The New Santa Paula Unified School District board held its second meeting last week, voting to offer temporary jobs to one elementary and one high school district employee.
The board voted in closed session to offer the job of Chief Business Officer to Donna Rose and Cathy Bojorquez. Both women currently serve in that capacity in the Santa Paula High School and Santa Paula Elementary School districts.
The two will work on drafting a budget for the new district between now and July 1. That’s when the unified district takes over oversight of the current elementary and high school districts. Voters in the November election approved unification.
The board also decided to start the search process for a superintendent. They will interview candidates for a consultant and legal counsel at their next meeting, set for January 17.
Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Stanley Mantooth, who is temporarily serving as a staff member to the board, said it was critical to have a superintendent on board. He also urged the board to hire a consultant to help with the search process.
Board member Chris Wilson said he wanted community involvement in the search process. Diana Ponce-Gomez added that she too wanted input both from staff and the community. Kelsey Stewart made the motion to start the process to find a superintendent.
At their organizational meeting last month the board decided they wanted to add a vice president slot to the board. At last week’s meeting they elected Ponce-Gomez to that position.
At the start of the meeting, Sue Carpenter, president of the California School Employees Association for the district, said it is the hope when seeking a superintendent, “you look for an individual who holds the same respect and understanding of both classified and certificated employees.”
The board also received organizational charts from the two existing districts and voted to accept directors and officers insurance coverage at no cost through June 30 from the Ventura County Schools Self-Funding Authority.
