Schools Chief to Leave 6 Months Early

After clashing with trustees over filling a top-level district post, the superintendent of the Simi Valley school district announced that she will end her nearly 10-year tenure Friday--six months earlier than she had planned.

Mary Beth Wolford, who joined the unified school district in 1987 and became superintendent in 1993, announced in May that she would not finish out her multiyear contract. But she said her resignation would not take effect until December so that she could complete several projects, including restructuring the district’s three-year high schools to include ninth-graders, opening a new magnet high school, building junior high school gymnasiums, and redrawing the district boundaries to absorb population growth in the city’s east and west ends.

But Wolford, 63, said Tuesday she no longer thought she would be able to make a difference by staying on another six months.

“It is a decision I’ve considered very carefully,” she said. “I don’t think staying on any longer is beneficial. It is better that I go ahead at this time and not continue.”

With so many major projects underway, trustees have characterized Wolford’s early departure as a “major crisis” for the 18,800-student district.

“Where does this leave us?” trustee Norm Walker asked. “In a lot of trouble. This is a crucial time for the district.”

Today, trustees will discuss several options, which include appointing an interim superintendent, moving immediately to find a permanent replacement or possibly hiring Wolford back as a consultant.

Wolford declined to elaborate on her reasons for leaving 14 months before her contract expires or how she lost the support of a majority of the board last year--a fact that many insiders say led to her resignation.

But Walker, a Wolford supporter, said he believes the board’s decision last week not to support her recommendation to fill a vacant assistant superintendent post with an in-house candidate was the last straw for Wolford.

“I can’t blame her,” he said. “The board could have helped her by working with her on this issue. We needed to send the signal that we were just not going to leave [her] out there short-handed. But the board didn’t, so we have to live with it.”

The assistant superintendent position remains unfilled.

Trustee Judy Barry, who declined to comment on the hiring discussion, agreed that it had become increasingly difficult for Wolford to implement her decisions because of the board’s 3-2 split. On many items, trustees Diane Collins, Carla Kurachi and Debbie Sandland vote against Walker and Barry, who often support Wolford.

“It is OK not to vote the same,” Barry said. “But in general, when a superintendent cannot make some recommendations and decisions as an administrator without having all of [them] questioned and having the board interfere, it makes it very difficult for that person to carry out their job.”

Calling Wolford’s resignation notice of less than one week unprofessional, Sandland railed against suggestions that the board has been undercutting Wolford’s ability to lead the district.

“She has always tried to paint [the picture] that nobody can work with the board,” she said. “I think she is just not showing the leadership skills that are important to the running of the largest school district in the county.”

Although criticizing Wolford’s unexpected decision, Sandland said her leaving may actually benefit the district.

“This could be an opportunity for the district to change,” she said. “This is a time for new blood, a fresh face and new ideas.”

Wolford defended her sudden departure, saying that once she made the decision to resign earlier than December, she had to move quickly to take advantage of a June 30 deadline to qualify for early retirement benefits.

Wolford is set to earn an extra two years of service credit toward her monthly retirement pension. In addition, the district is slated to continue to pay for her medical insurance for two years after she retires.

Wolford, whose salary is $102,485 a year, said she has not accepted any other job offers, but plans to pursue openings in the field of education.