Peter Hartman; Admired Schools Chief

Peter A. Hartman, the superintendent who shaped Saddleback Valley Unified into a nationally respected school district, died in a South County hospital Saturday after a lengthy illness.

During his 18 years at the helm, Hartman saw Saddleback add 12 new schools to deal with the overwhelming growth in South County. The district now includes 35,000 students at 36 schools, the fourth-largest in the county.

Hartman, 63, was named California’s school superintendent of the year last year along with longtime friend James A. Fleming, superintendent at the Capistrano Unified School District.

Educators praised Hartman for his financial wisdom and a vision that helped put Saddleback at the forefront of educational technology, including one of the earliest moves to bring the Internet into the classroom. The district was among the first to implement reduced class sizes and mandatory algebra for graduation.

“Saddleback is well known in the state and around the country, and that’s directly attributable to Peter Hartman,” said Assistant Superintendent Bill Manahan.

“South County lost a very intelligent, caring educator who did a lot for the Saddleback Unified School District and all the communities it serves. It’s a terrible loss.”

Hartman earned a doctorate in education from Stanford University in 1973. He had worked at school districts in Fremont; Washington, D.C.; Delaware; and New Jersey before agreeing to lead the Saddleback district in 1983.

At the time, the district had approximately 23,000 students and 24 schools. He saw the district through some tough financial times and a period of growth that shaped the district, his colleagues said.

“Dr. Hartman will always be remembered as not only being an instructional leader but a visionary when it came to school finance and instructional technology,” said Jennifer Huff, one of Hartman’s four assistant superintendents. “The name Saddleback is synonymous with Peter Hartman. He is going to be terribly missed.”

District employees said Hartman’s management style made it easy for them to make the district a career destination.

“I felt his commitment to us was that he was going to hire the best people he possibly could and give us the authority to do the job,” said Chuck Prince, principal at Trabuco Mesa Elementary. “He gave me the freedom to do my job without micro-managing.”

Students at Prince’s school had recently been working on a book of get-well cards they wanted to present to Hartman, Prince said. Hartman fell ill last month and had a kidney removed. Only a few weeks before that, Hartman had visited Trabuco Mesa to read to children.

Hartman, who lived in Mission Viejo with his wife, Sunny, is also survived by his four children: Beth, a teacher in the Capistrano Unified School District; Bonnie, a psychiatrist who practices in Washington state; Julie, an emergency room nurse at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center; and Peter Jr., who works in Irvine.