San Dieguito superintendent Eric Dill announces his resignation

REGION — The superintendent of San Dieguito Union High School District, Eric Dill, announced his resignation on Friday, May 25.

Dill will finish the current school year and then take a new position as the chief business official for the Santa Clara Unified School District.

Dill was appointed interim superintendent in July 2016 before becoming superintendent on Jan. 1, 2017. He had worked for the district since 2001, primarily in business services.

In Dill’s statement to staff, he wrote, “This truly is a special place, not because of the high achievement for which we are known, but for the people who make it possible.”

According to a district press release, the board will meet next week “to discuss short and long-term steps to appoint the next superintendent.”

Board President Beth Hergesheimer wrote in her official announcement that the board and staff “will work together to ensure a smooth start to the next school year and continue to provide a world-class education for students of all abilities.”

Board member John Salazar emailed a statement to The Coast News that said, “I was not surprised to hear that Superintendent Dill resigned today. He was not hired by the full board, but by a 3-2 split vote. Under his leadership we have seen many missteps, from growing budget deficits to outright parent demonstrations regarding the mishandling of our special needs students’ programs. I believe that Mr. Dill found out that this is not a district where an administrator cannot put student interests first.

“Parents in this district are very informed and demand fiscal responsibility. They also want smaller class sizes, later school start times and increased security on campus. Mr. Dill had a hard time balancing the demands from our employee unions and our taxpayers. I look forward to hiring a new superintendent hopefully from outside our district who will be able to be an innovative leader who will move the district to fiscal solvency and will put our students’ needs ahead of all other special interests.”