VUSD Starts The Search For A Superintendent

By: Megan Yang and Ryan Kaspar

Visalia Unified School District (VUSD), the largest district in Tulare County, is on the search for a new Superintendent. VUSD has decided to work with Tulare County Superintendent of Schools, Tim Hire.

Juan Guerrero, Visalia Unified School Board President, says, “We [feel] working with Tulare County Office of Education (TCOE)… will be a good process.”

TCOE along with VUSD are both interested in “wanting to make sure VUSD is successful with finding a good superintendent.”

By collecting surveys and having listening meetings, VUSD is gathering community opinion on “the type of leader that will [establish] the superintendent profile” being created.

“I would have liked to have more people come [to the listening meetings]… you have to make a real sincere effort to go out into the community… We didn’t call it a talking session, we called it a listening session [because we wanted] to hear from [community members],” says Guerrero.

VUSD is then going to look at the applicants and go through a screening process. Interviewing will take place around the months of January and February of 2022.

Joy Naylor, VUSD Board Member, says it has been a “very exciting time.” Naylor is “looking forward to finding someone who is a good fit for our district.”

Walta Gamoian, VUSD Board Clerk, says, “It’s been good listening to the community.”

The main focus is “putting together a profile of what [VUSD] is looking for.”

Gamoian says, “Mr. Hire, our County Superintendent, is just wonderful” and “we needed the help because we don’t have the [knowledge on] how to put the information out.”

During the listening meetings, the community talked about the role of a superintendent having a strong curricular background, transparency, honesty, and being able to build relationships.

Gamoian adds, “We take this [process] very seriously because this will set the direction of our district for many years to come.”

Tim Hire, County Superintendent of Schools, says, “I’m flattered that [VUSD] would ask us to help out with the search.”

Hire says, “The last three superintendents have been interim superintendents selected from within the school district…[the community] would like to see a more wide-open selection process.”

With the listening meetings coming to an end, the board begins the next phase of the process by advertising, reaching out, and trying to actively recruit for the position of superintendent.

Hire adds, “If we’re going to find a high-quality superintendent for Visalia Unified, who’s going to come and do a good job and want to stay for a long time, it’s going to take all of us.”

John Rodriguez, Director of the Human Resources for Tulare County Office of Education (TCOE) and representative for Tim Hire during the listening meetings, says, “Our goal is to really put the kids first and do what’s best for [them].”

Below is the VUSD school board meeting in which the superintendent profile is revealed: