EDCAL, an education publication.

Moffett built up a bilingual staff, and as a result, more than 90% of Lennox’s students are bilingual by eighth grade. Also, nine of 10 first-graders read at grade level, and more than 90% are promoted to second grade.

Another problem Moffett helped solve was airplane noise.

The district lies in the flight path to Los Angeles International Airport, and for years jet noise was an obstacle to learning. The district finally replaced the school’s windows.

“After years of joking about jet noise,” Moffett said, “Our new motto is ‘Lennox School District--on the flight path to success.”

The other finalists are from Utah, Illinois and Michigan.