A total of 18 people have so far applied for Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s superintendent position that opened in June when Michelle Rodriguez left for another district.
That was according to Eric Andrew of Glendora, Calif.-based Leadership Associates, the search firm that the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees hired in July to conduct the nationwide search.
The firm discussed the results of a recent community survey, for which more than 1,000 people responded.
In all, the respondents said they want a bilingual superintendent with teaching experience. They also said they want one who has previous experience as either an assistant superintendent or superintendent in a similar-sized district, and who has a track record of boosting student success.
In addition, the candidate should be a politically savvy people person with good communication and listening skills, the surveys showed.
Whomever takes the helm next year will face an impending economic recession and declining enrollment that will mean a $4 million loss in revenues by the 2024-25 school year.
According to EdSource, PVUSD is not alone facing that issue. Statewide, schools lost 39,696 students in the last school year. That loss is attributed to declining birth rates and to out-of-state migration by residents fleeing high housing costs.
Because schools are funded on a per-pupil basis, that can mean a loss of millions for already struggling districts.
PVUSD’s top spot was vacated in June when Rodriguez announced that she had taken a job with Stockton Unified School District. Chief Business Officer Clint Rucker temporarily took the spot until the board appointed former Watsonville High School Principal Murry Schekman.
Next, Leadership Associates will conduct nationwide outreach through Jan. 12, and present a list of candidates by Jan. 31. The board will interview the candidates around Feb. 17, and is expected to appoint the new superintendent in March.
