Irvine School Board May Delay Picking New District Chief

Trustees may put off choosing a new superintendent for the Irvine Unified School District until they can resolve stalled contract negotiations with teachers, the board’s president said Wednesday.

“It may not be very wise to bring somebody into the middle of this,” Steven S. Choi said the day after the superintendent announced her retirement. The top administrator’s departure, he said, “may open up some new channels for dialogue. I hope this impasse will settle down very quickly, then a new person can come in and start his or her work on more harmonious ground.”

Patricia White Clark, superintendent for five years, told a packed board meeting Tuesday night that she would step down June 30. Saying she had accomplished most of her goals for the district, Clark, 61, added that she was retiring to spend more time with her family. “I’ve lost close friends who were superintendents in other districts,” she said. “They’ve died too young.”

Choi said the board will meet within two weeks to discuss the process and timetable for selecting a new superintendent. Making those decisions, he said, “definitely has to be a high priority. Pat has been a very strong leader with a strong personality. I prefer to think positively--this may open up an opportunity for new leadership, new vision and new hope.”

Clark’s departure comes at a difficult time for the district, which operates on an annual budget of about $180 million and serves nearly 24,000 students. State budget deficits have forced it to close an elementary school and issue preliminary layoff notices to 130 teachers. Negotiations with the district’s 1,200 teachers, who have been without a contract for nearly a year, were recently declared at an impasse and turned over to a state mediator.

“I think she made the right decision,” Ryan Dahlem, a math teacher at University High School, said of Clark’s resignation from her $153,000-a-year job. “As a corporate body, we haven’t seen much improvement in the financial situation. There’s been a lack of commitment and compassion toward employees.”

Support for Choi’s idea of delaying selection of Clark’s successor came from diverse quarters Wednesday.

Anne Caenn, president of the Irvine Teachers Assn., gave it high marks.

“It might be difficult for somebody who doesn’t know the history to step in and understand all the players,” said Caenn, whose union has called for a vote of no confidence against the board and superintendent. “Perhaps it would be best to have one less player.”

School board member Sue Kuwabara suggested appointing an interim superintendent.

“We want to take our time and go through the process the way it should be done,” she said of filling the job permanently.

She said she has been very pleased with Clark’s performance. “This district expects excellence, and we’re looking for a highly qualified superintendent.”

Dennis M. Smith, who preceded Clark in the post and called her “one of the most highly regarded and respected superintendents in the state,” predicted the district would take its time replacing her.

“They won’t rush into the selection, nor should they,” said Smith, now head of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District. “The board members are wise people, and they will move methodically and strategically through the process. Finding someone to replace Pat is going to be a big job.”