Deputy Supt. Smith Taking Bay Area Job

The Capistrano Unified School District announced that Barbara F. Smith, deputy superintendent of the district’s education division, will be leaving her post to become superintendent of San Rafael City School District in the San Francisco Bay Area.

As superintendent, Smith will be responsible for overseeing the operations of a district that includes seven elementary schools, one middle school, two high schools and one continuation school. She will be paid $103,000 plus bonuses.

Having attended elementary and middle school in San Rafael, Smith, 53, will be returning to her Marin County hometown when she starts her new position July 1.

“We will miss Barbara Smith greatly in our school district, but we are pleased to know that she will be a school superintendent where she can continue to provide visionary leadership in the interests of children,” said Capistrano Supt. James A. Fleming said.

Smith has worked in the Capistrano district since 1991 and was responsible for initiating many programs, including new achievement tests, creation of high school academies and the expansion of the existing Advanced Placement courses.

Before coming to Capistrano, Smith worked in Saddleback Valley Unified School District as a middle school principal and high school assistant principal. She began her educational career as a junior high math teacher in 1971 in the Rialto Unified School District.

Smith said she was excited about becoming a schools superintendent in her hometown, but said she would miss Capistrano Unified, its administrative staff, teachers and students.