Grossmont Union High School District

Position Title: Superintendent

Salary: $200,000

Closing Date: August 9, 2007

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The Position

The governing board of the Grossmont Union High School District is seeking as its next superintendent and chief executive officer an experienced, visionary educational leader with superior interpersonal and communication skills who will demonstrate an open, collaborative, inclusive management style. The successful candidate will be someone experienced in high school education and operations. They will be highly visible and involved in the community, schools and district worksites and have the ability to build strong, cooperative relationships with all stakeholders of the school system. The person selected for this position will be someone of the highest integrity who will build an atmosphere of trust and respect with the governing board, staff, students and communities. The successful candidate will also be able to work effectively with the school board to foster a common vision and maintain a strong governance team.

The current superintendent is retiring after having served in the district for five years.

The Community

Grossmont Union High School District employees enjoy the friendliness of small communities plus the convenience and opportunities of living in a large metropolitan area. The San Diego East County communities of La Mesa, Lemon Grove, Spring Valley, El Cajon, Santee, Lakeside and Alpine offer housing of all sizes, types and price ranges. Each community has its own business district and shopping centers. Churches, synagogues, fine schools, modern hospitals and clinics and community libraries further enhance the quality of life in East County.

A mild climate allows 12 months of outdoor fun in San Diego County. San Diego is known for its beaches, deserts, the Laguna Mountains and close proximity to Mexico. Balboa Park with its world-famous zoo, Sea World Aquatic Park and Old Town Historic Park are some of the popular attractions available in the San Diego area. There are many recreational facilities available in the area for golfing, waterskiing, boating, and fresh-water and deep-sea fishing. Sports fans can enjoy major league baseball and professional football.

In addition to cultural programs sponsored by Grossmont Community College, there are classes and exhibits at Balboa Park’s art galleries and museums, exhibits at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, San Diego Symphony Orchestra concerts, San Diego Opera presentations, outstanding theater groups including Old Globe and Civic Theater, and historic sites such as San Diego Mission, Presidio, Old Town and the Cabrillo National Monument. San Diego has six major colleges and universities which provide postgraduate level courses in all academic areas.

The District

The Grossmont Union High School District is dedicated to providing a safe and collaborative learning environment which supports academic achievement and social development for all students. The Grossmont District operates on the premise that success for every student is dependent upon all groups in the organization including teachers, administrators, parents, staff, students and the community working together to support all students in their development as life-long learners, thinkers and successful contributors to the community.

The Grossmont Union High School District is a suburban school district encompassing 470 square miles in the eastern portion of San Diego County serving the cities of El Cajon, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, Santee, and the unincorporated areas of Spring Valley, Alpine, Lakeside, Dulzura and Jamul. The district’s high schools include Grossmont, El Cajon Valley, Mount Miguel, El Capitan, Granite Hills, Monte Vista, Santana, Valhalla, West Hills, and Helix and Steele Canyon Charter Schools. Alternative education programs such as Chaparral High School, Gateway, Middle College High School and Phoenix are also operated by the school system.

There are approximately 24,000 students in grades 9-12 attending the eleven comprehensive high schools (two of which are charter schools), one continuation school, and alternative and special education programs. The district also operates a very comprehensive adult school and regional occupational program. Approximately 53 percent of the high school students are white and 47 percent come from Latino, African-American, Asian, Filipino, Pacific Islander and Native American backgrounds.

The Grossmont Union High School District provides a quality educational program for its students and has a reputation for excellence in education throughout the state. Over the past several years, District high schools have received several Golden Bell awards from the California School Boards Association exemplifying outstanding curricular programs. More than 70 percent of the district’s graduating seniors attend community college or a four-year college/university.

The 2,454 full-time employees in the district, combined with hundreds of hourly employees, make the district the largest employer in the East County. The 2006-07 combined General Fund budget is $210,000,000

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 at the high school level
Administrative experience, including site, district office with a high school education component
Master’s degree required, doctorate desirable
Experience as a superintendent, deputy/assistant superintendent

Personal Characteristics

Honest and ethical, a person of integrity
A strong communicator who is approachable, accessible, possesses exceptional listening skills and can communicate with all stakeholders; a “people person”
Demonstrates openness and inclusiveness with all groups
Highly visible and active in the community, schools and worksites of the district
Is a person of strong convictions, able to make difficult decisions and possesses the courage to publicly take a stand on their recommendations
Keeps the interests of children foremost in their decision making
Has the ability to create a climate of collaboration and consensus building with all stakeholders
A person who is a team builder, one who recognizes the abilities and contributions of all district staff and motivates toward excellence
Able to build and maintain a climate of trust and respect
Emotionally mature, one who is able to remain calm and composed in stressful situations
Someone who is trustworthy with a demonstrated history of following through on commitments

Professional Skills and Abilities

A strong instructional leader with experience working in a large, complex school district with the challenges and diversity of the Grossmont Union High School District
Able to build strong coalitions and partnerships with all segments of the community, including business and local governmental agencies
Demonstrates an understanding, acceptance and ability to work effectively with economically and culturally diverse populations
Has a successful record of building and maintaining positive working relationships with employee associations/unions
Understands professional learning communities and their role in the instructional program of the district
A strategic thinker and planner focused on the achievement of identified outcomes
Has expertise in fiscal matters that allows for the oversight of the budget, supervision of the budget development process and long-range fiscal planning in an environment of shrinking enrollments
Understands bonding as it relates to construction and rehabilitation matters as well as total facility planning and funding, including redistricting issues

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:

Grossmont Union High School District
c/o Dr. Bill Diedrich, Adviser
California School Boards Association
3100 Beacon Blvd., Suite Grossmont
West Sacramento, CA 95691

All applicants must provide the following items by the closing date, August 9, 2007 (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; www.csba.org/es
A personal letter of application stating reasons for interest in the Grossmont Union High School District superintendent position
A résumé providing biographical background information including educational preparation, experience, and achievements
A placement file and/or five (5) 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 August 9, 2007 (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.

Travel expenses for those candidates selected for the initial interview will be the responsibility of the candidate.

Salary and Contract Terms

The Grossmont Union High School District Board of Education will offer a salary of not less than $200,000 (competitive and negotiable) per year 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.