School Board Renews Contract for Spirito

The Ventura Unified School District board Tuesday unanimously approved the renewal of Supt. Joseph Spirito’s contract for a three-year term.

Spirito, whose contract was extended until June 30, 1999, received warm praise from board members.

“He’s done an excellent job in pulling together the district after difficult times,” said board President Cliff Rodrigues. “And he has been very open to input from the community and the staff.”

Spirito came to Ventura Unified as assistant superintendent for educational services in 1987. He was named interim superintendent in August 1992 and superintendent soon after.

Spirito said some of the most important projects he wants to complete in the next three years are the implementation of a strict-standards school, scheduled to open at Will Rogers in the fall, a districtwide assessment program and a long-term plan to address overcrowding.

Earlier this year, Spirito and the board came under fire for implementing a stopgap measure to relieve overcrowding at Buena High School. The plan, which calls for busing about 190 east Ventura students to cross-town Ventura High School beginning in the fall, angered many of the students and parents in affected areas.

Immediately after the busing plan was approved in late February, the district began discussing long-term growth plans.

The assessment program under development would give students and teachers goals that would improve learning, Spirito said. The program would also be a tool for measuring the performance of students and ultimately would make educators accountable to the community, he said.

According to the contract approved Monday, Spirito, who makes $98,298 annually, will get 3% raises each year for the next three years beginning July 1.