Educator to Enter Superintendent Race

A Thousand Oaks educator plans to hold a rally Sunday to formally launch his campaign for Ventura County superintendent of schools, in what will be the first contested race for the superintendent’s job in at least 25 years.

Dan Flynn, principal of the county’s schools for juvenile offenders, will challenge appointed Supt. Charles Weis in the race June 7.

Flynn’s kick-off rally Sunday will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. at Conejo Creek Park in Thousand Oaks, next to the Thousand Oaks Library.

A native of New Jersey, Flynn worked for 10 years in the Los Angeles school system before taking over as principal of Ventura County’s three juvenile court schools, which serve minors who are in trouble with the law.

The juvenile court schools are operated by the county superintendent, which means Flynn is running against his boss.

Flynn said he got the idea to run while he was collecting signatures from teachers at his schools to help Weis qualify as a candidate.

“As I was gathering signatures for Chuck, my teachers were saying, ‘Dan, why isn’t it you that’s running?’ ”

Flynn’s decision makes this the first contested race for the superintendent’s position since James Cowan took the job in 1969.

During Cowan’s 24 years in office, he never faced a challenge to his reelection. And when Cowan stepped down last year, the county school board appointed Weis to succeed him.

In addition to the juvenile court schools, the county superintendent office runs about 14 other schools for special-education students.