After almost three years without an assistant superintendent of
human resources, the school district filled the position with a
seasoned school administrator who comes to Gilroy from the Oak
Grove School District.
After almost three years without an assistant superintendent of human resources, the school district filled the position with a seasoned school administrator who comes to Gilroy from the Oak Grove School District.
The district is still hammering out its contract with Joel Ruiz Herrera and has not yet decided on a start date for the new head of the human resources department. But Superintendent Deborah Flores introduced him to the school board and community at Thursday evening’s school board meeting.
“By far, he was the strongest candidate,” Flores said.
District staff hopes to have Herrera’s contract complete by the Oct. 21 school board meeting. Because the district is still negotiating Herrera’s compensation, salary figures were not immediately available. However, Herrera’s predecessor – Michael Lyons, who resigned in January 2008 after reaching a settlement with the district – earned an annual base salary of $128,000.
The district has been recruiting for the position for the last two years, but did not receive adequate pools of candidates after two recruitment cycles when they advertised the position as a “director,” rather than an “assistant superintendent,” Flores said.
With the help of a consulting firm, Leadership Associates, the district recruited the most recent pool of candidates, which included Herrera.
According to Herrera’s resume, he earned his doctoral degree in education from the University of La Verne in 2007. He also holds a master’s degree in education administration and supervision and his bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting, from San Jose State University.
He has served as a teacher, principal and district administrator.
After interviewing many candidates, Flores said she decided to hire Herrera because of his experience as both an assistant principal at an elementary school and as a principal at a high school and because he had several years of experience in human resources and educational services.
“I like people who have been cross pollinated,” she said, referring to his diverse experience. “I think he will fit into our team very well.”
