New School District Head Is on the Hiring Hunt

New is using the relative calm of the summer to get acclimated to his new surroundings and meet as many staffers, teachers and parents as he can.

But it’s not all glad-handing and introductions for Johnson, who hopes to fill three major openings in the district long before the first day of school on Sept. 1, including the role of  principal. The district acted quickly to replace departing Principal Matt Huxley by .

Johnson said he’s getting close to hiring a new director of technology, filling the role vacated by Terry Kritsepis, who left in April to become the assistant superintendent of education technology for the Sacramento City Unified School District.

Johnson also has scheduled the first round of interviews for the director of student support services, a position focused on a range of student programs, including those for special-education students and English-language learners. Mark Barmore left that job after two years with the district at the end of June to become the superintendent of the Moreland School District in San Jose.

But while those positions are vital, district officials have known about the vacancies for several months. The departure of Park School Principal Peg Katz, who served in that position in November 2003 and is heading to New York, was only announced in late June.

In a letter he sent before he took over as superintendent on July 1, Johnson assured Park School parents the district would act quickly.

“I wanted to let you know that the position has already been advertised and the district is moving forward to find a quality replacement,” he wrote. “The plan is to have a new principal in place by the start of the school year. In the next 4-6 weeks, we will be assembling a team of staff and parents to interview candidates.”

Johnson said he was optimistic the district can fill each position in the next several weeks.