Oxnard Union High trustees set tight timeline, broaden outreach for superintendent search

Oxnard Union High School District trustees on April 29 opened their special board meeting by launching the formal search for a new superintendent, approving the meeting agenda and setting a compressed schedule and broad outreach plan with consultants from Leadership Associates.

Dr. Blanca Cabasos, a consultant with Leadership Associates, opened the discussion by outlining the firm’s process and communication approach, telling trustees, "you have our email, you have our cell numbers. And so you can call or text or write or we will get right back to you as soon as we can." The consultants emphasized continuous coordination with district staff to post an online survey and hold both in-person and Zoom input sessions for staff, students, parents and community partners.

Trustees agreed to expand the list of outreach participants beyond typical internal groups to include students, feeder-district board members, labor partners, city councils, county offices and local nonprofits. Trustee Baker Torres urged that the next superintendent be "able to interact with students, parents, teachers, board members, our unions and the community," and to be "clear, transparent and approachable."

The board and consultants discussed a compressed hiring timetable intended to allow a July 1 start for the new superintendent. Consultants recommended a backwards-mapped schedule: a targeted application close, candidate screening and weekend interview blocks followed by board approval at a regular meeting in late June. After discussion the trustees agreed by consensus to shift the application deadline to Sunday, May 17 at 11:59 p.m., giving additional time for late applications to arrive.

Trustees debated interview formats, confidentiality and community involvement. Leadership Associates cautioned that maintaining candidate confidentiality is important and described models the district could use to collect community input without exposing candidates (for example, staggered community panels that sign confidentiality agreements while the board interviews candidates). Trustee Estrada and others argued for meaningful community opportunities to engage with finalists; trustees agreed to explore panels or representative feedback while preserving legal confidentiality requirements.

On candidate qualities, trustees collectively emphasized experience with high-need students and multilingual communities, strong instructional leadership, financial oversight experience and community engagement. Several trustees underscored social-emotional supports and community ties as priorities; President Schaer used a phrase several trustees echoed, saying the district wants someone with a "Maslow before Bloom" mindset — prioritizing student well-being as the foundation for academic success.

Consultants told the board they can provide comparative superintendent salary data and asked the district to supply the current superintendent contract for candidates’ reference; trustees agreed to agendize salary-range decisions later in the process. Leadership Associates also said they can provide survey translations and recommended the district share its home-language data to select priority languages for quick turnaround.

Next steps set on the record: Leadership Associates will post an online survey and schedule outreach sessions between May 4 and May 11 (survey window), the board set the application close as May 17, and trustees discussed weekend interview windows in early to mid-June with the goal of making a selection in time for a contract approval meeting in late June and a July 1 start date. The board adjourned into closed session to complete the evening’s business.

The search process timeline and outreach plan will be finalized in a revised timeline the firm agreed to circulate to trustees.