Conejo Valley Chief of Schools to Leave for Orange County

Jerry Gross, superintendent of the Conejo Valley Unified School District for eight years, will take the top post in an Orange County district.

The Saddleback Valley Unified School District Board of Education will meet Thursday to confirm Gross’ appointment and finalize contract details, according to board member Nancy W. Kirkpatrick.

Gross will start his new job Aug. 6.

“There comes a time when you just know it’s the right thing to do, so away we go,” the 61-year-old Gross said Thursday. “I’m very excited to have this great opportunity.”

Gross is expected to give his formal resignation to the Thousand Oaks district’s school board at a special meeting Wednesday, said board President Pat Phelps.

She said Richard Simpson, assistant superintendent of educational services, will serve as acting schools chief until the board appoints an interim superintendent.

The ideal candidate for that job, Phelps said, is someone who does not plan to apply for the permanent position, but who is familiar with its duties and the issues in the district.

The board will discuss its plans for a superintendent search at Wednesday’s meeting as well.

“There are mixed feelings,” Phelps said of Gross’ move. “He’s left us in a difficult situation with such short-term notice, but then you look back on eight great years.”

The Saddleback district in Mission Viejo has about 35,000 students, compared with Conejo’s 21,000. Both are high-achieving districts with similar demographics.

Gross said one of his first tasks in the Saddleback Valley will be to create a strategic plan that he hopes will bring the district to “the next level” in academics, facilities and fiscal health.

In the Conejo Valley district, Gross was making about $157,000 in salary annually. Kirkpatrick said superintendents in districts the size of Saddleback typically earn a base salary of $160,000 to $180,000.

Gross’ wife, Gwen, is superintendent of the Beverly Hills Unified School District, a post she took in June 2000 after leading the school district in Ojai for four years. The couple plan to keep their house in Westlake Village but also intend to buy a second home in Orange County.

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Times staff writer Dennis McLellan contributed to this story.