End of Superintendent’s Term Is Near

Cynthia F. Grennan, Orange County’s first female school superintendent, will step down Wednesday as head of the Anaheim Union High School District. The Board of Trustees will meet the next day to consider naming a replacement.

Grennan, 57, who describes herself as an “old-fashioned schoolmarm,” said she is “selfishly” opting for an early retirement to “improve the quality of my life and have some fun.”

“I haven’t had a summer off since 1965,” said Grennan, who is scheduled to receive her doctorate in education this May. She also plans to travel extensively in the United States, Asia and Antarctica.

John F. Dean, superintendent of the Orange County Department of Education, calls Grennan “a real class act.”

“She’s certainly one of the most highly respected superintendents in Orange County,” Dean said. “And frankly, we were very surprised she’s hanging it up when she’s so young.”

Grennan began her career 37 years ago as a junior high school teacher in Illinois. She joined Anaheim Union in 1964 as a social studies instructor and later became a counselor, district psychologist, assistant principal, principal and assistant superintendent.

She was named to the district’s top post in 1979, becoming Orange County’s first female superintendent. Grennan achieved statewide recognition a decade later when she was chosen by her peers as California’s Superintendent of the Year for 1989.

The former “farm kid from Illinois” noted that district demographics have changed dramatically during her tenure. In 1978, 72% of the students were white and only 12 languages were spoken in the district. Today, 72% of the students are minorities and 65 languages are spoken.

“I make the attempt to speak their languages and to understand their holidays,” said Grennan, who regards the district’s cultural diversity as a “wonderful” environment.

Although Grennan has many fond memories, she still painfully recalls her “baptism by fire” as superintendent when declining enrollment and losses in state funding led to hundreds of district employees being laid off during the 1979-80 school year. She also weathered a teachers’ strike in 1989, when salary negotiations turned bitter.

Grennan beams when she mentions veteran teachers “who still have as much enthusiasm as the day they walked in.” She also points to the district’s successes in lowering the dropout rate and fighting to keep alcohol, drugs and weapons away from campuses.

“I take a great deal of pride in June when we graduate a class,” Grennan said. “The majority graduate to options. They are not limited to just one program or one college.”

Grennan added that being around students “has kept me young.”

“If I’m not around kids,” she said, “I’m going to age a little bit.”