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.