Superintendent Rick Schmitt has announced that he plans to retire at the end of the school year in June after four years at the helm of the San Ramon Valley Unified School District.
Schmitt, in a message to the SRVUSD community on Thursday, called his tenure in the San Ramon Valley "an exceptional capstone" to his 40 years in the education profession. The Castro Valley native also spent time as a social studies teacher, school administrator in Livermore and superintendent in San Diego County during his career.
"I am most grateful for the personal and professional relationships that I have been able to form with district managers, teachers, classified staff, the Board of Education, parents and community leaders," Schmitt, 62, said. "Together we have been able to lead an already excellent school district to greater heights through some of the most trying times imaginable."
He added, "It is with very mixed emotions that after 40 years in public education, I have decided to retire at the end of this school year. Throughout my career, my wife, my two children and my extended family have all supported me, and I now hope to spend time supporting them."
Acknowledging his retirement announcement comes amid the novel coronavirus crisis, Schmitt said, "While I understand that these are incredibly challenging times, it is my hope that by announcing my decision now, the Board of Education will find the best candidate to lead this extraordinary district into the future."
The school board is scheduled to discuss Schmitt's pending departure and the search process for finding his replacement during a teleconference-only special meeting on Friday morning. The goal is to hire a successor by the start of the 2020-21 school year.
Two SRVUSD board members offered comments Thursday, praising Schmitt's tenure and lamenting the loss of his leadership after June 30.
“We are very disappointed to be losing a phenomenal superintendent of schools," Board President Greg Marvel said in a statement released by SRVUSD.
"Rick Schmitt inherited a very high performing school district that was just recovering from the Great Recession," Marvel added. "He implemented major new initiatives that provided even more services and options to our students and helped us continue to provide one of the best public education experiences in California. He will be sorely missed."
“I’m really going to miss Rick," Trustee Rachel Hurd said. "I have found him to be a dedicated educator who is committed to doing what’s right for kids, acknowledging that every idea is not for every student, but by creating options and flexibility we build a better system for all kids."
"He has been true to his trademark phrase, ‘feedback is welcome,’ and has been a true pleasure to work and lead with," Hurd added.
The school board is now tasked with recruiting for a permanent superintendent, a search process the board members will begin on Friday during a teleconference meeting and carry on during what could well be the height of the statewide and national COVID-19 crisis.
District staff recommends the board retain private firm Leadership Associates to lead the search process during the coming months. It's the same company SRVUSD contracted with in early 2016 to conduct the nationwide recruitment that resulted in Schmitt's appointment.
The board's agenda packet for Friday includes a copy of the draft contract for $32,500 signed by a Leadership Associates official and unsigned by the district -- but the draft is dated March 5, even though Schmitt's announcement just became public Thursday.
Schmitt's decision continues a familiar trend for the district; he is the third consecutive superintendent to announce their retirement during their fourth year with SRVUSD.
Schmitt's tenure
Schmitt joined SRVUSD in July 2016, rising to the top in the board's national search for a successor to then-superintendent Mary Shelton.
A native of Castro Valley, Schmitt boasted over three decades in education at the time, including time teaching history, government and economics at various schools as well as vice principal (Granada High) and principal (East Avenue Middle) in Livermore earlier in his career.
He moved to the San Diego area in 1999 to be closer to his aging parents, holding different high school principal positions before shifting to the district office at the San Dieguito Union High School District, based in Encinitas in north-coastal San Diego County.
Schmitt had three years as San Dieguito superintendent under his belt when he was hired at SRVUSD heading into the 2016-17 school year. He and wife Lyssa then relocated to the San Ramon Valley. (They have two adult children.)
"During my four-year tenure as superintendent of the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, I have had the great privilege of working together with a highly dedicated and collaborative group of educators and staff, a supportive community and a committed Board of Education, all of whom consistently keep students’ needs at the forefront of their agenda," Schmitt said Thursday, reflecting on his time in the Valley.
"It has been an extraordinary honor to partner with you through these last four years, as we shared both the successes and the challenges," he added.
