School district gets ready to find new supe School district gets ready to find new supe (August 20, 2004)

Negri likely to take new job with East Bay district

By Julie O'Shea

With Superintendent Jim Negri poised to leave Mountain View-Whisman by the end of October for a new job in the East Bay, parents are speculating who will be next to lead the cash-strapped school district.

An early popular vote seems to favor Eleanor Yick, the district's associate superintendent, who was passed over for the top administrative position two years ago when Negri was hired. However, other parents believe the district needs a new leader who can offer a fresh perspective.

As reported on the Voice's Web site on Aug. 12, Negri is the top contender for the superintendent post at Acalanes Union High School District, a Contra Costa County district which serves about 5,900 students in Orinda, Moraga, Lafayette and Walnut Creek.

The Acalanes school board was scheduled to make Negri an offer on Wednesday, after the Voice's press time. Negri is on administrative leave until Aug. 20. Yick has temporarily been put in charge in Negri's absence.

When asked if she has considered applying for the superintendent position if it becomes available, Yick said: "I think it's a little premature to speculate like that. ... I always feel a little uneasy about discussing an issue that isn't definitive yet."

The Mountain View-Whisman school board spent about $30,000 on a national search for a new superintendent in 2002. Negri was selected out of a pool of 21 applicants, after being invited to apply for the position by a headhunting firm.

Since Aug. 11, the school board has met three times behind closed doors to discuss Negri's impending resignation, which could come as early as Aug. 19.

Trustees are remaining tight-lipped about their discussions. Board President Rose Filicetti said she and her colleagues are reviewing both "long- and short-term options," but have not come up with anything concrete. In a public statement released Monday, the school board said it will continue to discuss this issue for the next 10 months.

The November election will usher in at least two new board members, and Filicetti -- who is retiring along with Carol Fisher -- said they should get a say in hiring the next superintendent. Running for a seat on Nov. 2 is incumbent Gloria Higgins, former board member Juan Aranda and newcomers Michael Kelly, Rosemary Roquero and Fiona Walter.

Some parents say they hope trustees won't waste thousands of dollars on another national search when they can already identify a qualified candidate.

"I think Eleanor Yick's a valuable resource. She'd be great (for the job)," said Taylor House, president of the Bubb School PTA. "I'm concerned about us spending more money. I think we spent $30,000 (to find) Jim (Negri), and he only lasted two years."

Added Michelle De La Ossa, another Bubb parent, "We have someone there who knows the job. ... She's a capable superintendent, and she's a great communicator."

But Chris Kuszmaul, Slater School's PTA president, said parents who are already selecting Yick for the job are speaking prematurely.

"It's hard to evaluate who would be good (for the position) unless you are on the school board" or work with the potential candidate on a regular basis, he said, adding that few parents have probably worked with Yick in that kind of capacity.

"Thirty-thousand dollars is not something you want to spend (freely)," Kuszmaul added, but "a poor choice on the superintendent could end up being very expensive."

There is also an interest among some to hire from outside the district, which was formed from the Mountain View and Whisman districts in 2001.

"The district did a fabulous job looking for an external candidate," said Slater parent Judy Levy. "I don't think we are unified enough to hire from within."

Yick and Trish Bubenik were superintendents of the Whisman and Mountain View districts, respectively, prior to the merger. The newly formed district hired Bubenik as its superintendent only to fire her less than a year later.

If he accepts Acalanes' expected job offer, Negri will replace Randall Olson, who is retiring at the end of October.

"It's still not official," Negri said Monday. "I haven't signed a contact. ... Until you sign something, it's never final."

Negri was approached by Acalanes a few weeks ago. He said he is excited about the new job prospect but emphasized that he hadn't been looking for it.

"There is nothing wrong with (Mountain View-Whisman) that I wanted to leave," he said.

Before working in Mountain View, Negri was employed at the Pleasanton Unified School District for 11 years and San Ramon Valley Unified for five and a half years.

E-mail Julie O'Shea at joshea@mv-voice.com

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