OAK PARK : School District Hires New Superintendent

After a lengthy search, the board of the Oak Park Unified School District has hired an Agoura Hills woman to succeed retiring Supt. Susan Hearn.

The new superintendent, Marilyn Lippiatt, will take office April 1. She will oversee the small, 2,400-student district, Ventura County’s fastest-growing school district with a budget this year of $8.1 million. The school board last week approved a two-year contract for Lippiatt, with an annual salary of $79,000, Hearn said.

Lippiatt heads the Central Coast School Leadership Center in Santa Barbara. The center, one of 13 regional offices under the California School Leadership Academy, trains school administrators and teachers in Kern, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties. Lippiatt is a former principal and teacher in the Conejo Valley Unified School District.

Hearn said several Oak Park principals recommended Lippiatt’s selection. She said all Oak Park principals and several teachers have trained with Lippiatt at the leadership center.

“I think she is going to continue the emphasis I’ve had on collaborative leadership,” said Hearn, who has been superintendent for four years.

The board’s original choice to replace her, Castaic Union School District Supt. Scott Brown, declined the job after he and the board failed to reach agreement on a contract. A second finalist turned down the position for personal reasons.

Hearn said Lippiatt had been one of nine finalists chosen in the first round.