Placer Union High trustees set July 1 start, approve job description and schedule April interviews for superintendent search

The Placer Union High School District Board of Trustees on March 11, 2025 approved a revised superintendent job description, set July 1 as the target start date for a new superintendent and scheduled multi‑day interviews April 28–30 with a final round the following week, the board decided after a presentation and timeline from the Placer County Office of Education.

Placer County Superintendent of Schools Gail Garvelina Mojica told trustees the superintendent hire is “one of the most important decisions that you guys will do as trustees,” outlined a typical four‑to‑six month search timeline and recommended a July 1 start so the district can attract a broad pool of candidates and avoid conflicts with candidates’ existing contracts.

Mojica and Dr. Colleen Slattery, PCOE assistant superintendent of human resources, described standard search components — a public job posting on Edjoin, optional community focus groups, a district survey, paper screening and two closed‑session interview days. Mojica said the office will prescreen applications, run initial reference checks and deliver binders of applicants for board review. “We will have each member of the board and the community panel sign a confidentiality statement,” Mojica said, explaining limits on outside reference checks and public discussion of applicants.

The presentation included local and statewide turnover context: Mojica said California’s average superintendent tenure is about 2.9 years (recently reported closer to 2.7) and that in the county 16 districts had 19 superintendent changes in the last five years; only four of 16 districts retained a superintendent longer than five years. Mojica estimated a likely applicant pool of about 25–30 candidates for Placer Union’s search and recommended the board decide whether it prefers traditional candidates (holders of administrative credentials) or to allow “nontraditional” candidates without an administrative credential.

Trustees directed PCOE to run a confidential district survey for staff, parents and community members and to incorporate any board‑supplied questions. PCOE recommended a third‑party or their own survey instrument to preserve anonymity; Mojica said the county office’s survey service is commonly used and estimated the survey fee at roughly $1,000. Board members discussed focus groups and a community panel; several trustees favored a community panel to participate on the day of interviews but agreed surveys would likely produce more and more candid public input than in‑person focus groups.

Mojica described logistics PCOE uses in other searches: community input panels typically interview candidates early on the interview day and provide written strengths/weaknesses to PCOE staff, who then brief the board in closed session. Trustees were told they may review application binders at PCOE offices by appointment and that interviews can be held in the county office library if the board prefers to maintain confidentiality and limit public exposure.

Board actions and votes recorded at the meeting: - Approval of the special meeting agenda (motion: Trustee Jeffries; second: Trustee Lake) — passed unanimously. - Approval of the revised superintendent job description with amended physical‑requirements language (motion: Trustee Jeffries; second: Trustee Lake) — passed unanimously. - Approval of July 1, 2025 as the superintendent start date (motion: Trustee Jeffries; second: Trustee Underwood) — passed unanimously. - Approval to host interviews on April 28–30 with a final board round the following week and the structure described in the agenda (motion: Trustee Jeffries; second: Trustee Underwood) — passed unanimously.

Trustee Underwood said, “I feel very optimistic that this is gonna go well,” and other trustees expressed support for a process that blends a confidential screening, a public survey and a community panel on the day of interviews.

Next steps set by the board and PCOE: PCOE will market the position (EdCal/Edjoin), open the application period in April for roughly three weeks, prescreen applicants, run a confidential survey and schedule paper‑screening access for trustees; the board will confirm community panel membership before the interview days. PCOE said it would provide a recommended short list and run initial references; the board will conduct final reference checks through the board president and will vote on any employment contract in a regularly scheduled open meeting as required by state law.

The board expects to complete contract negotiations and act on a hiring contract at an upcoming regular meeting once finalists are selected.