Santa Ana Trustees Rehire Mijares

Al Mijares, the longtime superintendent of Santa Ana schools, was given a three-year contract extension Thursday.

In a 4-1 vote at a packed board meeting, Santa Ana Unified School District trustees asked Mijares to remain as district chief.

The decision came despite recent calls by teachers union officials and some parents for his replacement.

“I am grateful and overwhelmed by the kindness that the [trustees] and the public have demonstrated,” said Mijares, 51, who is in his 10th year as superintendent.

His current contract expires at the end of June.

Before the trustees decided Mijares’ fate, they listened to dozens of speakers, most of them parents, addressing his tenure, said Lucy Arajuo-Cook, a spokeswoman for the district. Many who addressed the board favored extending Mijares’ stay, she said.

But the superintendent has faced criticism in recent weeks. Citing mostly fiscal concerns, the district’s teachers union this month withdrew its support for him and pressed trustees not to renew his contract.

Union President Tom Harrison portrayed Mijares as a poor leader who heads a staff that mismanaged several projects and miscalculated student enrollment projections.

The mistakes contributed to a $29-million budget shortfall, Harrison said.

Others have defended Mijares, saying he could not be held solely accountable for the district’s financial problems. County education officials and some trustees have praised him for stabilizing the district’s $500-million annual budget over the past year.

Details of the new contract were not available. Mijares currently receives $200,000 annually.