With Schmitt as superintendent, the district continued its record of strong academic and extracurricular success for San Ramon Valley students, and he was at the helm for the completion of two of the largest Measure D bond-funded projects -- San Ramon Valley High School's classroom building and Stone Valley Middle School's modernization.
But Schmitt's tenure was also marked by challenges such as tense labor negotiations with the San Ramon Valley Education Association nearly every year and community criticism in the wake of SRVHS freshman Ben Curry drowning to death unnoticed in the school pool during PE class in May 2018.
For their part, district leaders on Thursday cited several specific Schmitt priorities that highlighted the past four years in their eyes -- "Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports, providing a respectful working and learning environment, and ensuring that the SRVUSD remains fiscally responsible during a period of declining enrollment."
Schmitt on Thursday also acknowledged that the district finds itself -- like the rest of California -- mired in one of its most difficult situations in memory.
SRVUSD schools have been closed with students sent home for remote learning since mid-March in reaction to state and county health guidelines to help prevent further spread of COVID-19. Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that he expects the school closures will extend through May and the end of the 2019-20 school year.
"Despite the unprecedented situation in which we find ourselves, the staff and families of the San Ramon Valley have never wavered in their commitment and compassion for students’ academic, social-emotional and personalized learning," Schmitt said, adding:
"I have every confidence that this district will thrive as a destination district well into the future, and I will enjoy watching that success."
Finding a new superintendent
Schmitt said his retirement decision will be finalized during the school board's special meeting on Friday morning, when the board will then discuss next steps to find his successor.
"I am committed to leading this district through my retirement at the end of June, and I look forward to saying goodbye to many of you in person, or as the case may be, by teleconference," Schmitt said. "I do want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for welcoming myself and my family, and especially for what you do every day for our students. You will be remembered and missed."
Schmitt's departure continues SRVUSD's recent superintendent trend of four years then retirement. It was the same tenure timelines for the two previous superintendents as well: Shelton (2012-16) and Steven Enoch (2008-12).
Marvel, who served on the school board for all three of those superintendent hiring cycles, said he expects to again see a competitive recruitment process this time around to lead the highly rated district that currently serves about 31,000 students with 36 different school sites.
"I am confident that we will have a robust pool of highly qualified candidates to interview as we begin the recruitment process," Marvel said Thursday.
Though just three months away from Schmitt's departure date, the district's stated goal is "to find a qualified candidate to lead the San Ramon Valley Unified School District beginning in the 2020-2021 school year."
To that end, the district will discuss approving a contract with Santa Barbara-based Leadership Associates to serve as lead consultant for SRVUSD's superintendent search process.
The proposed contract is for $32,500 to be paid for in two installments, with the first half after the stakeholder input phase is completed and the final half after selection of a finalist. The agreement would also allow for a maximum of $3,000 for travel reimbursement.
The agreement describes the tasks Leadership Associates would need to undertake in its consultant role.
The school board on Friday will also discuss their desired steps for the search process: an overview of the process, board and search firm protocols during the search, timeline, board input on desired qualities and characteristics of candidates, stakeholder input process and a possible online survey.
The board meeting, which begins with closed session at 10 a.m. and then moves to open session at noon, will be live-streamed with the board members participating by teleconference only -- with the district citing the governor's executive order suspending parts of Brown Act open meeting regulations, including in-person requirements, to stem COVID-19 spread.
Instructions for how residents can view and participate in the meeting are available on the district website and in the board's agenda.
In addition to discussing Schmitt's retirement, in closed and open session, the board will talk in open session about the district's ongoing coronavirus response strategy.
District staff notes they are still working to confirm plans for student learning between May 4-29 if in fact on-campus classes are canceled due to coronavirus.
Other closed-session topics include a conversation about labor negotiations with all three employee unions, and four other public employee appointments: transportation director, education services coordinator, assistant director for special education and program supervisor for special education.
Not only will district leaders soon be recruiting for Schmitt's successor, they were already in the midst of the search process for a position in the superintendent's cabinet. Longtime assistant superintendent facilities and operations Gary Black announced his retirement last week, to become effective at school year's end.
Comments
Sycamore Valley Elementary School
on Apr 2, 2020 at 5:17 pm
on Apr 2, 2020 at 5:17 pm
Shhhhh- don’t tell Greg Marvel that the Great Recession was actually from 2007 to 2009.
