Board to hire superintendent June 14

by Robb Fulcher

The city school board has chosen a candidate for the superintendent's post, a source familiar with the selection process said on Thursday.

Board President Catherine McCurdy would not confirm or deny that the field of five finalists had been winnowed to one, but she said the board hopes to formally hire a new superintendent for the Hermosa Beach City School District at the next regular board meeting Wednesday, June 14.

"I'm not trying to be secretive, but we're still in the confidential part of the process," McCurdy said on Friday. "It's a confidential hiring process, and the [candidates] don't want their current positions jeopardized."

The board interviewed five candidates behind closed doors on Thursday, and board members had previously said they hoped to choose a final candidate by the end of that day. They also said some follow-up work would be necessary to confirm that they were making the right selection.

On Friday McCurdy declined to say what steps the board will take before June 14, but described it as "some homework, crossing the T's and dotting the I's."

The board originally looked at a field of more than 25 candidates for the district's top job.

Board member Cary Bichlmeier said the five finalists made up "a group of diverse age, from all over Southern California." Board members have declined to say whether any of the candidates works in the South Bay or has roots here.

The state's Ralph M. Brown Act allows school boards and other public entities to exclude the public from discussions regarding personnel matters, although the act requires the board to meet again in open session to make its final selection.

The school district used the headhunting firm Leadership Associates in its search for a permanent replacement for former Superintendent Alan Rasmussen, who left in January to take the top position in the larger Merced, Calif. school district.

Rasmussen's post has been filled on an interim basis by retired Redondo Beach Superintendent Bev Rohrer.

Rohrer retired from the Redondo Beach Unified School District in July 1997 after battling chronic fatigue syndrome, a viral condition, for more than a year. She continued to serve as a consultant to the Redondo district and took a post as visiting professor at Pepperdine University, advising students doing fieldwork in school administration.

Rohrer has been working half time to guard her recovered health and to stay within the restrictions upon her retirement benefits from the Redondo district. She is receiving about $24,000, which is half the salary that Rasmussen was paid for a six-month period. ER