Capistrano Unified School District Names Next Superintendent
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CUSD’s Next Superintendent, Kirsten Vital |
Kirsten M. Vital has been named the new Superintendent of the Capistrano Unified School District, succeeding Dr. Joseph M. Farley who will retire on July 1, 2014, as the leader of Orange County’s second-largest school district.
The Board of Trustees made the selection of Ms. Vital following a closed session meeting on June 14, 2014. A contract is expected to be ratified on Wednesday, June 25 at the Board of Trustees’ regularly scheduled meeting.
Ms. Vital comes to CUSD from Alameda Unified School District in Alameda, California, where she is Superintendent. A seasoned educator, Ms. Vital has held key leadership positions in some of California’s largest districts, including Los Angeles Unified School District and Oakland Unified School District.
Ms. Vital has been a teacher, an assistant principal, principal, and a college professor. To find the ideal candidate, the Board of Trustees conducted a nationwide search. The search was guided by a detailed list of leadership criteria, a web-based survey, community forum, and responses from focus groups representing community and district stakeholders.
Board President John M. Alpay expressed his confidence in Vital, “We wanted to ensure that we had the right person for this very important role during this critical time in our District,” he said. “Because of her demonstrated track record of success, the Board of Trustees is certain that Kirsten Vital is the right leader who will take our District to new heights of student achievement.”
Retiring Superintendent Dr. Joseph M. Farley has been widely praised for his leadership of the District over the last four years. Capistrano Unified schools have consistently ranked in the top one percent of California’s public schools.
Successfully weathering the most recent economic recession, the District’s fiscal position was certified as “positive” by the Orange County Department of Education.
With over 4,000 employees, the new Superintendent will take the helm of the largest employer in South Orange County.
