District Moves Forward After Superintendent Placed on Leave

After the school board announced it had placed Superintendent Karl Black on paid administrative leave through the end of the year, Milpitas' education community continues as normal.

The following day after the announcement, the school district and multiple city departments continued with their annual emergency drill for the 17th year. And on the second day, the eighth-annual district-wide music concert was held for parents, with two assistant superintendents attending.

Cheryl Jordan and Michelle Dimas will rotate each week to assume Black's duties, while handling their own department's responsibilities. In addition, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Phuong Le will also provide assistance.

"Each one of us has our area of expertise," Jordan said at the concert. "Together as a team, we're going to move the district forward and follow our mission and strategic plan. We have every confidence that our staff at each school site will continue to carry on the high caliber of teaching that we've been doing all this time. We're committed to making sure every single [student] is successful."

With two months left before summer break, many parents said they aren't too concerned that the loss of the superintendent would impact the district's ability to operate.

"As a parent I'm not concerned," said Khim Lok. "The schools can function with whatever they have going for the next couple of months."

Lok said "a lot of the major issues are resolved," one being the parcel tax Measure B, which was passed in June 2010, collecting $84 from each property within the school district for the next five years.  

"Things are already in place," said Rancho parent Karen Goo. "For the remainder of the school year, things should be relatively normal."

"I assume the district is in OK hands," said Sandy Printy, who said she believed "there would be a succession in place for situations like this."

Printy, who has seen many MUSD superintendents come and go (she graduated from Samuel Ayer High School in 1969), said Black was well-liked as a superintendent, and she was surprised to see him go abruptly.

"It did catch me off-guard," she said.

Parent Kim Osugi said she was concerned about budget cuts, particularly decisions being made for extracurricular programs in the district.

"I'm more concerned about budget cuts and how it will affect staffing for music programs and sports," she said.

She said she knew funding would change and the budget would be rearranged.

"You usually need some kind of person to make sure that everything is in place," Osugi.

Each year, the school board must pass a budget by June 30, based on the most current information from the state, said Marsha Grilli, president of the MUSD Board of Education.

She said the school district is actively looking to hire a consultant a few days a week to work on the budget.

"I have a few leads," she said.

"Because of the seriousness of the message from Sacramento, we have to prepared where that money is coming from."

The school board, with the help of , was already on track to hire a new superintendent to start July 1, after . The date for the new hire will not be moved up, said Grilli.

"People have been very supportive," said Grilli. "We have a plan, and we're working through it."

Deanna Kirby, president of the music boosters club at Russell Middle School, said, "I have full confidence in the district. I think they have a difficult challenge with the budget as it is. Whoever it's going to be will take a lot of slack from parents [for cutting programs]."