Greenfield board unanimously approves superintendent contract for Laura Cortez

The Greenfield Union School District board of trustees voted unanimously May 29 to appoint interim superintendent Laura Cortez as superintendent and approved her employment contract after the board read a public summary of the agreement's financial terms.

The vote was 3-0, with Clerk Claire Gonzales, Vice President Smith and President Heinemann voting aye; Trustees Eredia and Khan were absent. The board announced the selection in open session and complied with the Brown Act requirement to provide an oral summary of financial terms before taking action on an executive contract.

Board President Heinemann said the board selected Cortez after a formal search and described her background in teaching and district leadership. "We look forward to the years of experience, long standing commitment, and trusted leadership that Ms. Cortez will bring to the position and to our district going forward," Heinemann said. Vice President Smith said the district had reviewed 26 applicants and that Cortez stood out among the finalists.

The board's public summary listed the categories of financial and employment terms the agreement covers but did not provide clear numeric amounts in the public record available in the meeting transcript. The summary announced that the contract provides: parity with other certificated administrators for sick leave and medical, dental and vision benefits; a term life insurance policy consistent with other certificated administrative employees; an automobile allowance (amount not specified in the meeting record); a $100 monthly cell-phone stipend; reimbursement for necessary business expenses; the district may pay for a coach or mentor for the superintendent during the first 12 months of the agreement at a cost not to exceed $16,000; payment of certain professional membership fees subject to board approval; and authorization for the superintendent to work up to five additional days in the 2025–26 school year. The base salary figure announced in open session is not clearly recorded in the meeting transcript and is therefore not specified here.

During the public comment period before the vote, members of the community urged greater transparency in the search process. A Parents United representative said the group had attempted to participate and "felt like there really wasn't much transparency in this process." The board noted it had contracted with the county office of education to support the search and that finalists had been reviewed according to that process.

After the vote, Cortez addressed the board and community, saying she was "so grateful" and urging collaboration to improve student outcomes. She told the board and attendees, "We will get out of that red. We are on a mission to get out of that red. It's going to take time, but we're going to do it." The board did not announce an effective date for the new contract in the public summary recorded in the meeting.

The board held no additional public action on related personnel items at the May 29 meeting; routine consent items were approved later in the agenda.