CALABASAS : District on Track for Finding New Chief

Officials from the Las Virgenes Unified School District say they are on schedule for selecting a replacement for Supt. Albert (Bud) Marley, who will retire at the end of the school year.

However, officials were tight-lipped about an executive session held Tuesday to discuss the matter, saying they wanted to protect the confidentiality of applicants.

“I’m confident that we will have a quality person appointed by July 1,” said Charlotte Meyer, a school board member. She declined to say how many candidates there are.

Marley announced at a board meeting in January that he wanted to retire at the end of this school year, two years before his contract was to expire. The Calabasas-based district has hired Ferris & Associates of Orange County to conduct a nationwide search to replace Marley, who came to work for the district in 1984.

At least one district official has reportedly applied for the job. The Board of Education has promised to give any in-house candidates equal consideration.

Marley, who said he has stayed out of the process, said the board has tried to limit the number of candidates.

“The intent was to develop an announcement and a brochure that would be pretty selective,” he said. “Unless you develop the material very carefully, a lot of people will apply who have no business applying, in terms of background and qualifications.”

The district will hold a June 1 retirement party for Marley at the Westlake Hyatt Hotel.