Danville
on Apr 2, 2020 at 8:53 pm
on Apr 2, 2020 at 8:53 pm
"a respectful working environment"
That means he smiled while he lied and ruined your job. SRVUSD was a destination district because of families and educators working together. By taking students out of the classroom and placing them online, he began "distance learning" before we even had a pandemic.
Schmitt's attitude behind closed doors was "if you don't like it, there's the door". he handled that office like Trump, move people around, circle the wagons, wreck what made things great, and then bail while the dumpster is still burning claiming he did a great job. People who ran from this district under his tenure cite his agenda as not being for students. he was here for the money, plain and simple.
Good riddance.
Now, on to replace the out of touch board of education with some new blood who actually care about this community and won't hide behind lies and poor leadership.
Danville
on Apr 3, 2020 at 6:52 am
on Apr 3, 2020 at 6:52 am
I hope the school board has learned from the disasters that have occurred under Rick Schmitt’s tenure and hire a more appropriate candidate.
Danville
on Apr 3, 2020 at 7:47 am
on Apr 3, 2020 at 7:47 am
The SRVUSD school board should be ashamed of how they mismanaged Rick Schmitt.
1) Hire a person from a district 1/3 the size of our district. A rookie that you pay like a rock star.
2) The school board gave Schmitt a salary 100k greater than he was making. This is a 45% salary increase. Schmitt will reap the rewards of this huge increase in his pension for the rest of his life.
3) Grant Schmitt a salary increase the same year a child dies with one reason behind the death being Schmitt's financial decision to allow 57-61 kids in a swimming pool. Schmitt was informed in Nov 2017 that this decision would lead to a drowning. Ben Curry drown in May 2018 which resulted in an 8 million dollar settlement.
4) Schmitt failed to determine accountability of the people involved in the drowning of Ben Curry. Only SRV High allowed swim class with expired life guard certs. Aaron Becker walked away from a drowning 15 year old boy. But the accountability also included the school board and his administration who were present when a teacher informed them in Nov 2017 that a student would drown if they did not reduce PE class sizes.
5) Shmitt held classes on campuses with no power, lights, heat or working fire alarms. Putting in danger our 5-11 year old children. SRVUSD was the only school district in bay area to hold classes with out power for the entire day.
6) Schmitt failed to take action against students which posted a video of a girl in the bathroom. Schmitt only acted after the parent's filed a lawsuit.
7) Schimit not dealing with an out of control Keith Rogenski. Rogenski behavior of being abusive to parents and teachers was not dealt with. Rogenski's history of ignoring complaints of child abuse were disclosed. Rogenski has now been involved in lawsuits with a total of 16 million in settlements. Rogenski came to Aaron Becker's defense within days of the drowning of Ben Curry which mirrored his previous defense of a teacher found guilty of child abuse.
SRVUSD school board consist of nodding heads that failed in their job to hold this administration to any standards of behavior or accountability. Schmitt was a man in search of a high salary before retirement and he found a gullible school district board that made his dream come true.
Danville
on Apr 3, 2020 at 7:49 am
on Apr 3, 2020 at 7:49 am
Really, now?
Coward.
Now more than ever our education community needs a strong leader. While other district Sups are rallying for their students and families, Schmitt decides to pack up his stuff and call it quits? He got what he came for:
Danville
on Apr 3, 2020 at 8:01 am
on Apr 3, 2020 at 8:01 am
Board Members Marvel and Hurd who helped selected Schmitt and praised him are part of the PROBLEM. Schimitt and his HR person were not liked by teachers or staff. And during his tenure there were a number of problems, including the death of a student and the subsequent lawsuit.
Schmitt was unresponsive to problems and pushed his own Social Agenda rather then have students actually learn the basics.
My fear is that the School Board will once again make a bad decision in selecting the next Superintendent. We want an Educator, not a Social Activist.
