Flynn Named Superintendent of Simi Unified

Amid protests that his candidacy was rammed through, the Simi Valley Unified school board has hired Dan Flynn as superintendent of the county’s largest school district.

Board President Norm Walker announced the 3-2 decision at 11 p.m. Tuesday, after the board’s regular public session. Many of Flynn’s friends and foes hovered outside the boardroom waiting to hear the news, which was greeted by cheers and some cries for a recall of trustees.

“My first reaction was one of awe that the whole process had come to fruition, and that it was over,” a giddy Flynn said Wednesday. A Thousand Oaks resident and father of six, Flynn currently is a Head Start coordinator in Los Angeles County.

Others are outraged that Flynn, who critics argue has scant experience, was hired without a nationwide search and against the vocal objections of numerous teachers and residents.

“When you have this kind of anger coming from teachers and people in the community, it’s got to affect the classroom,” said trustee Carla Kurachi, who along with trustee Diane Collins opposed hiring Flynn. “You live here, you raise your children here and yet you don’t have a voice. It gets stomped on and you’re told you’re a minority.”

Flynn’s supporters say he is an enthusiastic family man who will bring peace to the tumultuous district. His critics argue he has a spotty work history and ties to the religious right.

On Wednesday, after making early morning phone calls to his backers, Flynn said it is time to put acrimony aside.

“I come in with no hostility toward anyone who spoke out,” he said. “I myself participated in this democratic process and spoke out. That’s what we do. . . . This is America. Let’s put it all behind us.”

Some school district employees and parents were stunned and angered by the decision, saying their concerns about Flynn were discounted.

“In a democratic process, you need to listen to your constituency,” said Alan Coyle, president of the district’s classified employees union. “This was a dictatorship.”

The hiring of Flynn, 45, has been contentious from the start.

In late summer, the school board agreed to interview four search firms to find a suitable superintendent for the district, which has seen six permanent or temporary superintendents in seven years. In an about-face, trustees scrapped the headhunter plan and interviewed Flynn without looking at any other candidate.

Angered by that decision, 900 teachers and other employees signed a petition, urging the board to slow down and conduct a thorough search.

“I’m stunned that they would hire the person in the top position under this type of controversy,” said Ginny Jannotto, president of the teachers union. “Having said that, we will be moving forward and putting this behind us. Because [Flynn] is an unknown quantity to us, it’s tough to predict how the next year will be.”

Some teachers say they are already urging the union to take a vote of no confidence in Flynn and the trustees.

Although Flynn hopes to begin work next week, his start date is not set. The board has yet to determine Flynn’s salary, benefits package and contract duration. His predecessor, Tate Parker, earned $108,000 a year plus a generous pension plan.

Flynn’s supporters on the board are relieved to finally have a permanent leader to guide the 19,400-student district. “I’m excited about [him],” said trustee Janice DiFatta . “He is going to have a calming effect on the district. I’m convinced that he does have commitment and the qualifications. He is a natural leader.”

Equally upbeat, Flynn jotted down his thoughts in a statement that he faxed to the media.

“Feelings: I’m ecstatic,” he wrote. “I called my 81-year-old mom in New Jersey early this morning and we cried together in happiness. I come from a long line of educators, and she is very proud of me. She told me, ‘If the Lord took her today she would go in peace.’ ”

Now that the decision is made, trustees say it’s time to move on.

“You can’t always get everyone to agree, but we all have a stake in the success of Dr. Flynn,” Walker said. “This is how you make decisions. The bottom line is that the majority of the board likes Dan Flynn.”

Now, Flynn and his family are turning to the practical issues of his new position.

Come Sunday, they plan to house-hunt and check out property near 1st Street and Sinaloa Road with enough room for six children, a trampoline and a pool. The new superintendent said his four younger children will switch to Simi Valley schools as soon as they find a house. His two older daughters--a freshman and a sophomore at Westlake High School--will finish their academic careers in the Thousand Oaks school system.

Flynn will also meet next week with Interim Supt. Albert “Bud” Marley to become acquainted with upcoming issues, including opening the Wood Ranch School that is under construction and a pending boundary study.

To mend frayed relations among the board members and the newly hired superintendent, the California School Board Assn. will conduct three retreats in Simi Valley next week. Flynn also plans to visit the school sites and meet with parent groups to hear community concerns.

Even Flynn’s former boss, county Supt. Charles Weis, struck a conciliatory note Wednesday. Weis dismissed Flynn from his job as Ventura court-school principal three years ago for violations of purchasing rules, although Flynn contends the termination was political payback for his running against Weis in an election. Flynn received a $120,000 settlement after suing the district for wrongful termination.

Nonetheless, Weis sent a letter of welcome to the new schools chief.

“It doesn’t serve the schools in Simi to dwell in the past,” Weis said. “They must look to the future.”

For his part, Flynn said he is sure Kurachi and Collins will warm to him once they get to know him.

“They appear to be two ladies who are obviously concerned about the welfare of children,” he said. “Well, I’m concerned about the welfare of children. I would hope that we’d have a one-on-one conversation so they can know who I am.”

Simi Valley parent Mike Murphy said that despite his misgivings about the decision, he hopes people will give Flynn a chance.

“I hope the trustees who don’t like him won’t pick him apart and chew on him,” Murphy said. “And I hope the ones who support him won’t gloss over” any mistakes Flynn might make.

Folmar is a Times staff writer; Fernandez is a Times correspondent.

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Simi Valley Superintendents

Dan Flynn becomes the seventh Simi Valley Unified School District superintendent in seven years. The following is a list of those in the top job at Ventura County’s largest school district:

Sept. 1974 to Dec. 1990: John Duncan. Left for another job.

Dec. 1990 to June 1993: Robert Purvis. Retired.

July 1993 to June 1996: Mary Beth Wolford. Retired six months earlier than planned, citing difficulty working with board members.

July to Dec. 1996: Robert Purvis. Returned as interim superintendent.

Jan. to June 1997: Tate Parker. After being placed on administrative leave, he received $81,000 as part of a mutual termination agreement. In the settlement, both he and the board vowed not to discuss his departure.

July 1997 to present: Albert “Bud” Marley. Came out of retirement to lead the district until Simi Valley could find a new schools chief.