O.C.’s 1st Female Superintendent Named in Irvine

The Irvine Unified School District on Tuesday named Patricia Clark White, a former Orange County teacher, as its new superintendent.

White, who has been the schools chief in nearby Encinitas since 1993, becomes the first woman named permanently to a school superintendent’s post in Orange County.

“She is straightforward, extremely direct and very bright,” board President Margie Wakeham said. “Her dedication to children just shows through everything.”

The new superintendent will begin Oct. 1 and receive about $130,000 a year.

“I’m on top of the world,” White said after the announcement. “I’m thrilled to be part of this team. It’s the premier school district in the United States.”

According to a press release issued by the Encinitas district, White oversaw a number of important changes in that district, including passage of a large bond issue to modernize and repair old schools and the development of new math and language standards. She was named Superintendent of the Year in 1996 for her leadership in curriculum and instruction by the California Leadership Center.

Before coming to Encinitas, White worked for the Fountain Valley School District from 1965 to 1977, first as a teacher and finally as district administrator of employee relations and community affairs.

She also worked as assistant superintendent of personnel services for the Huntington Beach City School District.

White, 56, lives in Dana Point.

A top priority in Irvine, she said, will be to continue reducing class sizes. In Encinitas, according to the press release, White was “an early leader in the class size reduction program, successfully implementing a 20-to-1 student-teacher ratio.”

Irvine plans to begin limiting class sizes in the third grade 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 have said they could not limit the size of kindergarten classes for a full day because space is short.

The new superintendent replaces Dennis M. Smith, who left to head the school district in Orange County, Fla.

One school board member on Tuesday complained publicly about the selection process. While supportive of White’s appointment, Michael B. Regele said, “We had no opportunity before a decision was made for our staff or parents to participate. The process wasn’t terribly collaborative.”

If the district ever has to chose another superintendent, Regele said, “I certainly hope to do it differently.”