Sycamore Valley Elementary School
on Apr 3, 2020 at 9:36 am
on Apr 3, 2020 at 9:36 am
I can not believe he is leaving in a time of crisis, but I am not surprised. He was never here for the teachers, parents, or students, he was in it for the huge paycheck. I think the entire board needs to be removed and start over. They obviously can't make a good decision.
Danville
on Apr 3, 2020 at 9:45 am
on Apr 3, 2020 at 9:45 am
We need to step in with a formal petition of "no confidence" with this elected school board to prevent them from hiring and repeating their mistakes of the last several hires. I believe the parents of the community need to form their own committee- without our trustees hand picking "favorites" among the community which serve as district mouth pieces to mirror their agenda. We have a lot of educated and intelligent people in this community that need to now step up and be active in this process-- your voice is needed. These people have had years to get it right and test out their wings- they simply can not lead a district of this size. Join the Parents of SRVUSD group on Facebook and get the real scoop-- and hear from real parents that are in the know.
Danville
on Apr 4, 2020 at 11:50 am
on Apr 4, 2020 at 11:50 am
To that superintendent I say “Goodbye! Don’t let the door hit you as you run out.” First of all, many of our kids do well in this district because of their family support. We did well long before he arrived. To give a superintendent credit for test scores and any success our students earn is ridiculous. As a teacher, I see how hard many of my students work to achieve their successes. Yes, we teachers play a part; however, their families are involved and supportive. Having this current superintendent has been a nightmare. Don’t give him or the board credit for anything. We knew what he and they were up to very quickly after Mr S. arrived. Additionally, Ben Curry was my student. I will never forget or forgive.
Alamo
on Apr 4, 2020 at 1:53 pm
on Apr 4, 2020 at 1:53 pm
Anyone who thinks this board is serving any of us just need to watch the latest special school board meeting where Rachel Hurd throws our teachers under the bus and ALL of them pat themselves on the back for hiring this Superintendent in addition to publicly bashing a parent who spoke up at public comment. The ONLY board member that asked for transparency in the new hire salary was Mr. Marvel- who admitted this will be his 4th time conducting a search with the hired firm... they shared a chuckle together as the guy from the company said, “You’re getting good at this.” Congrats to the Superintendent on your next chapter- the turn over rate this board has speaks volumes of their leadership...
Monte Vista High School
on Apr 4, 2020 at 4:59 pm
on Apr 4, 2020 at 4:59 pm
Hopefully, this will have a trickle down effect to weed out any current principal(s) whose only reason for taking said position is to use the job as a stepping stone to get to the district level without any regard for the staff and students. Maybe getting rid of an incompetent superintendent will shake things up in a good way!
Danville
on Apr 4, 2020 at 8:30 pm
on Apr 4, 2020 at 8:30 pm
Rick's most recent claim to fame is an eight million dollar payout because of being negligent which resulted in the death of a student. So yes Rick does have a legacy but it is not something to be proud of. Rick's failure to act on a warning by a teacher resulted in the death of a 15 year old boy.
I hope Rick never forgets the words that Mr Matthews said in the Nov 2017 board meeting "I am a Christian and I will not lie to the parents of a drowned child, I will tell them it was a financial decision that resulted in the death of their child". PE teacher Mr Matthews had just been hailed a hero because along with a life guard had saved a drowning 9th grade PE student in a class of 47. Ben Curry died 6 months after this board meeting in a PE class of 57 students.
So thank you Rick for retiring because a man that choose to ignore those words is not a fit to be anywhere near my children. A shame that the school board members who were also present when Mr Matthews voiced those words do not also have the decency to go away.
Danville
on Apr 8, 2020 at 9:01 am
on Apr 8, 2020 at 9:01 am
Rick Schmitt is running now after two settlements one for 8 million and the other 625 thousand dollars along with more details being released on how terrible this district handles accountability.
I am sure at some point the details involved with the Curry's lawsuit will also show a screwed up investigation done by SRVUSD. I do know that Aaron Becker is super tight with the SRVHS principal Jason Krolikowski who is also named in the most recent settlement. Jason will probably get moved into SRVUSD administration like a middle school principal did after having affairs with his subordinates. SRVUSD is great a protecting a culture of no accountability.
