Timeline laid out for hiring new Del Mar Hills Academy Principal
Source: Carmel Valley News 10-16-08
By Matt Liebowitz
The Del Mar Union School District met in a special meeting on Oct. 1 to discuss the timeline and process for hiring a new principal for Del Mar Hills Academy, a position left vacant by former principal Laurie Francis.
Francis left Del Mar Hills this past summer to take a principal position at Carmel Valley Middle School; in her absence, Vince Jewell has been serving as interim principal. Jewell recently announced that he will be leaving his Hills position by the Thanksgiving break.
The district’s hiring schedule outlined Oct. 7 as the deadline for filing an application. On Oct. 9 the district will complete paper screening and select candidates for the first round of interviews, which will be conducted Oct. 15 by a panel comprised of staff and community members.
Oct. 17 is the second round of interviews, in which candidates will meet with Director of Human Resources Rodger Smith and Janet Bernrd, interim superintendent and assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. The finalist will make a site visit on Oct. 21, and be appointed on Oct. 22.
Director of Human Resources Rodger Smith said that as of Oct 1, the district had already received 11 applications; the position has been advertised continuously for six weeks. Smith expects the district to receive between 20 and 30 applications.
Though Smith wouldn’t comment on any of the applicants, he reported that at least one currently works in the district.
While she’s ultimately pleased with the decision to find a permanent replacement for Francis, Kerry Traylor, PTA president at Del Mar Hills Academy, said she believes political posturing is the reason the search got off the ground.
In August, the school district’s interim superintendent Janet Bernard proposed an identical plan — both in timetable and process — to the one approved on Oct. 1, but the board declined to approve it.
“The reason they approved it this time was purely political,” said Traylor. “The board realized they’d look very foolish vetoing the very first major management decision made by the new superintendent [Dr. Sharon McClain]. It was easy for them to disapprove Bernard’s recommendation, but not as easy with Dr. McClain.”
School District Board President Annette Easton responded to Traylor’s assertion by saying it was a matter of timing and prudence that caused them to pursue the search now as opposed to after Bernard’s proposal in August.
“We’d heard all along from PTA that they wanted to move forward,” said Easton. “It was just, unfortunately with the timing of Laurie Francis leaving, it wouldn’t have been possible to do a thorough search and involve the Del Mar Hills community if we had tried to that in August.”
Easton also stressed that the search was put off until McClain was in office (she was hired as superintendent on Aug. 20).
“We thought it would be helpful to wait until the new superintendent was on board,” Easton said.
Regardless of the way it came about, Traylor is satisfied the search is beginning, and appreciative of McClain for her leadership and cooperation with the Hills’ parent and teacher community, noting that on Sept. 19, McClain visited Del Mar Hills and met with more than 70 parents. Traylor also voiced the PTA’s approval of the community input aspect of the principal search process.
More information:
|