NORWALK/LA MIRADA SUPERINTENDENT’S MESSAGE: “The District is about to embark on an exciting year with so many positive changes” …oh …and I’m outta here!

 

Norwalk/La Mirada Superintendent’s Message by Ruth Perez, in DowneyBeat.com | http://bit.ly/1ogAP4R Wed, Aug 20, 2014  ::  The lazy days of summer haven’t quite reached the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District as we are all busy at work to gear up for the upcoming school year, which is just around the corner. This summer, the Board of Education voted to pass several measures that puts the District on an exciting new path toward improvements that will surely affect the performance and success for our students. On June 30, the Board adopted the District’s Facilities Master Plan, which is necessary to prioritize our schools’ improvements for the foreseeable future. The master plan includes $600 million worth of projects that prioritize infrastructure to support new technology, modernization at our schools, new roofing at all District sites and other needs. To help prioritize these projects, the Board also adopted the District’s Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP). For about 50 years, the District was required to adhere to a funding system that left it with little choice as to where the money went. However, under the state’s new Local Control Funding Formula, the District is able to prioritize where funding goes, which is outlined in the LCAP. The Board on July 21 also voted to put the Measure G: Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District Classroom Repair and School Safety Measure on the November ballot. The $375 million bond, which a survey found was supported by a majority of voters, would go toward classroom repairs, safety upgrades, renovations and updates to science, math and computer lab technology, as well as physical education and athletic facilities. As we outlined here in the Superintendent’s Update, the District is about to embark on an exciting year with so many positive changes. If you have any question regarding the LCAP, the general obligation bond or any other District information, feel free to call the District office as (562) 868-0431. - Dr. Ruth Pérez, Superintendent

Norwalk-La Mirada superintendent resigns to take job with Los Angeles Unified School District By Mike Sprague, Whittier Daily News | http://bit.ly/1toH38n Wed, 8/20/14, 10:19 AM PDT | NORWALK  ::  Superintendent Ruth Perez of the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District has resigned to take a job with Los Angeles Unified School District as a deputy superintendent. Perez, 51, who was paid $211,000 annually wasn’t available for comment. Board member “Jesse” Urquidi said Perez had done a “fantastic job” since coming to the district in June 2009, succeeding Ginger Shattuck. “In the last five years, we’ve gone up in our (test scores),” Urquidi said. “She raised the expectations of leadership. She set the bar very high.” Urquidi said he’s not surprised that Perez is leaving. “It’s not uncommon,” he said. “An average superintendent’s duration is three to five years. I’ve seen it before. As a board we have to adjust to it.” Perez was the chief academic officer for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District in North Carolina before coming to Norwalk-La Mirada.