Mar 14, 2008

Albany Unified names new supe

Stephenson, assistant superintendent for educational services, takes job

By Shelly Meron / Bay Area News Group

The Albany Unified School District didn't go far to find its next superintendent.

This week, the school board announced that the job will go to Marla Stephenson, currently its assistant superintendent for educational services.

Stephenson, 56, said she looks forward to following in the footsteps of her current boss, Superintendent Willie Wong, who announced in the fall that he will retire at the end of the school year.

"I am thrilled to be Albany's next superintendent," she said. "It's rare when one finds what I consider to be a perfect match between employee and school district. I want the community to know that they're going to get 150 percent of me."

The decision came after two days of interviews last week, when the school board and members of a community advisory committee met with six candidates Friday and invited three of them for second interviews Saturday.

School board President Charlie Blanchard said the decision was tough, but Stephenson had all the qualities the district was looking for.

"Marla's strengths covered every area," Blanchard said. "She has a unique combination of skills and abilities. She brought a package of both vision and dedication, as well as experience and continuity that rose to the top."

Ocean View Elementary School parent Dawn Kawamoto, who was outspoken that the district should open the search process to outside candidates, said she had some reservations about the choice.

"I'm concerned that Marla was one of the three people to have a say in terms of allowing students from outside the district to enroll in Albany schools," Kawamoto said, referring to a decision by the district several years ago to open enrollment to outside students to increase funding to the district. "All the schools are over capacity, and Marla was one of the people who had a say in that. That is my gravest concern going forward with her - will she be able to keep enrollment under control and reduce it, given the safety issues that it raises?"

Stephenson said she expects to take on several challenges, including state budget issues.

"It's a huge foundational belief of mine to carry on the work that Dr. Wong promoted here, which is that fiscal stability allows great education to happen," she said.

Stephenson also said that just because she's been with the district for nine years, she won't assume she knows what the community is thinking.

"I want to make sure I create opportunities for staff, the community and students to really tell me what is on their minds and their personal vision of what Albany needs to be and where we need to go," she said.

Stephenson served as principal of Albany Middle School for four years before being promoted to assistant superintendent. Before coming to Albany, she worked for four years as an elementary school principal at St. Helena Unified School District, and was named Administrator of the Year for Napa County. Before that, Stephenson spent time at Woodland Joint Unified School District and Berkeley Unified School District.

Stephenson likely will sign a three-year contract with the district. Her new salary was not immediately available, but Blanchard said the district tries to "provide a salary as close to the median of comparable jobs in Alameda County." The board is expected to ratify the contract with Stephenson at its next meeting, scheduled for March 25.