Laguna district has a new schools chief

The Laguna Beach Unified School District board Tuesday night approved its next superintendent.

Jason Viloria, 38, will start July 1, replacing Supt. Sherine Smith, who is retiring in June after six years at the helm.

The board’s decision concluded a months-long search that involved community meetings to gain public input on desirable qualities in a schools chief, the identification of candidates by an executive search firm and candidate interviews by trustees.

“I’m deeply honored and humbled,” Viloria told the board. “I don’t think I’ve stopped smiling since I received the phone call.”

Viloria, a Laguna Beach resident, has been a high school teacher, assistant principal and principal. He spent the last three years as an administrator in the San Dieguito Union High School District in northern San Diego County, working with a variety of departments, including human resources and business.

“I feel very strongly that Viloria will mesh with not only our [district] family but our community as a whole,” Trustee Ketta Brown said in a news release.

Brown was not at the meeting but listened to the discussion by phone.

“His professionalism, candor and honesty during the interview process was refreshing,” Brown said. “He has a strong background in curriculum, most recently with STEM [science, technology, engineering and math], which will be appreciated by our families and staff.”

In July, San Dieguito Union’s board promoted Viloria to a new position, associate superintendent of administrative services, according to the Encinitas Advocate, having hired him in 2013 as executive director of educational services.

Before that, Viloria led Woodbridge High in Irvine as principal for five years, overseeing facility modernization projects, including bringing a pool to the campus.

He also developed programs that increased access to Advanced Placement and honors courses at Woodbridge and supported collaborative courses that included special-needs students.

As an assistant principal at Gunderson High School in San Jose, Viloria worked on a program to create a college-bound culture in a school with a significant at-risk population, the release said.

Laguna Beach Unified Trustee Jan Vickers said Viloria’s leadership philosophy and emphasis on expanding student opportunities elevated him above other candidates.

“He emphasized making sure opportunities of all kinds are available to all students and not have limiting factors,” Vickers said in a phone interview, explaining that Viloria wants to encourage students who might not have otherwise considered taking AP and honors courses to do so.

When trustees asked Viloria to describe his leadership style, Vickers said, he “emphasized situational leadership. One size does not fit everything.”

Viloria earned a bachelor’s degree in history from UC Santa Barbara, a master’s in educational leadership from San Jose State University and a doctorate in leadership, administration and policy from Pepperdine University, where he also taught as an adjunct professor.

Viloria has two children, who attend district schools. “I know how special this community is,” he said during Tuesday’s meeting.

“July 1 can’t come soon enough. I look forward to meeting staff and community members, and most importantly, students.”