School Board Fills
Two Top Posts
By Teresa Rochester
Nov. 2 -- A former Santa Monica mayor and a long-time education
administrator were hired to fill two key school district posts that have
been vacant for six months, following decisions by the School Board at
its meeting Thursday night.
Judy Abdo, who served eight years on the Santa Monica City Council, and
Ken Bailey, associate superintendent of business services for the San
Carlos School District in northern California, were unanimously approved
as Child Development Services Coordinator and Assistant Superintendent
of Fiscal and Business Services respectively.
Abdo and Bailey will take over the positions, which were left open when
Art and Nancy Cohen retired in June, at the beginning of December.
Bailey's appointment comes after a nearly year-long search to take over
the reins as chief financial officer of a district that has ridden a fiscal
roller coaster for more than two years. He will be leaving the San Carlos
School District where he has worked for 11 years.
"Ken's references have checked out to be flawless and spectacular,"
Supt. John Deasy told the board.
Bailey was first contacted by Deasy to act as a mentor to an out of state
candidate for the job. When that candidate fell through Deasy invited
Bailey to visit the district and apply for the position.
"I'm going to be really happy to join you," said Bailey, whose
wife will be leaving her post as director of curriculum in the same district
so he can take the job. "She's going to let me have the upper hand
with you. We are very tickled."
After the meeting Bailey said that his current district and the Santa
Monica Malibu Unified School District share many characteristics but also
have some distinct differences.
Both districts, he said, have a high level of parent and local participation
and financial support. It's that support, however, that fluctuates when
it comes to district finances.
"Predicting state revenues, it doesn't fluctuate as much as you
think about it," Bailey said. "What is unique to Santa Monica
is you have quite an amount of support [from the City, businesses and
parents]. That's what fluctuates. The state money, you can figure that
out. It's the other things that are local that are different. Those are
the things I need to learn."
One key difference between the San Carlos school district and the SMMUSD
is that the northern California district focuses on reducing class size
and technology while giving more power to its site governance councils.
The councils decide what programs, such as music and the arts, will be
funded.
"It takes courage by the board to delegate those responsibilities
to the sites," Bailey said. "The schools don't all choose the
same [funding priorities]
I personally like that model. I'm certainly
not going to come in to Santa Monica and start changing things."
Abdo's appointment as CDS Coordinator was expected. Word began circulating
that the former mayor was up for the position earlier this week at the
City's Civic Center Working Group meeting.
Abdo, who is perhaps one of Santa Monica's most prominent and influential
political powerbrokers through her long-time ties with Santa Monicans
for Renters Rights, has a background in early childhood education. She
spent 13 years working in a number of schools in Burbank, Calif.; Prince
Georges County, Md. and in Kansas.
She also has worked as the financial manager of leasing and fundraising
at the Church in Ocean Park and as City Council Deputy in West Hollywood.
Abdo left her position as assistant director of the Norton Family Office
in September.
"I'm very excited about starting this new work," Abdo told
the board. "I've been talking to a lot of people in the last two
days about what we can do."
The district's CDS department, which oversees childcare and preschool
programs, has experienced its own turbulence in recent years. Grossly
under-funded by the state the program has scrambled to make ends meet.
Salary negotiations for childcare teachers have gone unresolved since
January.
Abdo was credited with being a long-time advocate of the school district
and early childhood education.
"At the time you were a council member, and you were mayor, you
were a supporter of the school district and you were instrumental in explaining
us to other council members, so for me, Judy, it's like you're coming
home," board member Pam Brady said.
|