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The Mountain View Whisman School District is set to have a new interim leader in place starting today, as retired Los Altos School District Superintendent Jeff Baier takes the helm for the rest of the school year.
Former Superintendent Ayindé Rudolph resigned in November and Kevin Skelly has been leading the district for the past several months. Skelly previously led the district in an interim capacity in 2015, before Rudolph was hired.
The district decided in November that Baier would take over from Skelly at the start of February, so that Skelly wouldn’t exceed the limit on the amount that he can work while remaining eligible for the state’s teacher retirement system.
Baier has a long history in local education, culminating in being superintendent of the Los Altos School District from 2010 until his retirement in 2022. Baier grew up in Los Altos and graduated from St. Francis High School.
This won’t be his first time as an educator in Mountain View. He began his teaching career in the Mountain View School District in 1990, ultimately becoming principal of Landels Elementary School in 1998.
“I’m honored to be selected, quite honestly, and excited to come back to where the magic all began for me as a teacher,” Baier said at a Jan. 30 school board meeting.
Mountain View Whisman’s board unanimously voted at that meeting to approve an amended contract for Baier to serve as interim superintendent. The terms differ somewhat from a contract that the board previously approved in November.
Baier will be paid $1,500 per day that he works, a $100 increase from the figure in his original contract. However, he will also no longer receive $5,000 per month to pay for health benefits. Instead, Baier will be eligible for the highest Kaiser health plan that the district offers. The contract also specifies that Baier will work full time, while the prior agreement said his schedule could range from three to five days per week.
Asked about the reason for the changes, Baier told the Voice that because he is coming out of retirement, it was necessary for him to receive health benefits through the district. For insurance purposes, the contract needed to state that he would be working full time, Baier added. Taken together, Baier said that he expects the changes to the contract will end up saving the district money.
At Thursday’s meeting, school board members praised Skelly for his leadership during a turbulent time for the district. When Rudolph resigned, the district was in the midst of multiple controversies, particularly around spending. An external state agency has agreed to commence an audit of the district.
All five board members spoke highly of the work Skelly has done over the past few months.
“A lot of our goal has been to tighten the ship, and you may as well walk around with a screwdriver,” Devon Conley said. “There’s been a lot of tightening of the ship, so thank you for that. It’s appreciated.”
The expectation is that Baier will remain in place for the rest of the school year. The district has started its search for a permanent leader, who the board plans to have in place for the 2025-26 school year.
Have to give it to the Board for a smooth transition here. Kind of got lucky but so far so good.