180 Days of Learning : IRVINE UNIFIED

When classes start Sept. 4, the district will begin the new school year without a superintendent.

Dennis M. Smith left the post July 1 to be superintendent of the Orange County, Fla., school district, which includes Orlando.

Sue Long, deputy superintendent of human resources, is filling the top spot while the board works with a San Diego-based educational resources firm to find a permanent successor.

Long said she does not know how far along the search is but expects it to take several more weeks.

“This is one of the most significant things the Board of Education is doing,” she said.

Long is not a candidate for the permanent job.

High on the list of priorities for the new superintendent will be expanding the district’s class-size reduction program in the primary grades.

Each third-grade class will be limited to 20 students per teacher, down from an average of nearly 30. The district’s first- and second-grade classes were shrunk in the previous year.

For kindergarten students, class size will be reduced for half of a normal school day. Officials said they could not limit the size of kindergarten classes for a full day because space is short.

“The biggest challenge we face is facilities,” Long said. “Having completed grades one, two and three, we don’t have any classroom space available.”