After 13 years under the tenure of Superintendent Colleen
Wilcox, the Santa Clara County Board of Education is reaching out
to the community for input on her successor.
After 13 years under the tenure of Superintendent Colleen Wilcox, the Santa Clara County Board of Education is reaching out to the community for input on her successor.
“The board’s priorities have changed,” said Jane Howard, president of the county board of education. “Leadership needs to change as well.”
One of the board’s top priorities is to “produce the highest opportunity for students to succeed in alternative schools,” Howard said. The board’s new priorities place importance on the success of the county’s alternative and charter schools, she said. Of the 19 charter schools in Santa Clara County, four are run by the county office of education. The county’s alternative schools serve about 750 students.
Now that the board has selected a firm to assist in the search for the new superintendent, it is actively seeking input from the greater community. The board hopes to have the position filled by July 1.
The county board distributed an e-mail Thursday inviting the public to comment on the desired attributes and qualifications of the new superintendent. The letter stressed the importance of the community’s input and welcomed the public to make appointments with the search firm, Leadership Associates.
On Jan. 14, 15 and 16, the firm will be available, by appointment only, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the SCCOE, 1290 Ridder Park Drive in San Jose.
On the evening of Jan. 14, consultants will be available, by appointment only, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Palo Alto School District office and the Morgan Hill School District office. The public should call (408) 453-6652 to make an appointment.
The SCC Board of Education will also hold a meeting at 5 p.m. Jan. 15, at the Ridder Park location. The meeting will be dedicated to an open forum in which members of the public may give input. No appointment is necessary.
Comments from the community input sessions will be compiled and used to guide the search process. The board will begin accepting applications for the position in February.
The county office of education provides instructional, administrative and student services to the county’s 32 school districts, which serve more than 254,000 K-12 students. Since Wilcox’s retirement in September, Joe Fimiani, who previously served as an assistant superintendent at the county office, is acting as interim superintendent.