San Ramon
on Apr 8, 2020 at 7:15 pm
on Apr 8, 2020 at 7:15 pm
Given that this court filing below clearly states he hid 13,000 pages of documents from the court system for an extended period of time because the District failed to disclose them, he should be fired, have no pension, and in fact should be fined for his outrageous actions. Instead of basking in an all expense paid lavish 'retirement,' the Board should report his actions to the District Attorney.
Web Link
San Ramon
on Apr 10, 2020 at 1:24 pm
on Apr 10, 2020 at 1:24 pm
Brick and Mortar schools are obsolete, costly and gross carbon polluters....the future is here and it is internet education from home.
We no longer need over paid and over privileged school superintendents, swimming pool deaths, foot ball injuries, teachers, costly maintenance, union contracts, ugly Stalinist building architecture.
The infrastructure is huge, ungainly, unjustified and a blight on the community and landscape.
San Ramon
on Apr 10, 2020 at 5:29 pm
on Apr 10, 2020 at 5:29 pm
Distance learning is the way to go.
I read that the boy in the James Bond-parody controversy was subjected to a nearly 3 hour interrogation by school administrators. He was even threatened with the police arriving at his home with a search warrant. Read page 12 through 16 here Web Link
Meanwhile, the school administrators at SRVUSD hold James Bond fundraisers for SRV schools, printing pictures with logos including with real and photographs of guns and all like this one Web Link yet they have the audacity to interrogate a kid over a James Bond parody video clip?
I believe that the parents should have filed a criminal complaint against the school administrators for false imprisonment because of this interrogation. Hopefully the parents can still pursue criminal charges.
San Ramon
on Apr 12, 2020 at 9:05 pm
on Apr 12, 2020 at 9:05 pm
SRVUSD takes no action against Aaron Becker the teacher responsible for the death of a student from drowning while under his supervision, and then teachers from the same school threaten, harass, bully and interrogate a student for making a video. SRV High School what message are you sending out to the community? SRVUSD board members this type of conduct from teachers is acceptable? No accountability and no responsibility for teachers is what I am hearing loud and clear.
Danville
on Apr 13, 2020 at 11:55 am
on Apr 13, 2020 at 11:55 am
SRVUSD is filled with bullies in the administration. Starting at the top and flowing down. Rick Schmitt failed to stop the rumors about Ben Curry's drowning because the idea that Ben killed himself kept community pressure off the district. Keith Rogenski, Assistant Superintendent did not suspend during the investigation Aaron Becker even with the video evidence that Arron was staring at his phone during the class and never looked in the pool to insure everyone was out. SRV High principal, Jason Krolikowski denied a request from Ben's friends to tie ribbons around the school on the 6 month anniversary of Ben's death. Jason amoral decision to not allow the students to honor Ben's life is disgusting. But once I heard that Jason and Aaron relationship is best friends versus supervisor and subordinate I understood Jason's reaction to Ben's friends request. On the one year anniversary of Ben's death, Ben's friends did not ask for approval but followed their hearts with honoring Ben's life on SRV High campus with lots of ribbons and pictures scattered around the campus. I am proud of the Danville community that attended Ben's family 1 year memorial event at the Danville library. My son told me that the 1 year memorial event was never announced or mentioned at SRV High. SRVUSD wants the community to forget Ben Curry died at SRV High in their swimming pool because he was abandoned by Aaron Becker.
But all of this pales in comparison to the disgusting fact that SRV High did not call Ben's parents to inform them that Ben was in an ambulance going to Kaiser after being found in the bottom of their pool. Kaiser hospital in Walnut Creek called Ben's mom to inform her that they had her son after being found in the pool at SRV high. I can not look at Krolikowski with out getting ill at the fact a mom learned from Kaiser that her son was dead. I have gotten phone calls for the most minor of events that have happened at my son's school yet Jason believed that the Curry's did not deserve a phone call when Ben was placed into an ambulance and taken off campus. Jason is a coward and a bully who showed his true colors after the death of a child in his care.
San Ramon
on May 2, 2020 at 2:22 pm
on May 2, 2020 at 2:22 pm
When he was Superintendent in San Dieguito, I knew him to be unethical! I am sorry that you got our trash.