7 Simi Valley School Board Candidates Ask for Delay in Choosing Superintendent

Angered that trustees may select a new superintendent before the November election, seven school board aspirants fired off a letter Thursday asking that the choice be delayed.

Making a selection before the election “presupposes the will of all the voters of our district,” they said in a letter directed to current school board members and interim Supt. Robert Purvis. “This decision can wait for three weeks when the voters speak!”

The face of the school board is bound to change after the election because three seats are open and board President Judy Barry did not seek reelection, the challengers said. Incumbents Debbie Sandland and Diane Collins are running for reelection.

If a superintendent is chosen within the next month, the letter reads, it “would assure the new superintendent less than unanimous support.”

The missive is the challengers’ response to a set of closed-door meetings the trustees are scheduled to conduct today and Monday--two-hour interviews with four superintendent candidates from midsize to large California school districts.

*

While it is unlikely that a decision will be made Monday, it is not out of the question, trustees said Thursday. What is more likely, according to Barry, is that the five-member panel will narrow the field down to one or two candidates.

“That’s not fair to the candidates; it’s not fair to the new board member; and it’s certainly not fair to the electorate,” said physician Caesar O. Julian, one of the candidates.

Challenger Steven Steffek agreed. “The criteria we set up might be different than that of the current board,” he said.

All seven challengers in the nine-person race signed the letter.

The school system has been without a permanent superintendent since Mary Beth Wolford resigned abruptly in June. After nearly 10 years with the Simi Valley Unified School District, Wolford left her $102,485 post six months earlier than planned after the board rejected Wolford’s in-house choice to fill an administrative vacancy.

Purvis, the Simi Valley schools superintendent before Wolford, agreed to leave retirement for six months to help the district through its transition.

*

While uncertain about exactly when a new superintendent will be tapped, current board members said they are excited about the possibilities.

“We’re interviewing four experienced, highly successful superintendents who have proven track records,” said Sandland.

To find qualified candidates, the board in August hired search consultant Leland B. Newcomer, an adjunct professor at the University of La Verne, for $7,000 plus expenses.

Sandland said the consultant also helped repair Simi Valley Unified’s image, which was bruised by Wolford’s less-than-amicable departure.

To ensure that the right candidate is hired, trustees may increase the superintendent’s salary, Sandland said.

“It would be foolish of us to squabble over a few thousand dollars when, if we hire someone very experienced, we could save hundreds of thousands of dollars in consultants and lawyers fees,” she said. “We shouldn’t be penny-wise and pound-foolish.”