Superintendent good fit for district

Coral Wilson

The search for a new superintendent ended Monday when the Huntington

Beach Union High School District found its perfect match in Van W.

Riley.

“We saw a sincere person, an ethical person and a strong leader,”

said board President Susan Henry.

Riley, 51, is presently the superintendent of the Ojai Unified

School District in Ventura County. Before that, he spent five years

as the superintendent of the Carpinteria Unified School District in

Santa Barbara County and 15 years, in many capacities including

teacher and principal, in the San Dieguito Union High School District

in North San Diego County.

Riley and his wife, Mary, of 31 years have two children, Matthew

and Sarah, who are both married and live in the Santa Barbara area,

and one grandchild, 3-year-old Isabella.

He likes working with students and he has been known to bring his

passion for music to the job by playing the piano for school plays.

He used to be in a rock band that played ‘60s rock music, and in

college he wrote musicals. Now when he has free time, he enjoys golf,

sailing, hiking and travel.

“Both my wife and I are excited,” Riley said of his new position.

“I’ve had a chance to walk around each of the campuses to get an idea

of what some of the issues might be and we are looking forward to

moving down there and getting started.”

Riley has a record of increasing student achievement, improving

school facilities, bringing in new technology, developing career

programs and providing strong financial planning, Henry said.

He had no plans for a move but he was tempted when the position

opened.

“Huntington Beach is a wonderful district,” he said. “They have

great teachers, a wonderful support staff, their board is very in

touch with the community and needs of the school and I really like

their strategic plan ... it seemed like something that would fit

right into my style.”

Riley will begin July 1. “You want someone who can work really

closely and collaboratively and yet, you want someone who is able to

lead and make the hard decisions that need to be made, especially in

the current situation we are in,” Henry said.

Budget cuts, facility issues and legislative decisions will be at

the top of Riley’s immediate list of matters to attend to, Henry

said. Riley has experience with facilities and school modernization

from his last position, she said.

With the district’s intended May 13 deadline for final budget

reduction decisionsmany of the major budget decisions will have taken

place before Riley steps into his new position. There is a public

budget hearing on Wednesday, the district’s deadline for final

lay-off notifications for classified employee such as janitors and

secretaries, she said.

Cuts of $3 million have already been made for the 2002-03 school

year and another $3.5 million in cuts will be necessary for the next

year, Henry said. While the board is hoping these cuts will be the

last for a while, more will be necessary if the situation gets worse.

“It is tough,” Riley said. “Every district is going through this.

But our focus should be on student needs and the attempt should be to

reduce the impact on students on the classroom.”

In Ojai and Carpinteria, he dealt with both state budget and

declining student enrollment issues. Riley said his decisions will be

focused on keeping instructional programs in tact.

“The only thing we know for sure about the budget is that it is

not going to be what we think it is going to be,” Henry said. “It is

really heartbreaking doing all of it. No one has been spared ... no

one has escaped unscathed.”