Position Title: Superintendent

Salary: Competitive and Negotiable

Closing Date: May 1, 2007

Downloads:

• Job Application
• Job Brochure

The Position

The South Whittier School District Board of Education is seeking a strong, visionary leader with exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to serve as the district’s next superintendent and chief executive officer. The successful candidate will be one who employs a collaborative, inclusive management style with the board, staff and community. This person will be an enthusiastic “hands on” leader who is highly visible and involved in the community, schools and district worksites. They will also possess a demonstrated record of success in achieving goals, as well as accountability, for improving the academic performance of all students in an ethnically and socio-economically diverse school system and community. The current superintendent is retiring after 45 years of service to the district, the last 22 years as its superintendent.

The Community

The community of South Whittier is an unincorporated area located approximately 15 miles east of Los Angeles. It is located between the cities of Sante Fe Springs on the west, Whittier on the north, La Habra on the east and La Mirada on the south. The community is conveniently located near some of California’s most exciting urban areas. Entertainment venues such as world class museums and galleries, major league sports, concerts, plays, water sports and other activities enjoyed in southern California are within easy driving distances of South Whittier. Several colleges and universities also serve the area.

The District

The South Whittier School District serves 4,000 students in eight schools in what can best be termed a small town setting with strong support from all segments of the community. The schools are configured in the following manner: five kindergarten to sixth grade, one kindergarten to third grade and one third to sixth grade. All of these schools feed into a seventh and eighth grade middle school. Preschools are located on four elementary campuses. The ethnic composition of the student body reflects the diversity of the area: 92% Latino, 2 % Asian, 4% White-Non-Hispanic, 1% African-American and 1% Native-American. English language learners comprise 26% of the student body. 75% of the students are recipients of free or reduced price lunches. The average class size in grades K-3 is 20. Students attend schools in the Whittier Union High School District for grades 9-12.

The district enjoys strong support from its community and various stakeholder groups. Two bond issues have been passed during the last decade at approximately an 80% level. By obtaining State facility funding, the board has converted $15 million into $27 million. These funds have been, and are currently being, used to modernize existing school facilities and construct others. District facilities are attractive and well-maintained. Further, groups such as the PTA and other parent and community organizations actively support and interact with the schools and staff of the district.

Academic achievement by all children is a central focus of the district. The school system offers a rigorous curriculum that stresses reading, language arts, mathematics, social science, technology, health and fitness. In addition to the basic program of instruction, the district offers a wide range of enrichment activities for its students. These activities include the gifted and talented program, music, drama, fine arts and after school sports. In an effort to address the challenges of ensuring that all students attain proficiency, interventions for students who are not achieving at grade level are also offered at all schools. Programs have also been introduced to assist English Language Learners. These include structured English immersion classes and mainstream classes for English learners. Several district schools have received honors for student academic progress. One third of the schools in the district were recently named High Achieving Title I schools by the federal government.

South Whittier School District employs approximately 320 certificated and classified staff members. Its FY 2006-07 General Fund budget is $30,000,000.

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

The following experiences are desirable:

• Classroom teaching experience
  
• Administrative experience, including site and/or district office
  
• Bilingual (Spanish)

Professional Skills and Abilities

• Has a demonstrated background of understanding state and federal mandates (including NCLB, Program Improvement, English Language Learning and Special Education) and knows how to successfully meet their requirements
  
• Maintains knowledge of effective programs and best practices that result in student academic success as well as the latest developments, strategies, research and reform efforts
  
• Has knowledge of and experience in finance, including budgeting, long and short range fiscal planning, creative funding approaches and building programs
  
• Experienced in successfully building and maintaining positive relationships with employee associations/unions and their leadership
  
• Familiar with and can lead complex school systems and their components
  
• Experienced in managing personnel, including supervising employee evaluation programs
  
• Understands technology, its uses to support and enhance instruction and recognizes the need for ongoing maintenance and upgrades

Board Relationships

The successful candidate will have the ability to:

• Work effectively and efficiently to implement board actions, foster a common vision and commitment, maintain a strong governance team model and establish strong superintendent/board relations
  
• Work openly with the board to ensure that its members receive all relevant information in a timely manner, including advice and recommendations necessary to make informed decisions

Personal Characteristics

• Honest and forthright; a person of integrity and trustworthiness
  
• A proactive and creative problem solver who has the courage to deal with difficult issues
  
• A “people person” who is approachable, accessible, possesses exceptional empathetic listening skills and can effectively communicate, both verbally and in writing, with all stakeholders
  
• A “hands on” leader who is highly visible and active in the community, schools and worksites
  
• Able to know, appreciate and work effectively with all segments of a socio-economically and ethnically diverse community
  
• A person who can inspire the entire organization toward common goals
  
• Respects, supports and encourages stakeholder involvement in school and district activities, including parents and the PTA
  
• A visionary, future-oriented leader who is able to take the district to its next steps of development
  
• Is adaptable, fair, affable and open-minded with actions demonstrating students are the focus of decision-making
  
• An enthusiastic and energetic team player and team builder who recognizes the abilities and contributions of all
• Will study and quickly learn about the community and district, including their history and culture, victories and challenges

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 CSBA adviser at (916) 669-3297

Applications are to be sent to:

South Whittier School District
c/o Dr. William Diedrich
California School Boards Association
3100 Beacon Blvd., Suite SWhittier
West Sacramento, CA 95691

All applications must provide the following items by the closing date, Tuesday, May 1, 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 South Whittier School District superintendent position
  
• A résumé providing biographical background information about the 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 the placement papers or reference letters forwarded in time to meet the Tuesday, May 1, 2007 (5:00 p.m.) deadline.

Selection Procedure

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

The board will select and invite 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 South Whittier School District Board of Education will offer a multi-year contract with a compensation and benefits package that is competitive and negotiable based on the 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