The district is currently being led by Interim Superintendent Dr. Kevin Holt, who served as superintendent of SMUSD for 14 years before retiring in June of 2017.
Dr. Holt took the position back in October after former Superintendent Dr. Carmen García abruptly resigned in September following months of conflict with parents and district teachers.
Dr. Holt sent this statement to The Coast News:
“It is a great honor to be asked to come out of retirement and provide my leadership as the interim superintendent for the SMUSD as the Governing Board searches for the right person to become the next superintendent.
The pandemic has affected everyone’s life in a variety of ways and schools had to quickly reinvent themselves to again meet the needs of their diverse student body.
I admire the work being done by teachers, support staff and school administration. It’s not the same work that was being done when I retired. When I made the decision to retire in 2017, we were working to offer virtual classes to increase the elective options for high school students. Fast forward to today, every teacher at every grade level has now taught virtually at some point since March of this year.
It’s new and exciting work and I look forward to seeing the continued innovation of this district.”
Dana Vorsos, executive assistant to the superintendent, told The Coast News that the district will consider qualified candidates from inside and outside of the district. She said the board is working with the Education Support Services Group for the recruitment of a superintendent.
Vorsos also said that Dr. Holt will not be considered to take over in a permanent role because he is retired and will not be permanently coming out of retirement.
Once the new board is seated, they will work together with the recruitment firm to determine what qualifications they are searching for in a new superintendent and will then begin their search.
It is unclear when the district hopes to have made its decision.
SMUSD is currently operating in a hybrid model for elementary students and virtual instruction for middle and high school students. Beginning in January, all students will be offered a hybrid learning option for the remainder of the school year.
