Escalon Unified School District Superintendent Ron Costa accepted a position with the San Joaquin Office of Education in late December and now the search for a new superintendent is on. Costa is currently in the middle of his third year as the superintendent for Escalon schools.
The Board of Trustees accepted Costa's resignation at the Jan. 15 meeting and the EUSD superintendent job opening has been posted; however, board president John Largent said that an exact date of termination for Costa has not been set.
Costa said that he will be "shared" for the time being between Escalon and the county office of education. He added that to start, much more of his time will be spent at EUSD and the plan is for him to gradually work up to a 50/50 split of time by March.
Largent added that he wasn't sure if the time sharing would be by the hour or the day but hopes that the sharing scenario works out well for both the district and the county offices.
He noted that the district would rather have Costa stay but they understand that the promotion is a good opportunity for him.
"He's been a great asset to this district," Largent said of Costa. "He fit right in with the community."
Costa stated that with the board's blessing there will be a transition period with him and the new superintendent.
"I'm too invested in this district to just walk away," Costa said, adding that he plans to work with the new person to get them up to speed before he leaves for the SJCOE post.
Largent concurred that the board would like have Costa to help with a smooth transition for the new person hired.
Largent reported that a search process has not been formally approved by the board but he expects that to take place at the next board meeting, set for Tuesday, Feb. 5. He said that EUSD previously went through SJCOE to help them, as opposed to hiring an outside search consultant, when they conducted their previous superintendent search and the board felt it was successful. Largent added that following this new search, the board hopes to have three candidates to interview.
A tentative timeline suggests that screening and interviewing could take place by the end of February. Applicants would first be reviewed and screened by a committee, which would also conduct preliminary interviews. The board would conduct final interviews. Largent said they hope to have a new superintendent in place by or before May 1. If that's the case, a new candidate would be expected to go before the Board of Trustees for approval at the April board meeting.
The Board of Trustees accepted Costa's resignation at the Jan. 15 meeting and the EUSD superintendent job opening has been posted; however, board president John Largent said that an exact date of termination for Costa has not been set.
Costa said that he will be "shared" for the time being between Escalon and the county office of education. He added that to start, much more of his time will be spent at EUSD and the plan is for him to gradually work up to a 50/50 split of time by March.
Largent added that he wasn't sure if the time sharing would be by the hour or the day but hopes that the sharing scenario works out well for both the district and the county offices.
He noted that the district would rather have Costa stay but they understand that the promotion is a good opportunity for him.
"He's been a great asset to this district," Largent said of Costa. "He fit right in with the community."
Costa stated that with the board's blessing there will be a transition period with him and the new superintendent.
"I'm too invested in this district to just walk away," Costa said, adding that he plans to work with the new person to get them up to speed before he leaves for the SJCOE post.
Largent concurred that the board would like have Costa to help with a smooth transition for the new person hired.
Largent reported that a search process has not been formally approved by the board but he expects that to take place at the next board meeting, set for Tuesday, Feb. 5. He said that EUSD previously went through SJCOE to help them, as opposed to hiring an outside search consultant, when they conducted their previous superintendent search and the board felt it was successful. Largent added that following this new search, the board hopes to have three candidates to interview.
A tentative timeline suggests that screening and interviewing could take place by the end of February. Applicants would first be reviewed and screened by a committee, which would also conduct preliminary interviews. The board would conduct final interviews. Largent said they hope to have a new superintendent in place by or before May 1. If that's the case, a new candidate would be expected to go before the Board of Trustees for approval at the April board meeting.
