The Orange Unified School District’s Board of Education recently paused its search for a permanent superintendent, and it’s unclear when it will resume.
The board was to select a consulting firm April 13 to aid its search. But at the meeting, trustees instead voted unanimously to take no action, with various reasons why.
Board President Rick Ledesma said during the meeting he was worried about costs.
“I’m concerned about ... expending the dollars because we'd have to be paying progress payments to the search firms to do the work, and in the end, we decide [who we’ll hire],” Ledesma said.
The board considered two firms: one for $50,000 and the other between $28,000 to $34,400, according to Ledesma.
Ledesma and Trustee John Ortega also expressed concerns during the meeting about confidentiality and leaks of sensitive information—such as potential candidates.
Erickson—as well as Trustees Andrea Yamasak and Angie Rumsey—also said they felt the timing was off.
Rumsey said a search in the middle of the school year might deter candidates who are currently working at other schools from applying.
Yamasaki agreed, saying “rushing through the process may not produce the best candidate.”
Trustee Madison Miner also said she wanted to ensure the board is “prudent” about their choice.
“I wouldn’t be opposed to tabling this and making sure we’re doing what’s right for the students, staff, and faculty,” she said.
The board’s decision comes after months of division over district leadership—which began in early January when its conservative majority voted to fire its longtime superintendent, Gunn Marie Hansen, and place assistant superintendent Cathleen Corella on leave pending an academic audit.
Shortly after, Edward Velasquez, a retired educator who previously served as interim superintendent for San Diego Unified School District, was appointed in the same role by the board majority.
However, Velasquez only held the position for a little over a month before he resigned Feb. 15.
In early March, the board unanimously appointed one of its existing assistant superintendents, Ernie Gonzalez, as acting superintendent.
Gonzalez told trustees during the board meeting that he’d planned to stay on until the new school year began in fall 2023, and that he’d have to discuss with his family whether he would consider staying beyond that.
