Position Title: Superintendent

Salary: $112,000 - $120,000

Closing Date: October 18, 2006

Downloads:

• Job Application
• Job Brochure

The Position

The Board of Education is seeking a qualified and competent professional with strong character and excellent communication skills to serve as our new superintendent and chief executive officer. An honest and ethical approach to leadership and a desire to work collaboratively and cooperatively with the Board, staff and community are essential. We are seeking an individual with a passion for children and public education who will become an integral and visible member of our community.

We are proud of our schools, our staff and our community. We are seeking a superintendent who will share our pride and work with us to create and sustain an outstanding educational program for all students.

The Community

The Eastside Union School District is located in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, approximately 70 miles northeast of the city of Los Angeles. The Antelope Valley is bordered by the San Gabriel Mountains, the High Sierra Mountains and the Tehachapi Mountains. As one of the fastest growing communities in California, our residents enjoy equally easy access to the attractions of the urban Los Angeles area, the Pacific Ocean and the recreation of lakes, deserts, and mountains — all within a few hours drive.

Our high desert setting is dry, clear and smog free. Our climate offers a taste of all four seasons. Summers are warm and dry with daytime temperatures in the 90’s, with cooler evenings. Daytime temperatures in the winter months average in the 60’s with evenings cooling to the 40’s. On occasion, we enjoy a slight dusting of snow.

The Antelope Valley has experienced an extraordinary population growth during the last two decades. We have become a suburban environment with all the accompanying amenities and challenges. Many of our residents commute to the Los Angeles area daily.

New homes and affordable housing have increased our ethnically and linguistically diverse student population and expanded the range of socio-economic groups within our schools and our community.

Major employers in our areas are manufacturers of industrial products serving the aerospace community, local and federal governmental agencies, health care services, construction industries, retail stores and school districts. The population of the area now exceeds 400,000. For more information about our community, visit www.cityoflancaster.org.

Mission Statement

To provide a program of educational excellence within a caring and motivating environment through a team commitment to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse and changing world.

Our Goals:

• Improve student achievement
  
• Ensure a safe and caring learning environment
  
• Promote a team commitment
  
• Operate with increasing efficiency and effectiveness
  
• To attract and attain the best and brightest personnel who reflect the diversity of our community

The District

The district has four schools with a total enrollment of 3,040 students. The district employs 130 certificated teachers/administrators and 200 classified staff members. The district’s General Fund budget is $22 million and our base revenue limit is approximately $5,317 per ADA.

Our greatest challenge is addressing the curriculum/instructional needs of our students. Our district has been identified as a Program Improvement district and our staff is working hard to address this issue and to improve our student’s academic performance. We have confidence that our current district office administration and staff will meet this challenge.

The district’s student population reflects the diversity of the area: 47% of the students are Hispanic, 27% African-American, 22% White (Caucasian) and 5% Other. Multiple languages are spoken in our schools and our district provides English Language Learner programs as appropriate.

The Eastside Union School District is one of eight elementary districts in the Antelope Valley that sends our students to the Antelope Valley Union High School District for their secondary education.

School Accountability Report Cards and further information about our district may be obtained by visiting our Web site at www.eastside.k12.ca.us.

Selection Criteria

The following criteria represent standards to be used in the evaluation of applications and in the selection of the superintendent.

Professional Experience and Preparation

• Classroom teaching experience.
  
• Teaching and administrative credential required.
  
• Administrative experience, including site and/or district office.
  
• Master’s degree required, doctorate optional.
  
• Bilingual/(Spanish) desirable.

Personal Characteristics

• A passion for public education and desire to positively impact the lives of our students, our staff and our community.
  
• A “hands on” leader who will regularly visit classrooms and interact with students and staff face to face.
  
• Honest and straightforward with high personal standards and ethics.
  
• A personable and approachable leadership style.
  
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
  
• An appreciation for diversity and the many cultures of our students and staff.
  
• The ability to relate to and effectively communicate with all constituencies.
  
• A willingness to participate in and become involved in our community.
  
• A good sense of humor.
  
• A creative and innovative problem solver.
  
• A people person who has compassion in dealing with students and adults.
  
• An active listener who values and respects diverse opinions and viewpoints.
  
• A calm and respectful demeanor and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations.

Professional Skills and Abilities

• An appreciation for team work and demonstrated experience at developing and motivating personnel to achieve.
  
• A goals-based leadership style that focuses upon students as the first priority in all decisions.
  
• The demonstrated ability to effectively manage people, time, resources, and projects.
  
• Expertise and knowledge in curriculum/instruction, finance, facilities, personnel and community relations.
  
• The ability to multitask and delegate with an attention to details and accountability.
  
• A willingness to learn the culture of the district and the community before initiating or recommending any changes.
  
• Experience in working with low socio-economic, diverse communities.
  
• The ability to be candid and forthright, regardless of the issues.
  
• A supporter of parent and community involvement and participation in the school district.
  
• A background and knowledge of special education and its role in school programs.
  
• An appreciation for and support of staff involvement and collaboration in decision making.
  
• A visible and active style that promotes accessibility and availability.
  
• The ability to work effectively with an active and involved governance team and to provide accurate information in a timely manner.
  
• The ability to motivate and empower staff to improve and achieve.
  
• An appreciation for the history and work of the current staff and administration.

Application Procedure

All applications will be held strictly confidential. Each applicant is requested to follow the procedures listed below. Those applicants wishing additional information should contact the adviser at CSBA (916) 669-3297. For duplication purposes, please do not bind application materials.

Applications are to be sent to:

Eastside Union School District
c/o Molly McGee Hewitt, Director
Executive Search Services
California School Boards Association
3100 Beacon Blvd., Suite Eastside
West Sacramento, CA 95691

All applicants must provide the following items by the closing date, October 18, 2006 (5:00 p.m.), to be considered:

• A completed Application Information Form. (Please complete as instructed; do not complete by stating “see attached résumé”.) The Application Information Form and brochure may be downloaded via CSBA’s web page at www.csba.org/es
  
• A personal letter of application stating reasons for interest in the Eastside Union School District superintendent position
  
• A résumé providing biographical background information about educational preparation, experience, and achievements
  
• Five current letters of professional references describing the applicant’s performance in previously held positions.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to arrange to have placement papers or reference letters forwarded in time to meet the October 18, 2006 (5:00 p.m.) deadline. Additional brochures may be requested by calling the CSBA 24-hour Brochure Request Line at (916) 669-3296.

Selection Procedure

A professional screening committee will evaluate the qualifications of each applicant. The board and the screening committee will use the described criteria during the screening, interviewing, and final decision-making process. After receiving and studying the report of the screening committee, the board will select and interview the top candidates.

The board will select candidates for the final interviews, conduct the interviews, and select the superintendent. Any applicant who contacts a board member with the intent of influencing the board’s decision will be disqualified.

Salary and Contract Terms

The Eastside Union School District Board of Trustees will offer a salary range of $112,000 to $120,000 (competitive and negotiable) to the successful candidate, based on that individual’s experience and qualifications.

It is the candidate’s responsibility to provide the district with employment eligibility and verification of citizenship in compliance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act.

Board of Education